Our Generation's Favorite Form of Communication: Marissa Armenti, Toni Ferrigno,Hanah Bong, & Kenneth Kong
Definition (MA):
Online meetings and conferences are live meetings, or live discussions, via the Internet. They can be held through video based applications, chat based applications, or both. In a web conference, each participant or group has their own computer and is connected via the worldwide web. Online meetings can connect business meetings across the nation, as well as across the globe. There are various types of online teams, and the teams must understand which category they fall under to be the most productive.
There are seven basic types of virtual teams:
Networked teams- consist of individuals who collaborate to achieve a common goal, usually across time, distance, and organizations. Often found in consulting firms and high-technology organizations. In networked teams, it is not always obvious who is on the team and who is not.
Parallel teams- carry out special assignments that the regular organization does not want to or it not equipped to perform. Parallel teams occur when there is not expertise in the project in just one location, causing them to frequently cross time,distance, and organizational boundaries. Clear who is on the team.
Project of product development teams- when team members conduct projects for users or customers for an extended, but defined, period of time. Usually used for a new project, information system, or organizational process. Members may move on and off the project as their expertise is needed.
Work, functional, or production teams- perform regular and ongoing work. Usually exist in one function such as accounting, finance,training, or research and development. Clearly defined membership, and members usually meet once to twice a year for a face to face conference.
Service teams- usually distributed across distance and time. Service teams work across the globe, so that at any given point, a team somewhere is working on the project.
Management teams- can be separated by distance and time. Dispersed across a country or around the world but work collaboratively on daily basis. Work virtually through video conferences and e-mail.
Action teams- can work virtually and offer immediate responses. They cross distance and organizational boundaries, along with respond to emergency situations immediately. Weather channel is a prime example of a virtual action team because team members are distributed in the field, such as meteorologists.
Many of the online web-based applications are free and easy to download, making video conferencing much cheaper than traveling. Online conferences can be synchronous, asynchronous, or a combination of both. Asynchronous meaning discussion where people post messages that save in the system and can be accessed by each member when they sign on at different times. This type of discussion would take a longer amount of time than synchronous being that member's will not get an immediate response. Synchronous discussions are live conferences either on the web or on instant messaging. Unlike asynchronous, you get an immediate response. On many IM programs you can tell when the other person is typing, along with on video chat where you can see their reactions. Many video conferences can be recorded and viewed later on, to store information without having to write it down while conferencing. Most programs offer both video and instant messaging, that way you can send links or notes back and fourth between members during discussions.
Video conferencing can be used in a host of different environments. General uses for video conferencing include business meetings, educational training or instruction among health officials. Video conferencing has been used in the following ways/fields: - Telemedicine - Sales meetings - Training of employees - Interviews/ Demonstrations - Telecommunication - Education - Emergency Response
Purposes/Uses(MA):
Video conferencing has a number of useful traits. It can connect people all around the globe with just a click of a button. It has enhanced communication to a whole new level. In NewsFormatics' article,Video Conferencing And Meeting Software Leading The Way To Employee Happiness, it is said that video conferencing and the web has made it possible for people to work from their homes, or from anywhere they wanted, for that matter. Therefore, the employee's are happier, producing more efficient work. Employee's are able to connect immediately, when a new idea pops into their minds, with video conferencing's flexible hours. Not only has online teams made the employee's happier, but it has also cut back the cost per worker in the office. In addition, video conferencing is used to promote careers in science, technology, engineering through NASA's DLN, or Digital Learning Network.In the article Inspiring the Next Generation of Space Explorers, NASA enhances the way children can get a closer look into certain programs. Since 2003, 600,000 educators and students have used the DLN program, being able to access over 50
More than 600,000 students and teachers have used NASA's DLN program.
space-related programs, ranging from asteroids to robotics. This article makes a valid point, that since our generation is so technologically savvy, it should be integrated into the classroom to improve the children's interest. One of the more surprising characteristics of DLN is that it is free, and open to anyone who wants to register. DLN will enhance children's interest in space-related jobs, but also introduce them to jobs they have never known existed.
