Question

Leading is difficult enough to manage in a traditional work environment where everyone is in the same physical location at the same time. When managing and leading in a virtual environment, the challenges increase, and the manager’s or leader’s role may change.

During this Discussion, research current thinking and practices related to the management and leadership roles in virtual environments. Consider any additional insights from your personal experience (as a manager, leader, or employee) working virtually and globally in a dispersed online environment.

Answer 1

Current thinking and practices related to the management and leadership roles in virtual environment:

By crucial technological changes and globalization leaders are facing unforeseen opportunities as well as challenge which striving to reach their objectives. The rise in information and communication technology facilitates the creation of new mechanism for coordinating work. Technologies provides virtual working environment such as that enable effective communication and information diffusion across time and space. Web-based communication and working methods formed virtual teams to overcome geographical and temporal separation. Virtual teams functions to unify functions across an organization. The leadership in virtual environment is very challenging. Virtual leadership is different from conventional way of leadership practices. Since virtual leaders are facing new challenges they required specific skills and behaviors for effective leading of virtual team. Virtual leaders are facing diversified challenges related to communication, co-ordination and knowledge diffusion.

Communication is the key of a work place especially when interactions occur through chats, mails etc. virtual leaders have to ensure free flow of accurate information. Close attention to relationship building and a process to ensure good communication is necessary. As a virtual leader I personally experienced miscommunication. Developing communication strategies that resonate entire organization including in-person and virtual team is challenging. Virtual leaders should deliver clear and concise message to their team.

Trust is the key of relationship. When employees trust their managers and believe they are working towards a shared vision, collaboration and engagement happen naturally. Implementing trust in virtual environment is difficult. Leaders ensure effective collaboration with teams which creates a bond and also build trust as people get to know one another trough processes and working style.

Working on virtual environment has a risk of low productivity. Virtual leaders should set clear expectation for each person in the team and have regular check-ins for gauge progress. Team members working hours can be tracked by virtual a leader which provides unparallel level of transparency.

Distance is one of the key challenge virtual leaders facing while managing dispersed employees. Time related challenges arrives partially from the geographical distance which means the team members are working different time zones without overlapping each other, consequently the different time zones hamper simultaneous work. Hence virtual leaders are facing difficulty in co-coordinating tasks in virtual team.

Effective virtual leaders address these challenges and convert them into opportunities by actively adapting their behaviors to new virtual setting by adopting new skills and right application for right task.