short answer

team type

Determine the type of team (types of teams) that would make the most sense, given the mission and goals of your organization.

According to the Encyclopedia of Management “A team is a collection of interdependent individuals organized to accomplish a common purpose”. For the Navy, this common purpose is the accomplishment of its mission. To maintain, train and equip combat-ready Naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and maintaining freedom of the seas is the common purpose for the members of our team.

When establishing virtual teams to accomplish this mission it is vital that the appropriate team types are identified and implemented. An extensive amount of research has been conducted on “types” of teams and the advantages/disadvantages they provide. Among the countless types of teams that have been identified, “GALE” has narrowed it down to six major types of teams: informal, traditional, problem solving, leadership, self-directed, and virtual. Virtual teams that are created by the Navy can benefit most from a combination of these in order to successfully accomplish their goals (GALE, 2009).

Among the types of teams mentioned above the most efficient types of teams with the greatest advantages for our organization are traditional and virtual. When speaking of traditional teams, there is no better example than that of the United States Navy. The hierarchy or chain of command that exists in the Navy allows for the most success for traditional type virtual teams.

The other type of team that fits best for the Navy is the virtual type. In order to have a fluid and efficient virtual team it is pertinent that advanced technology be readily available. It is no secret that most of todays technology has evolved from military innovations. The United States Navy has benefited greatly from these advancements and is therefore most successful when implementing virtual type teams.

This is not to say that the Navy does not employ different types of teams. In fact, aspects of problem solving, self-directed, and leadership styles are apparent throughout the teams that exist within the organization. Although other types of teams can be said to be utilized by the Navy it is the two described earlier that make the most sense given the Navy’s mission and goals.

"Teams and Teamwork." Encyclopedia of Management, 6th ed., Gale, 2009, pp. 929-934. Gale Virtual Reference Library, ezproxy.umuc.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w& u=umd_umuc&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CCX3273100295&it=r&asid=1eb559271bd4 02bb2c043237122b418e.

team principles and guidelines.

Develop a set of virtual team guidelines or guiding principles.

Various experts who study virtual teams have agreed that “a general set of guidelines is necessary when managing virtual teams” (Lara & Christopher, 2014). With a mission and goal like that of the United States Navy it is paramount that these principles and guidelines are not only established but also implemented and executed at the highest standard. Such principles may vary from organization to organization, team to team, or even task to task. What remains constant is the general guidelines that assist in developing an effective team. A virtual team is typically formed when a particular task must be accomplished. Whatever that task may be there are certain universal parameters that, when met, allow for a smooth operating team.

Before accomplishing the task at hand it is important to “identify which team members possess the necessary skills to carry out the anticipated project activities” (Beranek, Broder, Reinig, Romano Jr., & Sump, 2005). Unlike a face-to-face team, virtual teams are normally smaller in size and rely on fewer members with more specific duties to accomplish the mission. For this reason the seemingly obvious task of identifying a team member’s strength becomes an even more crucial undertaking.

After gauging the team’s skills, the next step would be to create a set of rules that would assign roles to the team members in accordance with their skills. Communication becomes an exponentially crucial factor for virtual teams. To communicate the role each tem member plays is to reinforce the value and meaning of each individual. With this sense of worth comes a more driven and motivated worker.

The diversity of team members that is typically attributed to virtual teams has its benefits of course. From the ability to access multiple perspectives on a given situation to innovative ideas a diverse team can improve a process on many levels. With that being said, it is also possible for this diverse group to have a different set of standards when it comes to their work. For this reason it is imperative that the team agree on a set of definitive standards that would prevent a costly mistake. A prime example of such a mistake would be NASA’s $125 million loss of a space probe when team members used different measurement systems when working on the probe (Nunamaker Jr., Reinig, & Briggs, 2009).

Lara, S., & Christopher, U. (2014). A Guideline for Virtual Team Managers: the Key to Effective Social Interaction and Communication.

Beranek, P. M., Broder, J., Reinig, B. A., Romano Jr., N. C., & Sump, S. (2005). Management of Virtual Project Teams: Guidelines for Team Leaders.

Nunamaker Jr., J. F., Reinig, B. A., & Briggs, R. O. (2009). Principles for Effective Virtual Teamwork. Communications Of The ACM, 52(4), 113-117. doi:10.1145/1498765.1498797

team size

Discover as much as you can about the benefits and issues associated with team size and its implications for effectiveness

Scholarly experts have pointed out that there is no “…optimal team size in terms of a specific number” (Hoegl, 2005). When it comes to a team’s size the ideal number is dependent on variables such as the task at hand and technological capabilities. Moreover, it is a matter of preference when establishing the number of team members for a virtual team especially when speaking about the vast array of missions the Navy undertakes.