One of the main purposes of video conferencing is to be able to connect with people around the world without having to move from your cubicle. It is not only quicker, but cheaper. Unlike instant messaging, you are able to see the recipients facial expression's and reaction's; a huge aspect of communication. Video conferencing is not only used for business meetings, but also for film making, so that film maker's across the globe can work together, as shown in the following video for Dreamwork's Animation movie Shrek. They take video conferencing to a whole new level, in a "$350,000 multi-screen system."
One of the more mind blowing uses of video conferencing today is known as Telemedicine; the use of diagnosing and caring for a patient when they are miles apart, via the internet. Telemedicine includes pathology, radiology, and consultations all through a video screen. Procedures can also be taught and learned over video conferencing by following a procedure being performed on the screen. In the following video, telemedicine has enabled a cardiologist in Seattle to view the ultrasound of an infant's heart, who lives in Bellingham, Washington. He was able to diagnosis the infant with a rare heart disease from hundred's of miles away. One of the many advantages of telemedicine, besides the lack of need to travel, is that it buys the patient more time, especially when it is an infant in need of an immediate diagnosis.
In the article, E-Learning Makes Way For Webcast And Webinar Technology To Flourish,provided are the online training statistics in the past few years. It says "more than a third of programs for training were delivered electronically in 2009. In 2008 training programs that were channeled electronically was at 23%, but in 2009 that went up by 5%. The trend is seen to go up even higher as companies are seeing the advantages of online learning for their employees. The 2010 State of the Industry Report by the Society for Training and Development saw that 37% of training hours were facilitated through electronic means. Companies will always have passion to train their people even in the midst of a recession and this made sure that cost of training per employee remained stable even of the 6% decrease in training spending in 2009. Face to face, classroom type training is down by 59% with combination of conventional methods and electronic delivery getting very common"(Newsformatics.com, December 5th 2010.)Many companies today are taking advantage of the cheaper way to train their employees, especially in this time of depression. Although this may be a cheaper way to train your employees, it will not grasp some of their characteristics fully, such as body language and time management. It also will not help to build a relationship between the employee and the employer.
Programs(MA):
There are many different online programs that are easy to download and easily accessible for online meetings. Most hold the same standards, and have many of the same features.
Video Chatting Programs: - Oovoo is one of the often used video conferencing programs that is free to download. It can connect up to six different computers in one discussion. It also has the ability to IM while communication via webcam. Oovoo offers the features of video calling, audio calling, sending audio/video to e-mails, video conferencing with non-oovoo members, emoticons, ability to save videos/audios, send files, and calling landlines.
- Skype is a program similar to Oovoo. It offers both video conferencing and instant messaging, along with emoticons. Unlike Oovoo, Skype only offers four computers in one discussion. Skype offers
video calling, audio calling, sharing files, available phone to phone, instant messaging, screen sharing, caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, and voicemail.
- iChat is one of the few programs that restricts you to one brand of computer. iChat is only available on Mac's, and can only be used Mac to Mac. iChat offers video conferencing with up to four people, has instant
messaging with emoticons, has very simple picture sharing, snapshots mid-video conference, screen sharing, file sharing, multiple log ins, invisibility to your buddies, and sms forwarding.
- Cisco webex is a more business related program. It offers meetings online, file sharing, and instant messaging. It's especially useful when sharing files such as powerpoints and business related files. It offers the feature of recording meetings incase you are unable to attend the online conference. Like Skype, you can hold conferences from a Smartphone. Unlike any other program, it can have up to 25 people in one conference. Many businesses with larger meetings use webex so that all attendees, from any type of computer, can enter the conference.
- iLinc is a program specifically for business meetings, state governments, and education institutes to collaborate cheaper and more efficiently. iLinc is committed to staying Green by having their customers communicate via the internet instead of by travel. iLinc also offers programs to teach you how to use iLinc so that you can take advantage of all it's features. Unlike Skype,Oovoo, and iChat, iLinc is not free after their free 30 day trial. It offers video conferencing for up to 25 people, file sharing with Microsoft Outlook, and load meeting content before or after the conference.
