Leading virtual teams in today's work force Term Paper

Leading virtual teams in today's work force - Term Paper Example The purpose is the most significant aspect holding them together and is defined in various steps of action, individual tasks and common goals. This paper will discuss the evolution of virtual teams, the technology used for their successful operation, how to lead them effectively and opinions on why having them is agreeable. Implementing team collaboration in a virtual working space has an assortment of unique challenges (Konetes & Wiggins, 2009). However, apart from the telephone, there are various technological advances available to fulfill this goal. With an array of communication tools, the internet serves as the most suitable medium (Konetes & Wiggins, 2009). Below is a description of a few of them. Google docs It provides free online management of documents and spreadsheets with a Gmail or Google Account. The spreadsheet feature is handy for several employees working on a spreadsheet at the same time and enables collaborative editing of documents. This tool can be used in domain management, payroll coverage, financial reports, directory lists and ranking reports (Carmel & Espinosa, 2011). Time Doctor It is highly efficient in monitoring how time is spent. It can be used to track personal or team time (Carmel & Espinosa, 2011). ... It is a significant tool in monitoring attendance, to do lists, application usage monitoring and automatic timesheets. Jing Project This tool allows virtual team members to capture a screen or video on their desktops (Carmel & Espinosa, 2011). Comments, explanations and voice recordings, can be added to the screen captures. These can then be uploaded to software that converts them into simple links accessible by all team members. It is useful in communicating with developers and designers, where there is a need to explain requirements and changes. It also serves as a substitute when screen sharing is limited by differences in time zones (Carmel & Espinosa, 2011). This tool also allows users to record their screens. Drop Box This is a file sharing tool (Lipnack & Stamps, 1999). When new content is added to the Drop Box folder, it automatically updates all other team members that the file had been shared with, or even another computer a member might be using at home. Drop box can be us ed to back up documents, passwords and images, share training material, file access from multiple computers and file exchange with clients (Lipnack & Stamps, 1999). Freshbooks This is a web based, easy to setup, invoicing application. It allows employees to add time to company invoices. It is useful in management of billable timesheets, invoicing sales and creating estimates (Konetes & Wiggins, 2009). The advent of telecommuting fueled the evolution of virtual work teams. This was coupled with the need to integrate skills and knowledge across the globe to achieve desired organizational goals. There is also the significant aspect of achieving the goals without having to physically move both human and technological resources. This is