Virtual Teams and Collaborative Tools Are The Future 'Office'

First of all, what is a 'virtual team'? In its simplest definition, a virtual team is a team whose members are separated from each other by time and space. These members interact with each other electronically, using the modern means of technology at their disposal and they may or may not meet physically.

Economic uncertainty was literally the driving force behind the outsourcing industry. And now, with outsourcing having proved itself to be an undisputed success, businesses are looking at a further evolution in this process. Can a virtual work environment, relying on collaborative tools, actually be the future 'office'. In other words, can a virtual work environment of virtual teams be the future of work?

The answer seems to be in the affirmative, given the many factors in its favour.

1. Financial recession has been predicted once again and a virtual work environment seems the best way to combat it. The workplace is now no longer restricted to a physical structure or bound by geographical boundaries either. Continued economic uncertainty has compelled businesses to rethink fresh strategies regarding how to conduct their work.

2. We are living in a fluid environment today. The shifting demographic parameters, fluctuating economic situations and rapidly advancing technologic are all changing how everyone – from employees, customers, suppliers, partners and other stakeholders – collaborate and interact with one another to achieve a common business goal.

3. Getting pigeon-holed is counter-productive. Virtualizing and globalizing knowledge-based business processes and functions is a must to be able to survive in economically challenging times.

4. A virtual team can be located anywhere in the world and members would be chosen for their competencies and not their physical or geographical location.

5. Having a virtual team means that there is no restriction on who can work for you – this specifically includes those who are physically challenged but have all the faculties intact to be a productive team member.

6. A virtual team means that the company is not saddled with the additional burden of leasing and owning a building, giving travel allowances to their employees, providing other employee benefits, paying taxes etc.

7. Thanks to technology, geographical boundaries have long blurred, leaving companies, big and small, to be able to harness the best and cheapest talent from around the world. So, even a medium-sized IT company in Kentucky, USA, can create a virtual team of programmers and developers from India, all under one roof and all of them working for this same US company.

Close collaboration even in a physically present team is vital if any amount of measurable success has to be achieved. When the team is virtual and located halfway across the globe, collaborative tools are even more necessary. Virtual teams using collaborative tools can experience measurable increases in productivity and innovation.

Virtual work environments are a new way of working as their advantages lie in talent recruitment and retention.