- AIM is one of the oldest programs for online communication. It does not offer video conferencing, solely instant messaging with emoticons. You can share links and pictures through the IM box. AIM is available on any Macs, Micro
soft, iPhones, iPads, Androids, and Blackberries. It is also able to be used through Facebook. AIM is also linked with AOL, another older program that uses instant messaging, that way you can get your emails through your AIM account. AIM offers chatrooms,which can come in handy for businesses that need to get a quick message throughout their department.
Similar programs with many similar features are Bluetrain, Fuzebox, Adobe Connect, NEFSIS,Dimdim, iVisit, Fuze Meeting, Mikogo,CallWave, and Yugma.
Positives tf:
With many programs used to connect people, online teams and meetings have many positive aspects. "They increase speed and agility and leverage expertise and vertical integration between organizations to make resources readily available. Virtual teams also lessen the disruption of people's lives because the people do not have to travel to meet."
Convenience- With online meetings, any person, in any place with internet connection can participate. Whether for a large business meeting, or a small religious group meeting, online meetings allow for more ease for the participants than actual face-to-face meeting.
Travel- People from across the world can all be a part of an online meeting. Along with a new way to attend regular business meetings held in one's workplace, virtual meetings eliminate traveling to different places for meetings.
Cost Efficience- Because team members do not have to travel for meetings, the business saves money on travel expenses.
Time -While synchronous virtual meeting take a more similar time frame as face-to-face meetings, asynchronous meetings allow for a larger span of time for participants to get involved. this means not only does each participant need not to be in the same place, but they also do not to be there at the same time.
Greater Participation- Generally, more people are likely to participate during online meeting than during a face-to-face meeting.
More Participants- With no location limitations, more people can be a part of online meetings. In companies with a large number of members, and/ or members that travel often that may be hard to pin down, virtual teams allows for a larger number of these people to become involved.
Permanence of Records- Virtual meetings can be reviewed at a later time in a way that face-to-face meetings cannot. They can be paused, rewound, and fast forwarded. Text involved in virtual meetings can also be saved in their original form. this allows for less confusion because team member has the exact same transcript.
Interactivity- In virtual teams, member can comment and ask ask questions as the meeting is taking place. They can direct their comments to both the leader of the meeting and other participants, this avoids both confusion and boredom.
Negativestf:
As with most changes made within a business or group, there are many negative aspects to consider with virtual teams and meetings. "Virtual teams are more complex than traditional teams because of factors associated with working across time, distance and organizational boundaries and the need to use technology to communicate and collaborate."
Miscommunication- Possibly the largest negative area in virtual teams and meetings, miscommunication can happen easily. Because the people in the meetings oftentime s have never met one another, there is room for one member to misinterpret what another member says. As in e-mail, it is impossible to read the tone of text involved in virtual meetings. Another major aspect is that all nonverbal cues are lost in the virtual world. when team members cannot see one another when they speak, they lose nonverbal cues, which are more important than verbal cues.
Identification Issues- While there are usually set roles given for virtual team participants to create a structured team foundation, in online meetings it is difficult for one to create a professional image for his or herself because there is no face-to-face interaction with bosses and co-workers.
Loss of Social Bonding- During virtual meetings, there is no time for informal conversations and social shared activities such as touch and eating and drinking with co-workers.
Leaks- In online meetings, any information is subject to be leaked fast and to a large group of people. This is far more difficult to do in face-to-face meetings.
Cultural Issues- Virtual meetings can involve crossing cultural boundaries, which does allow for more people to participate, but it can also cause some complications. Cultural differences can cause problems with how the meetings are structured, how people communicate to one another, and how people interpret different these two factors. With multiple cultures involved, it is difficult to create one set way of doing things.
Experience- Experience with the virtual work is a major issue because each participant can have it at a different level. Regardless of how much a participant knows about the topic being discussed, if they do not know how to participate properly, their knowledge on the topic is useless. With any new software being use for these online meetings, the team members must be introduced and educated on how it will be used. This process takes both time and money from the company.
Technical Problems- As opposed to physical meetings, virtual meetings allow for problems with the technologies used. If videos do not work, internet connection is back, or computers fail, there is no way to keep the meetings going.
