This report will discuss the challenges and ability of a project manager to handle or monitor the virtual team. Nowadays virtual project team is becoming very trendy in the business world. On the other hand in a traditional project team, the project manager applies various theories to get effective work from the team members. The report also highlights the critical analysis of diverse challenges tackled by the project manager although leading the virtual team. This study also considered the comparative analysis of virtual teams and traditional task teams. The report also gives the understanding of skills or competencies by which the project manager should have to productively lead the virtual project team.
Figure 1: Virtual project team and traditional project team
A critical analysis of the different challenges faced by project managers when leading virtual teams compared to traditional project teams
Firstly the question arises is what a virtual team is? The virtual team refers to a group of people who are engaged in some common work with a common goal while communicating and working together by using digital tools (Feitosa, and Salas, 2021). Virtual teams are generally led by project managers in various challenging ways. Same as when the project manager traditionally leads a team, then also different challenges come up and the project managers have to face them (Morrison-Smith, and Ruiz, 2020). But, the project managers should ensure that all project remains within the project constraints line such as time, project scope and budget.
Here are some challenges those are faced by the project managers while managing virtual groups compared to the traditional project group leading:
Trust issues- When a project manager leads the team virtually, It is very difficult for the person to build or create belief amongst the team. As the team member is not able to meet face-to-face, they have trust issues with their manager and other team members also, which bring instability to the work of employees (Hacker,et. al. 2019). To develop trust among team members, the project manager can build effective communication using digital tools with the team members, follow their suggestions, set expectations, or follow through on commitments. On the other hand, in the traditional project team, projects are done at a particular workplace area, in which the team members and project manager have a chance to see each other. Physical or face-to-face learning or meetings develop trust between the manager and the team members. Hence there are no trust issues in traditional project team management.
Tracking and monitoring progress- When a person managing a project physically or on a specific platform, it is very easy for them to track the team position as well as its workings, which is too hard when the work is done virtually (Breuer, et. al. 2020). As nearly all of the team members are operational on the project in different locations. For the project manager, it is very hard to see where each team member is in the project or what still requires to be done the project. This challenge can only be solved when the project manager uses project management software that allows all group members to work on the tasks simultaneously. Comparing this challenge to traditional project team management reflects that the project manager can freely track or monitor the work progress by inspecting the workplace where all the team members are working together at the same place.
Streamlining process- Virtual projects' biggest challenge is related to communication or streamlining the process. It is because there is a lot of forth-and–back among team members, as they are not in an exact location (Bejinaru, and Balan, 2020). To make effective communication or streamline, a project manager can use instant messaging instead of email or video conferencing. As the traditional method of project management follows a specific step, it is very easy for the project manager to make effective communication with their team members. A project manager in a traditional project team leads the team with face-to-face communication.
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Cost saving- The virtual projects saves the cost of rent or utilities, cafeteria and food expenses, regular cleaning services, and real estate taxes.
Increased productivity- Remote workers can start their work when best for them, by taking regular breaks, rest to their minds and making their schedule (Kohntopp, and McCann, 2020). Hence, flexible time improves work productivity.
Improved employee retention rates- As remote working needs not to be relocated to the place where the office is, create less stress for the workers of relocation costs. Flexible time and working from home improve employee retention rates in the company.
Bigger talent pool- In a virtual project task, a project manager can also hire a person on the global level with a desired talent for a particular position (Lee, 2021). This brings global talent to a company at a reduced price and with fewer tanning programs.
Disadvantages of the virtual project team:
Reduce team collaboration: The virtual team feels very impersonal as everyone does their work at their flexible time. So, there is no fixed time in which a team can collaborate and work together within a timeframe.
Social isolation: When a person starts working virtually, the person gets stuck at home and starts thinking that they are the only one who struggles with work. This creates mental pressure on them.
Hidden technological costs: For an effective virtual team project, all the workers need to be updated software, must be familiar with the different communication networks, or adapt to the new technologies rapidly.
The most common traditional theory of people management is Maslow's need hierarchy theory. This theory shows five stages of employees' needs and requirements to stay in the company. Such five stages are placed in sequential order as physiological needs, security needs, social needs, esteem needs, or self-actualization needs (Datrika, and David, 2022). To keep the employees in the company for a long time, the project manager generally uses this traditional theory to motivate or fulfill the wants of their employees and get effective work from them. The traditional project management approach is an entire methodology of ongoing tasks within the sequential cycle, which has five stages that are initiation, planning, implementing, monitoring or controlling and closing (Agbejule, and Lehtineva, 2022).
