Working in an ordinary team makes the group live and work at the moment. Members get together, explore the topics they need, and discuss how to do the project better and correct. Team members can share the responsibilities, but in any case, they can help at any time. In a virtual team, even if everyone shares assignments, each person works alone. Moreover, sometimes the contribution of team members is very different because everyone makes disparate efforts (Tavoletti et al., 2019). Also, groups do not always work at the same time, so when someone needs urgent help, he or she will need to wait a long time. The most significant difference is the dependence on the Internet. In a virtual team, members connect on social networks, and if the Internet disappears, the group work is at risk.
There are five factors that help make the team more successful. The first factor is the responsibility of each team member since it forces everyone to exert not only their work but also to help others. The second key factor is the work on the result. It is essential for the group when a person works not because it is necessary but because he wants to do it. The third factor is the motivation that enforces start working even if you are lazy. Then, the group should have a well-set assignment, so each group member understands his task. The fifth factor is understanding that person works in a team and not for his or her own goal.
A team charter is a set of team agreements that ensures that everyone understands and sees the situation equally regarding the vision, values, and behaviors for successful work (Pilette, 2017). Moreover, it is a strategy to bring group members together to expand their communication capabilities to discuss the team vision. In the modern world, more than half of the teams are not aligned. Therefore, they have problems like reduced productivity, low morale, and reduced job satisfaction (Pilette, 2017).
Multiculturalism in a group is a two-sided privilege since it can have both a positive and a negative effect on the team. On the one hand, the cross-cultural team is versatile views that help to analyze the situation and opportunities from different angles. Moreover, together, employees from different countries bring their own cultural aspects and experiences to the group that may be beneficial in the future. On the other hand, multiculturalism is often the reason for quarrels and misunderstandings in the team. Disagreements can be based on religious, racial, or traditional beliefs.
My team is multicultural because I believe that it will bring success to any project. In the modern world, humanity is more tolerant of each other and perceives cultural intelligence. I think the diversity of views will bring new and creative ideas for group assignments. Moreover, I consider it a significant element of the team because everyone can learn something new and receive the experience of others during the process.
Conflicts in virtual teams often arise because of work on assignments. Therefore, the team leaders need to find out what caused the problem. They need to ask the individual how he or she sees the conflict and then analyze the situation in general. If the problem is in the assignment, the leaders need to change the responsibilities between the group members. If the problem is between members, then independent individuals need to resolve it. However, leaders should not hurt the feelings of others and treat everyone with respect.
Peer review is a tool that persons use among students to adjust their own assessments (Tavoletti et al., 2019). It helps to improve individual work in the group and, accordingly, to a positive outcome of the whole project. Peer review encourages team members to work more effectively to show good results. Moreover, some studies show that a well-chosen peer review tends to encourage the personal success of each individual (Tavoletti et al., 2019). Peer review leads the student to conduct the work better and meet the requirements and expectations of his teammates.
References
Pilette, P. C. (2017). Team charters. Nursing Management, 48(5), 52–55. Web.
Tavoletti, E., Stephens, R. D., & Dong, L. (2019). The impact of peer evaluation on team effort, productivity, motivation and performance in global virtual teams. Team Performance Management: An International Journal, 25(5/6), 334–347. Web.