Distractions- In a virtual meeting where the boss of a company cannot see his employees, they are more likely to visit other sites with on their computer. it is easier to get distracted where there is no potential of harming one's reputation.
Improvements to Virtual Teams(KK):
There are many negatives and positive to virtual teams. In many ways the virtual team benefits out weigh the negatives but in the cases where it doesn't there exists improvements.
Technological
The invention that is most important to virtual teams is the creation of the internet. The internet allowed people to connect to distant places from their home using a modem. In the 1970's the modem was used to connect to networks that contained bulletin boards, an early form of modern forums. Within two decades the speed of the modem increased allowing people to start using graphics on the internet. In the 2000's ADSL modems were created that greatly improved upload and download rates of the modem. Which leads to today, where wireless technology and even faster modems have allowed for a plethora of new online communication tools.
Many new tools have been created making online communication easier and more widely used. One such tool is Skype , created in 2003, it allowed regular consumers to communicate with each other through the internet without anyone eavesdropping on the conversation. The connection it created were peer to peer connections meaning each computer communicated directly to each other. With the introduction of this technology virtual communication has expanded and in some places F-T-F job interviews can be replaced with video interviews.
Team Management
In MIT Sloan Management Review, only 18 percent of the seventy global business virtual teams assessed were found to be highly successful. It was found that many organizations simply recycled the same guidelines and best practices they were using for their colocated teams and hoped for the best. This lead to understanding several issues that were ignored before, and are now know to influence the productivity of virtual teams.
Ineffective leadership - Team leaders must be especially sensitive to interpersonal communications and cultural factors to overcome the distances.
Lack of clear goals, direction or priorities - The most effective teams outline the goals and objectives immediately. During the meeting the team leader would clarify the roles in the project and establishes how the team will work together.
Lack of clear roles among team members - Each member should clearly understand their role especially when they have to report to or have someone report to them. This creates a clear accountability structure within the virtual team.
Lack of cooperation - Since there is a lack of F-T-F communications between members cooperation becomes a problem in virtual teams. This creates subgroups which impedes the collaboration of the whole team. It is the teams job to effectively cooperate with each other.
Lack of engagement - In virtual teams it is hard to measure the level of engagement from members. In this case the leader would have to regularly assess each members engagement level.
Inability to replicate a “high touch” environment - In virtual teams there is a lack of human contact. This leads to lowered performance and quality of work. A method to counter the lack of a "high touch" environment F-T-F meetings can be held once or twice a year and using tools that provide increased communication like Instant Messenger would also improve team performance.
When to use virtual teams or FTF(KK):
The purpose of any F-T-F (face-to face) or virtual team meeting is to accomplish a goal. Some goals will be achieved with less difficulty or with higher quality if a certain form of communication is used.
Situations when virtual teams are more effective
Anywhere, Anytime - Virtual teams can operate from any location in the world, and allow flexibility on when a meeting can take place. Collaboration between highly skilled individuals are become simpler through the many tools available for online communication.
Economy of Scale - Both the digital broadcasting hardware and receiving hardware in the form of computers have become commonplace, reducing the cost of producing as well as receiving online business meetings. Online meetings also make meetings more affordable to everyone with the hardware to view it. The only limit to the number of people is the processing ability of the server. This makes the cost of each person to be significantly lower than if a large group were to meet F-T-F.
Crossing Cultural Lines - In F-T-F cultural differences are more pronounced and could create misunderstandings. In a virtual team the individual does not have to take as much consideration as to a persons cultural difference. Communication between members of a team have a consistent level of language usage, where F-T-F accents and slang could cause misunderstanding about an idea.
Record Keeping - All communications between group members are recorded and the work each individual does in the group can be found.
Situations when F-T-F is more effective
Brainstorming - F-T-F allow exchange of ideas to be easier than in virtual teams. The exchange of ideas happen in real time with each member giving constructive ideas.
Importance of decisions - In F-T-F the emphasis of communications is making decisions, while in some cases virtual teams are concerned more on issues not relating to the group.
Sequential assembly - F-T-F is important when working on projects where members work are heavily dependent on other members.