Advantages of the traditional theory of people management:
It considers basic human needs and nature into account.
It helps the project manager to understand the level of incentives and motivations behind human behavior.
This theory is a universal one that serves differently to every individual depending on their time and circumstances.
The theory does not categorize any person according to their culture and nature, it motivates every person equally in an organization.
Disadvantages of the traditional theory of people management:
The measurement of this theory is very difficult, hence it cannot be verified empirically.
This theory fails to underline the social and cultural differences between team members.
Sometimes the behavior or needs of the person does not depend on the hierarchy pattern of Maslow’s theory.
This theory is dependent upon human behavior, but needs are not always determined by the behavior of the people.
Comparative analysis of the different challenges faced by project managers when leading virtual teams compared to traditional project teams
Basis
Virtual project team
Traditional project team
Definition
It refers to a team in which team members are separated by geographical area or distance.
The traditional team refers to the team where the persons work in close physical proximity (Garcia, and Russo, 2020).
Communication channel
Interactions between the members of the virtual team are only done with the ICT (information and communication technology) (Abbas, et. al. 2019).
In a traditional project team, communication is only done by the face to face interactions.
Team members
The team members in the virtual project team are of multicultural backgrounds. As they work in different time zones from different countries.
The persons in this project team belong to the same country and work within similar time zone along with less diversified cultures (Kerzner, 2019).
Leadership
In this project team, a project manager only monitors the activities of work (Kohntopp, and McCann, 2020). Hence, leadership is not prominent in the virtual team.
In a traditional project team, a project manager has more control and command over the team members to check whether they are going on the right path or not.
Recruitment
To join this type of team, a person requires only functional skills.
Functional skills as well as other core competencies are required to work as a project team member (Zavyalova, et. al. 2020).
Organizational structure
The organizational structure of this project team can be seen as flatter (Garro-Abarca,et. al. 2021). As employees of the team are working with their own flexible time.
Traditional project organizational structure signifies the hierarchical structure. As project managers generally used the hierarchal needs of theory to accomplish the requirements and supplies of the workers.
Relationship building
The virtual project team members are less interacted and more task oriented.
There is close interaction between the members of a team in a traditional project team (Thaler, et. al. 2022).
People management
A project manager can effectively manage the team by using different communication channels only (Newman, and Ford, 2021).
In comparison to the virtual team, the traditional project team can be more effectively managed by the project manager, as the team members are inspected in time with a face to face interactions (Stone,et. al. 2020).
Evaluation of the skills and competencies that a project manager of virtual teams requires by supporting and justifying recommendations academically
From the above analysis, it is suggested to the virtual project manager that they have to develop some competencies and skills to effectively manage the virtual team to achieve project objectives on time and in a better way (Ribeiro,et. al. 2021). Such competencies that the virtual project manager should discuss are as follows:
Interpersonal and communication skills- A virtual project manager should have communication skills with which the project manager can effectively build a strong relationship with the virtual team members and motivate them to work hard (Ndubuisi, et. al. 2021). In virtual background, communication skills refer to the usage of suitable knowledge to stay associated with the team followers, conduct better virtual conferences and connect to trust and relationships.
Collaboration- A best virtual manager knows how to overcome team collaborating challenges or stand in strong teamwork among the team members. They should recognize hurdles like differences between time zones or cultures, or work willingly to overwhelm them.
Prompting remotely- A virtual project managers have less opportunities to create different kinds of relations, which permit them to efficiently impact others (Ivanov, 2020). To overwhelm this, they firstly should have the good appreciative of four best operative prompting styles or when and how to practice them. Managers should identify what style gives them better results or how to adjust their method dependent on condition.
Dealing conflict- Distance creates greater possibility of misunderstanding between managers or their virtual teams. Operative managers recognize why conflict happens and handle it by using a method, which is most suitable for the given condition. It is essential to be conscious of greatest common conflict resolve styles or regulate the method consequently.
Building good decisions- All managers requisite to operative decision-makers; however persons managing in the virtual situation might requisite to work tougher to follow-up with suitable participants or gather facts necessary to create a knowledgeable choice. They must monitor a strategic outline or be assured that they have occupied all in their attention before determining the course of action.
Conclusion
Based on above report it is determined that managing a virtual project team is a very difficult task for every manager. A project manager has a huge responsibility to handle the virtual team. Each virtual project leader has to face many challenges while monitoring and controlling the work of the team members. It is concluded from the report that a virtual project team and a traditional task team have a dissimilar environment for working. The project manager should have the ability to handle all hurdles and manage the team effectively.
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