Virtual Team Model example essay topic

What are the primary differences between face-to-face and virtual teams? Can the Aberdeen model be implemented in organizations that rely heavily on virtual teams? Why or why not? The main objective is to verify if face to face model can be implemented into a company that has already been using a virtual model. Teams can be made in different way and dealt in different ways.

There are two important models now in days, a face to face and a virtual model. Virtual model teams are members that communicate and interact with each other by computer system, hardware, software and other communication links, in other words electronically. By using new technology they can research and achieve their goals. Each team member will have to have a groupware program to manage information.

These systems will benefit the company and their employees like being able to work from anywhere at anytime and reduce expenses associated with traveling, parking, lodging, and the probability to reduce the lease of a building; they also can form an alliance with different organizations in the country or outside the country. Edward Prewitt reports that a research was made by two academics and consultants, they divide a group into two: one group is face to face team and the other is virtual team. The research states that virtual is becoming the best way to communicate with others if you have the right communication tools to do so. Members of the group can use web interface, Install IM for instant messaging. For an example: there is a commercial on TV reference to three co-workers in different places communicating by IM or laptops and they share back and forward information on their objective. Face to face communication is an old fashion and continuing way to communicate with people.

This procedure establish a periodic face to face meeting to resolve conflict and to maintain team cohesiveness, it will keep the visual communication, it recognize the balance between conformity and deviance, plus one important key the trust among people. It also recognizes the individual or group performance. Plus provide others with verbal message as well as non verbal message by looking at the body language and facial expression and allows them to receive feedback. Communication is very essential if you need to communicate your thoughts and ideas at meetings. Aberdeen model's can be implemented in a company that want to uses virtual team model, if the company follows these recommendations: Hold an initial face to face meeting Have frequent meeting to solve problems Build trust with all members regardless of their location Communicate with each member to build a friendly person to person contact. All these recommendation can be apply to a company who is about to start the virtual team for the first time, by following these steps: they can establish a good communication with their employer, employees and clients and then move to virtual model by training their staff with the latest technology as well as sharing the system with their clients around the nation or around the world.

In my opinion is going to be hard to apply Aberdeen model to a company who has rely heavily on virtual teams. First able it will be like demolishing a new building to build the same building with a different structure in the inside. As new technology emerge it will beneficial for this company for the virtual model to increase in the market and around the world, besides as we all know in the past how humans are being replace by machines, and this will conclude that face to face model will vanish in a near or far future. But there may be some companies that will rather use the old fashion way to communicate with people.

Reference: George, J.M., & Jones, G.R. (2005) Organizational Behavior: Understanding & Managing, A Custom Edition. Prentice-Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Let's start meeting like this web management. html.