Communication cues - F-T-F communications allow people to communicate through physical motions which isn't common in virtual teams. This creates a deeper understanding of how each member of a team collaborates with each other.
Compare/Contrast to Face-to-Face(HB):
Online Teams & MeetingsFace-To-Face
- more task oriented - more cohesive and together
- role expectations are clearer - personal
- number of messages sent within the group is less - number of messages sent within group is more
- time is more flexible - set meetings
- speed of completing tasks is generally faster - speed of completing tasks is generally slower
- greater equal amount of participation within members - greater unequal amount of participation within members (e.g. one person talks more)
Similarities
- pattern of interaction
- effectiveness of group depends on how the members communicate together
- decision-making is based on the outcome and discussing of ideas with the group members
Overall, there are advantages and disadvantages between both of the two types of communication. While each type might have its own benefits and costs of the overall outcome, an important factor of both groups is the diversity within the members. With diversity within the members of the group, there will be more ranges and perspectives that the group (even if they don't decide on it) will be open to understand and accept as an option. Virtual teams are more convenient because it works around everyone's schedule or the majority of their schedules. In addition, it is easier to get started right away when the members of the group are sitting in a virtual chat room with their computers right in front of them. Face-to-face groups require to physically meet, which already utilizes the factor of time. Personally, face-to-face groups are more effective but also there is more time wasted as well. It is easier to explain to other members if they do not understand, which in return requires extra time spent on trying to make all the members of the group fully comprehend.
Future(HB):
The future of video conferencing is an exciting. People will be talking to 3D images of people many miles away and see this person as though they were in the same room as the person.
With the release of the kinect which sees and interprets human motion the beginning of 3D images of people becomes possible. When combined with 3DTV people can start seeing people as though they are actually in the room, but the technology for actually seeing people is still years away.
Another advance in the coming future is holding conference calls in the cloud. This is a technology proposed by the company Nefsis. The advantage of this technology allows people to hold conferences with little additional software. All that is needed is a web browser, webcam, and a microphone to join an online conference. This simplifies the set up for the end client and allows businesses to save on expenses that would have been spent on specialized equipment and software technology. Originally a company setting up a personalized virtual conference would need to spend money on proprietary software with costly video codec and equipment or software that would decrypt the video feed.
Branson, L., Clausen, T. S., Sung, C. H. (2008). Group Style Differences Between Virtual and F2F Teams.AmericanJournal of Buisness, 28(1).<http://www.bsu.edu/mcobwin/majb/?p=551>
Table of Contents
Our Generation's Favorite Form of Communication: Marissa Armenti, Toni Ferrigno,Hanah Bong, & Kenneth Kong
Definition (MA):
Online meetings and conferences are live meetings, or live discussions, via the Internet. They can be held through video based applications, chat based applications, or both. In a web conference, each participant or group has their own computer and is connected via the worldwide web. Online meetings can connect business meetings across the nation, as well as across the globe. There are various types of online teams, and the teams must understand which category they fall under to be the most productive.There are seven basic types of virtual teams:
Many of the online web-based applications are free and easy to download, making video conferencing much cheaper than traveling. Online conferences can be synchronous, asynchronous, or a combination of both. Asynchronous meaning discussion where people post messages that save in the system and can be accessed by each member when they sign on at different times. This type of discussion would take a longer amount of time than synchronous being that member's will not get an immediate response. Synchronous discussions are live conferences either on the web or on instant messaging. Unlike asynchronous, you get an immediate response. On many IM programs you can tell when the other person is typing, along with on video chat where you can see their reactions. Many video conferences can be recorded and viewed later on, to store information without having to write it down while conferencing. Most programs offer both video and instant messaging, that way you can send links or notes back and fourth between members during discussions.
Video conferencing can be used in a host of different environments. General uses for video conferencing include business meetings, educational training or instruction among health officials.
