Positioning for Success: The Innovation of Virtual Teams

摘要

The competitive, global nature of business and the development of robust telecommunication network technology has led organizations to design new business processes for organizing work to maintain a competitive advantage. Specifically, organizations have begun using virtual teams as a solution to optimizing dispersed resources. Virtual teams are geographically dispersed groups of people linked together by a common purpose and advanced computer and telecommunication technologies. This organizational design provides optimum teaming of world-class competencies by linking together employees who might not otherwise be available to work together. This research studies American Management System's use of virtual teams to identify design factors and alignments that are crucial for virtual team success. The study reveals four basic components for virtual team success: 1) selecting the right team members, 2) identifying a clear and common purpose, 3) building a high-performance technical infrastructure, and 4) sustaining a organizational culture that supports information sharing. Findings from the AMS case study determine seven lessons learned for the successful implementation of virtual teams.