Studies have shown that both large and small teams can be effective. Those in favor of larger teams have noted that larger teams are more innovative. They attribute this increase in innovation to the fact that “…larger teams tend to have more cognitive and other resources available for innovative activities” (Peltokorpi, Hasu 2014). These same studies, however, go on to claim “team size is an important but not a sufficient condition for team innovation.” The main factor that allows for innovation is the ability to communicate and work together in order to “…transform creative ideas into innovative outputs”. (Peltokorpi & Hasu, 2014)

On the other hand, there are those who are opposed to larger virtual teams. Some studies have claimed that “…individuals decrease their effort as the number of people in the group increases”.(Hoegl, 2005) In an interesting experiment conducted by German psychologist Ringelmann, it was observed that in a game of tug-of-war the more men assigned to a team, the less amount of weight per person was pulled. The experiment concluded that the “loss in performance is, in fact, due to decreased effort, rather than coordination losses or other possible causes” (Hoegl, 2005).

Although arguments for both large and small teams are compelling it is not a matter black and white. When both findings are compared side by side it is “…found both that individual effort diminishes with team size and also that individuals in teams benefit from collaboration” (Mao, Mason, Suri, & Watts, 2016).

Hoegl, M. (2005). Smaller teams–better teamwork: How to keep project teams small. Business Horizons, 48209-214. doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2004.10.013

Peltokorpi, V., & Hasu, M. (2014). How Participative Safety Matters More in Team Innovation as Team Size Increases. Journal Of Business & Psychology, 29(1), 37-45.

Mao, A., Mason, W., Suri, S., & Watts, D. J. (2016). An Experimental Study of Team Size and Performance on a Complex Task. Plos ONE, 11(4), 1-22. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0153048

Advantages and challenges of working in virtual teams

The concept of virtual teams is fairly new in comparison to those more traditional face-to-face teams. It is not hard to imagine the hurdles one might face in establishing a virtual team. When one thinks of a team, it would be unusual to think of its members oceans apart. The ideas of team collaboration and effective participation are easier managed when members are physically linked. Studies show that “virtual team members tend to initially share less information than members of face-to-face teams” (Berry, 2011). On the same note, this problem can be further amplified due to the fact that “Virtual teams are particularly vulnerable to mistrust, communication breakdowns, conflicts, and power struggles” (le Ebrahim, N., Ahmed, S., & Taha, 2008).

As a manager it would be of your best interest to monitor these situations when they first arise, yet, it is easy to see how this decrease in monitoring can lead to a lesser control of activities. On a more intrinsic level, there are those that may think that face-to-face collaboration allows team member to develop a more conceptual understanding of a problem. Although this may seem agreeable, “most research over the past 20 years comparing face-to-face and virtual teams notes no significant difference in the output or performance levels”(Berry, 2011).

Establishing a virtual team may initially sound like a costly endeavor. The truth, however, is that a virtual team can help in saving a substantial amount of time and money in the long run. For instance, the time and money that it takes to coordinate a face-to-face meeting in a traditional team can be put towards more efficient uses in a virtual team. Needless to say, this reduction in transportation would do well for the environment. Another practical aspect of a virtual team lies within its ability to “…follow the sun and utilize 24-hour work schedules with electronic communication” (Berry, 2011). This geographical advantage is particularly useful for an employer who is able to “access the most qualified individuals for a particular job regardless of their location” (le Ebrahim, N., Ahmed, S., & Taha, Z, 2008).

Aside from it being financially beneficial, a virtual team can be more practical in many ways. In fact, the very nature of a virtual team is technological. It has been suggested that “Computer-mediated virtual teams can increase speed and agility of information transfers” (Berry, 2011) providing for a more efficient team. It is true that this reliance on technology enables virtual teams to share information amongst each other more resourcefully. Yet, it is also true that this information can be shared with management who can monitor performance more easily thanks to the fact that most interactions are archived electronically.

Berry, G. R. (2011). Enhancing Effectiveness on Virtual Teams. Journal Of Business Communication, 48(2), 186-206. doi:10.1177/0021943610397270

le Ebrahim, N., Ahmed, S., & Taha, Z. (2008). Virtual teams: A literature review.