Video conferencing has been used in the following ways/fields:
- Telemedicine
- Sales meetings
- Training of employees
- Interviews/ Demonstrations
- Telecommunication
- Education
- Emergency Response
Purposes/Uses(MA):
Video conferencing has a number of useful traits. It can connect people all around the globe with just a click of a button. It has enhanced communication to a whole new level. In NewsFormatics' article,Video Conferencing And Meeting Software Leading The Way To Employee Happiness, it is said that video conferencing and the web has made it possible for people to work from their homes, or from anywhere they wanted, for that matter. Therefore, the employee's are happier, producing more efficient work. Employee's are able to connect immediately, when a new idea pops into their minds, with video conferencing's flexible hours. Not only has online teams made the employee's happier, but it has also cut back the cost per worker in the office. In addition, video conferencing is used to promote careers in science, technology, engineering through NASA's DLN, or Digital Learning Network.In the article Inspiring the Next Generation of Space Explorers, NASA enhances the way children can get a closer look into certain programs. Since 2003, 600,000 educators and students have used the DLN program, being able to access over 50One of the main purposes of video conferencing is to be able to connect with people around the world without having to move from your cubicle. It is not only quicker, but cheaper. Unlike instant messaging, you are able to see the recipients facial expression's and reaction's; a huge aspect of communication. Video conferencing is not only used for business meetings, but also for film making, so that film maker's across the globe can work together, as shown in the following video for Dreamwork's Animation movie Shrek. They take video conferencing to a whole new level, in a "$350,000 multi-screen system."
One of the more mind blowing uses of video conferencing today is known as Telemedicine; the use of diagnosing and caring for a patient when they are miles apart, via the internet. Telemedicine includes pathology, radiology, and consultations all through a video screen. Procedures can also be taught and learned over video conferencing by following a procedure being performed on the screen. In the following video, telemedicine has enabled a cardiologist in Seattle to view the ultrasound of an infant's heart, who lives in Bellingham, Washington. He was able to diagnosis the infant with a rare heart disease from hundred's of miles away. One of the many advantages of telemedicine, besides the lack of need to travel, is that it buys the patient more time, especially when it is an infant in need of an immediate diagnosis.
In the article, E-Learning Makes Way For Webcast And Webinar Technology To Flourish,provided are the online training statistics in the past few years. It says "more than a third of programs for training were delivered electronically in 2009. In 2008 training programs that were channeled electronically was at 23%, but in 2009 that went up by 5%. The trend is seen to go up even higher as companies are seeing the advantages of online learning for their employees. The 2010 State of the Industry Report by the Society for Training and Development saw that 37% of training hours were facilitated through electronic means. Companies will always have passion to train their people even in the midst of a recession and this made sure that cost of training per employee remained stable even of the 6% decrease in training spending in 2009. Face to face, classroom type training is down by 59% with combination of conventional methods and electronic delivery getting very common"(Newsformatics.com, December 5th 2010.)Many companies today are taking advantage of the cheaper way to train their employees, especially in this time of depression. Although this may be a cheaper way to train your employees, it will not grasp some of their characteristics fully, such as body language and time management. It also will not help to build a relationship between the employee and the employer.
Programs(MA):
There are many different online programs that are easy to download and easily accessible for online meetings. Most hold the same standards, and have many of the same features.
Video Chatting Programs:
video calling, audio calling, sharing files, available phone to phone, instant messaging, screen sharing, caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, and voicemail.
- iChat is one of the few programs that restricts you to one brand of computer. iChat is only available on Mac's, and can only be used Mac to Mac. iChat offers video conferencing with up to four people, has instant
messaging with emoticons, has very simple picture sharing, snapshots mid-video conference, screen sharing, file sharing, multiple log ins, invisibility to your buddies, and sms forwarding.
soft, iPhones, iPads, Androids, and Blackberries. It is also able to be used through Facebook. AIM is also linked with AOL, another older program that uses instant messaging, that way you can get your emails through your AIM account. AIM offers chatrooms,which can come in handy for businesses that need to get a quick message throughout their department.
Similar programs with many similar features are Bluetrain, Fuzebox, Adobe Connect, NEFSIS,Dimdim, iVisit, Fuze Meeting, Mikogo,CallWave, and Yugma.
