What are virtual work teams and how do the small group processes compare to face-to-face groups?

What will be an ideal response?

Virtual work teams are a group of people identified as a team by their organization and responsible for making decisions important to the organization using various forms of technology to communicate. The group may be culturally diverse, geographically dispersed, and have members who communicate electronically, substantially more than face-to-face. Nearly two-thirds of U.S. Employees have worked in virtual teams.

Virtual teams have been found to arrive at similar quality conclusion as face-to-face groups. However, problem-solving decisions take a longer period of time and virtual groups have a more difficult time attending to relational group concerns. Another drawback of virtual teams is that time differences from remote locations might prove problematic in scheduling conference calls or videoconferences. However, virtual teams can be superior in reducing prejudices that occur in face-to-face groups for group members with diverse backgrounds.

Organizations will likely continue to use virtual teams as businesses become more global, so it is important to understand how these group processes work and how to facilitate beneficial group interactions that cannot be held regularly face-to-face.