Virtual teams, performance and the role of the project manager

Although organizations are making increasing use of virtual teams, and despite the availability of numerous videoconferencing tools, the conditions for effective operation of these teams are not yet clearly established.

It is therefore important to clarify the notion of virtual teams, and to provide concrete guidelines for their organization and effective use.

It's easier to understand how virtual teams work if you first address the following questions:

• How does a virtual team differ from a traditional team?

• Are management tools different for virtual teams?

• what influence do different contexts have on the organization and effectiveness of virtual teams?

• what are best practices?

The expression "virtual team" is commonly used, but it's not the most appropriate, since we're talking about a real team with real projects and real challenges.

The specific features of a virtual team often mean that the project manager needs to reinforce his or her team-building skills, in order to facilitate communication, measure team performance, prevent conflicts and ensure that no member remains isolated.