Positives tf:
With many programs used to connect people, online teams and meetings have many positive aspects. "They increase speed and agility and leverage expertise and vertical integration between organizations to make resources readily available. Virtual teams also lessen the disruption of people's lives because the people do not have to travel to meet."Negativestf:
As with most changes made within a business or group, there are many negative aspects to consider with virtual teams and meetings. "Virtual teams are more complex than traditional teams because of factors associated with working across time, distance and organizational boundaries and the need to use technology to communicate and collaborate."Improvements to Virtual Teams(KK):
There are many negatives and positive to virtual teams. In many ways the virtual team benefits out weigh the negatives but in the cases where it doesn't there exists improvements.
Technological
The invention that is most important to virtual teams is the creation of the internet. The internet allowed people to connect to distant places from their home using a modem. In the 1970's the modem was used to connect to networks that contained bulletin boards, an early form of modern forums. Within two decades the speed of the modem increased allowing people to start using graphics on the internet. In the 2000's ADSL modems were created that greatly improved upload and download rates of the modem. Which leads to today, where wireless technology and even faster modems have allowed for a plethora of new online communication tools.
Many new tools have been created making online communication easier and more widely used. One such tool is Skype , created in 2003, it allowed regular consumers to communicate with each other through the internet without anyone eavesdropping on the conversation. The connection it created were peer to peer connections meaning each computer communicated directly to each other. With the introduction of this technology virtual communication has expanded and in some places F-T-F job interviews can be replaced with video interviews.
Team Management
In MIT Sloan Management Review, only 18 percent of the seventy global business virtual teams assessed were found to be highly successful. It was found that many organizations simply recycled the same guidelines and best practices they were using for their colocated teams and hoped for the best. This lead to understanding several issues that were ignored before, and are now know to influence the productivity of virtual teams.
When to use virtual teams or FTF(KK):
The purpose of any F-T-F (face-to face) or virtual team meeting is to accomplish a goal. Some goals will be achieved with less difficulty or with higher quality if a certain form of communication is used.Situations when virtual teams are more effective
Situations when F-T-F is more effective
Compare/Contrast to Face-to-Face(HB):
Online Teams & Meetings Face-To-Face
- more task oriented - more cohesive and together- role expectations are clearer - personal
- number of messages sent within the group is less - number of messages sent within group is more
- time is more flexible - set meetings
- speed of completing tasks is generally faster - speed of completing tasks is generally slower
- greater equal amount of participation within members - greater unequal amount of participation within members (e.g. one person talks more)
Similarities
- pattern of interaction
- effectiveness of group depends on how the members communicate together
- decision-making is based on the outcome and discussing of ideas with the group members
Overall, there are advantages and disadvantages between both of the two types of communication. While each type might have its own benefits and costs of the overall outcome, an important factor of both groups is the diversity within the members. With diversity within the members of the group, there will be more ranges and perspectives that the group (even if they don't decide on it) will be open to understand and accept as an option. Virtual teams are more convenient because it works around everyone's schedule or the majority of their schedules. In addition, it is easier to get started right away when the members of the group are sitting in a virtual chat room with their computers right in front of them. Face-to-face groups require to physically meet, which already utilizes the factor of time. Personally, face-to-face groups are more effective but also there is more time wasted as well. It is easier to explain to other members if they do not understand, which in return requires extra time spent on trying to make all the members of the group fully comprehend.
Future(HB):
The future of video conferencing is an exciting. People will be talking to 3D images of people many miles away and see this person as though they were in the same room as the person.
With the release of the kinect which sees and interprets human motion the beginning of 3D images of people becomes possible. When combined with 3DTV people can start seeing people as though they are actually in the room, but the technology for actually seeing people is still years away.
Another advance in the coming future is holding conference calls in the cloud. This is a technology proposed by the company Nefsis. The advantage of this technology allows people to hold conferences with little additional software. All that is needed is a web browser, webcam, and a microphone to join an online conference. This simplifies the set up for the end client and allows businesses to save on expenses that would have been spent on specialized equipment and software technology. Originally a company setting up a personalized virtual conference would need to spend money on proprietary software with costly video codec and equipment or software that would decrypt the video feed.
References**:
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