- TeamBuilding. TeamBuilding has always been a 100% remote company.. …
- Yelp’s Community Team. The community team at Yelp has always been remote. …
- Basecamp. …
- Buffer. …
- Gitlab. …
- Twitter. …
- IBM.
What is a Virtual Team?
Benefits of a virtual team
The benefits that virtual teams may provide include:
Low cost for the company
Compared to the costs of hiring locally, employees who work from home can be very inexpensive. The numerous expenses required to keep a business operating in a particular area or location include rent for office space, utilities, and paying for employees’ travel.
Applicants from around the world
Looking outside of a company’s immediate vicinity can increase the likelihood of finding many qualified candidates when recruiting new employees. Employing virtual teams, businesses can look for qualified personnel anywhere in the world.
Productivity increase
Allowing employees to work from home is a great way to increase productivity and motivation because they don’t have to consider a commute before work. Working from home frees workers from the stress and time management required for travel, allowing them to wake up, mentally prepare for the day, and begin work on time.
24-hour company services
To provide a business with 24-hour services, especially for customers, using virtual teams is a great way to bring in repeat business. Customers and clients prefer to work with businesses that are simple and convenient to contact.
What is a virtual team?
A virtual team, also known as a “remote team,” is made up of individuals who collaborate virtually from various locations. For specific situations, you can use different types of virtual teams, and they can all be economical and effective forms of collaboration.
Examples of virtual teams
Here are 10 successful virtual teams that have been used by businesses worldwide:
1. Networked teams
A networked team is a collection of people with in-depth knowledge of a particular subject who work together to accomplish a common objective. The team typically consists of both internal and external employees from the same business. People are added to or removed from roles in a networked team depending on which tasks are needed and which tasks have been completed.
These teams are frequently employed by technology and consulting firms. This is due to the fact that those businesses frequently cater to a variety of international clients who occasionally have specialized needs that cannot be met by their business alone.
If a client requests a service that your company doesn’t offer, think about using a networked team. A networked team can help you expand your professional network and demonstrate to your client that you are capable of handling any request.
2. Parallel teams
Contrary to networked teams, parallel teams are made up of people who work for the same organization. These team members have the responsibility to analyze a situation or system and offer suggestions for improvement.
This team’s advantage is that it brings together a diverse range of viewpoints and knowledge. This kind of group works best in multinational corporations where employees are dispersed globally and have a wide range of personal experiences.
Companies that benefit from parallel teams frequently promote and market their own goods. Parallel teams can be formed by members of each branch of the company when a problem or question, whether it be in marketing, sales, or production, arises. This enables them to contribute their area of expertise to the solution.
For instance, if a business specializes in both marketing and sales, setting up parallel teams to help with problem-solving not only introduces a variety of unique perspectives to the problem but also promotes cooperation between the various company divisions.
3. Product development teams
Product development teams and networked teams are very similar in that they both consist of people with specialized knowledge in a particular field who work together to accomplish a common objective.
Product development teams frequently work on a goal for the company itself, in contrast to networked teams who pool their knowledge to better serve clients. These groups frequently comprise a company’s research and development division.
For instance, a product development team could assist a company that wants to design and develop new, distinctive products to become more creative and innovative.
4. Production teams
Members of production teams carry out ongoing, everyday tasks. Each team member works independently on the roles or tasks that are clearly defined for them. Their individual efforts add up to a larger project or objective when combined.
These teams frequently collaborate for a long time before receiving a new project or objective to work toward after the initial one is finished.
Organizations that could greatly benefit from production teams include marketing firms, editing studios, and software development firms. These are tasks that can easily be completed virtually and are frequently task-oriented.
5. Freelance teams
Production teams and networked teams are combined to form freelance teams. These individuals collaborate for varying amounts of time, finishing both independent projects and work that advances an overall objective.
This team or group is employed as-needed and frequently consists of creative people like writers, editors, and graphic designers. Employing a freelance team to create written or visual content for a business allows it to take advantage of outside talent and perspectives to produce a more appealing and successful final product.
6. Service teams
Individuals from various time zones make up service teams. They are frequently employed for round-the-clock customer service and support.
The benefit of having workers in various time zones is that when one group in Asia completes their workday, the other group in North America can continue where they left off. With this system, communication is never interrupted, and customers can always reach someone on the other end of the line.
For instance, if a business sells goods or software, its customer support teams could offer assistance to customers outside of regular business hours, increasing the clients’ appreciation of the brand and their propensity to recommend it to others.
7. Action teams
Action teams are made up of experts who can address a specific goal and are used for a very brief period of time. Once the goal is complete, the group is immediately dissolved.
Engineering firms or organizations that need to quickly find a fix for a problem frequently use action teams. These teams function similarly to parallel teams, but the primary distinction is that parallel teams make recommendations, whereas action teams can act to put solutions into practice.
For instance, action teams might be suitable if and when the need arises for a business that frequently collaborates with engineers or scientific researchers.
8. Management teams
Administrative staff from a single business make up management teams. These groups primarily talk about corporate strategies and objectives that their employees will then carry out.
For instance, if a business has offices scattered throughout a few different locations, this type of virtual team can keep its managerial staff in touch with one another. Additionally, this might increase business efficiency and aid in the achievement of long-term objectives.
9. Offshore ISD teams
Teams for the development of offshore information systems are typically composed of two companies: a parent company and a smaller company. The smaller company is hired to assist the parent company in completing portions of work, and is frequently located in a region of the world that is regarded as low-cost.
For instance, this virtual team might be a smart idea for a business that deals with software development. Offshore ISD teams can provide businesses with specialized skills while lowering the cost of producing their products.
10. Hybrid teams
Teams that are hybrids combine real-world businesses with online workers. The virtual workers produce their work for the company from their home regions.
A hybrid team may be a good fit for a company that deals heavily in sales, for instance. The sales team, which consists of workers from all over the world, can collaborate virtually to be nearer to the clients in their particular region. Because of this, virtual employees can increase the company’s sales and provide better customer service.
FAQ
What is an example of virtual collaboration?
Instant messaging, chat rooms, and video or audio conferencing are a few examples of synchronous virtual collaboration (See figure 1). 2- Asynchronous: When team members communicate without having access to immediate feedback on messages or ideas, asynchronous collaboration takes place.
What are some virtual activities?
- SAP. The largest enterprise software provider in the world is SAP.
- IBM. More than 200,000 individuals from various nations and backgrounds work for IBM.
- General Electric. GE employs more than 90,000 employees throughout the world.
What company uses virtual teams?
The most frequently cited example of a virtual business is likely Jet Blue. When other airlines were either on the verge of bankruptcy or in the middle of bankruptcy court, this airline managed to turn a profit and keep it.
Which company is an example of virtual company?
The most frequently cited example of a virtual business is likely Jet Blue. When other airlines were either on the verge of bankruptcy or in the middle of bankruptcy court, this airline managed to turn a profit and keep it.
