Ivey Business School Case Study Analysis â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Ivey Business School Case Study Analysis? Answer: Introduction Virtual teams are majorly made up of individuals who are situated in diverse physical locations. Such teams are specifically becoming more common in most professional and educational settings. The appeal and inherent purpose of establishing virtual teams is quite explicit. According to Shin et al. (2012), virtual teams enables students and professionals to manage their activities and private lives more amenably, and to effectively and efficiently network with partners in various parts of the world. As such, this case study analysis of Ivey Business School aim at assessing key issues and the management of team-based activities in virtual teams particularly in an educational setting. Developing relationships Establishing relationships that are based on shared trust, objectives and common concerns among the satellite sub teams can be challenging, and is identified as one of the major issues. Virtual team members lacks special insight into the personal lives and concerns of each other. For example, creating and sustaining good and effective interpersonal relations within the team is a big challenge. The research by Paletz, Schunn, Kim (2013) attributes these personal differences to the differences in traditions, customs, belied and seclusion. As such, such variances are more likely to result into ideological, interpersonal and administrative confrontations that may be hard to tackle. From the Ivey case, it is evident that the identified differences in the personal and professional backgrounds of virtual team members plays a very pivotal role in influencing optimal performances (Ivey Business School, 2017). Thus, any differences in race, ethnicity and religion must be harmonized to ensure inclusivity and ultimately ensure the companys progression. Keeping a motivated team Sustaining the morale of the virtual team members is not an easy task. From the Ivey case, some virtual team members may face numerous interruptions among other exceptional challenges that may influence their motivation level. For instance, a virtual team member working from home may occasionally feel isolated and occasionally lose direction (Ivey Business School, 2017). Similarly, if members share ideas and are repressively criticised, they may lose focus and feel demotivated. Therefore, every individual need to have that team feeling to amply execute their obligations. The communication processes From the case, sharing information and ideas, and making common decisions inherently challenging. There is higher probability of mix-ups among the virtual team members (Ivey Business School, 2017). This can be accredited to the dissimilarities in time zones, technological hiccups among other related challenges. For instance, if there are three sub teams in Canada, London and New York, initiating viable communications given the apparent differences in time zones can be impossible. Moreover, some team members may not be familiar with how some technologies such as WebEx that are used in the communication works. How team-based activities could be managed in virtual teams in an educational setting Creating and getting virtual teams right especially in an educational setting can be extremely challenging (Shin et al., 2012). Thus, to effectively manage team-based activities and maximize productivity in virtual teams, the subsequent high-yield practices are appropriate. Getting the virtual team right According to Daim et al. (2012), the composition of virtual teams will greatly determine the success of associated activities. A successful virtual team should comprise of individuals with higher level of emotional intelligence and requisite resilience. Also, when forming a virtual team, the manager must ascertain that such individuals can develop the inherent ability to execute the groups functions independently without any due influence of culture or any other issue. Therefore, it is important to conduct interactive interviews and persona tests to screen all the desirable qualities of the virtual team members. Correspondingly, as stipulated by Mathieu et al. (2014), the virtual team should be smaller to optimize the performances and increase efficiency. As such, the seven-member virtual learning team should be maintained to enable effective coordination of schoolwork. Besides, the role of every member of the virtual team should be clearly specified to enable effective execution of responsibilities. Getting the leadership right According to Mathieu et al. (2014), virtual teams should have a leadership that fosters respect and understanding. Team members should have a high propensity to trust as this will enable effective development of relationships. Fostered trust will also enable team members to share their varied experiences and work preferences. Such candidness is an important foundation for a successful virtual team given that it improves team communication and enhances collaboration. The right leadership should also be able to clarify goals and guidelines to establish a common vision (Shin et al., 2012). For instance, the leadership can clarify how and when team members should respond to requests and questions from colleagues. Getting the technology right A virtual team will require the right technology to successfully conduct team-based activities. For example, a top-notch virtual team should complement its talented personnel with the best communication systems such as conference calling equipment to facilitate interactions. Such technologies should also be able to support real-time communication between distant participants. According to Daim et al. (2012), virtual team rooms (right technological platforms) forms the centre of all team-based activities. Therefore, for greater efficiency, the team managers must get the technology right. Thus, computer-mediated communication technologies will eradicated any cross-cultural issue and promote virtual socialization behaviours. Team building Engaging in team building activities will help the virtual team to develop trust, cohesiveness and become aware of each others social and intellectual differences (Shin et al., 2012). Team building will also enable members to introduce each other, set expectations on various team-based activities and assess team dynamics. During team building, new team members can be paired with mentors who can respond to their concerns and help them grow (Mathieu et al., 2014). Also, team members should occasionally develop face-to-face interactions to break the boredom of using the integrated collaboration technologies. Two important factors for team-based activities in educational programs The first important factor is taking an individual and team preparedness-assurance test that aim at assessing the level of readiness. Such activities are very instrumental in facilitating active learning and developing problem-solving abilities (Shin et al., 2012). Another important issue is team building that stresses on a collective execution of various activities to attain a particular objective. Asynchronous storage tools Tools and services summarised in case Exhibit 3 differ from those in Exhibit 4 because they are specifically designed to work over long distances given that the replication processes can bear degradations in connectivity (Mathieu et al., 2014). Asynchronous storage tools are used for a team writing exercise to integrate a variety of media such as Google wave to enhance desirable classroom behaviours. Such tools also facilitates and supports cloud technologies making it possible to access important data and information anyplace and anytime. How learning team members coordinate their varied activities The learning team members can coordinate their activities via supervisors who should be tasked with the implementation of the group objectives. The supervisors will explore the progress of diverse projects that are ongoing and recommended relevant actions (Mathieu et al., 2014). The coordination can be conducted using special asynchronous storage and communication tools. For example, the supervisors can use video conferencing facilities to assign group members various tasks. Conclusion Indeed, there are numerous issues that affects the management of virtual teams as identified from the Ivey case. Such issues include developing strong and viable relationships among the team members, motivating them and ensuring a smooth process. Therefore, there is an integral need of ensuring team work and effective management of such teams to attain the stipulated objectives. In additions, the identified socio-cultural, communication and operational gaps identified must be sealed completely. References Daim, T. U., Ha, A., Reutiman, S., Hughes, B., Pathak, U., Bynum, W., and Bhatla, A. (2012) Exploring the communication breakdown in global virtual teams, International Journal of Project Management, 30(2), 199-212. Ivey Business School (2016) Working Virtually. Retrieved from: https://www.google.com/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=3cad=rjauact=8ved=0ahUKEwjmyuKViarWAhVDVhQKHZmCCCUQFgg0MAIurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ivey.uwo.ca%2Fcmsmedia%2F3776045%2Fivey-intouch-spring-2017.pdfusg=AFQjCNGrs5CdaoD_cOJPV3KGLdqmx3YhqA Mathieu, J. E., Tannenbaum, S. I., Donsbach, J. S., and Alliger, G. M. (2014) A review and integration of team composition models moving toward a dynamic and temporal framework, Journal of Management, 40(1), 130-160. Paletz, S. B., Schunn, C. D., and Kim, K. H. (2013) The interplay of conflict and analogy in multidisciplinary teams, Cognition, 126(1), 1-19. Shin, S. J., Kim, T. Y., Lee, J. Y., and Bian, L. (2012) Cognitive team diversity and individual team member creativity: A cross-level interaction, Academy of Management Journal, 55(1), 197-212.