Teamwork can now take place through the Internet.
In today's digital age, coworkers might interact daily but work out of different offices throughout the world. Likewise, students earning online degrees might complete group projects with their classmates, without ever meeting them. Working with teammates in an online environment exposes individuals to the digital world, but it does not come without its challenges.
Communication
Communication is the biggest challenge that arises when working as a part of an online team. While email helps facilitate communication among team members in different locations, such communication is asynchronous. That is, the sender has to wait for a response rather than receiving one right away, as he can in face-to-face communication. Team members might misinterpret sarcasm, humor and general tone of voice when using email or instant messaging applications, which can lead to unintentional conflict within the team.
Time Management
When working with an online team, time management can become an issue. In a traditional office or classroom environment, all team members are at work or in class at the same time, making team meetings simple to plan. In a virtual environment, however, team members have to balance personal schedules, time-zone gaps and other commitments when finding time for the team to meet online. Thus, time management becomes an issue for an online team full of members with busy schedules.
Leadership
Effective teams thrive when a leader emerges. In online teams, leaders are essential, as they help guide team members through some of the challenges associated with this virtual teamwork environment. However, it can be difficult to find a leader for an online team since there is no face-to-face interaction. The subtle nuances of a leader might not stand out in a virtual world. Without leadership and focused goals, the online team's efficiency can suffer.
Uneven Contributions
Another risk of online teamwork is that not every team member's voice might be heard. Perhaps a team member misses an online meeting, or her e-mail gets overlooked by the rest of the team. Unlike a face-to-face environment where that person can speak up, a virtual environment risks a team member falling through the cracks. As a result, valuable input from an online team member can be overlooked, which can impact the overall effectiveness of the project.
Tags: online team, team member, team members, time management, virtual environment
