Top 4 Virtual Team Management Challenges and Solution

Half a decade back, the COVID-19 pandemic hit globally, and companies had to offer remote working facilities to its employees. Advanced technology facilitated large-scale remote work. However, the era of global remote working did not last as expected. The companies find it difficult to manage virtual teams effectively. 

Remote working and virtual teams are a boon for many industries. They offer great flexibility to employees. For any industry, a happy employee is a key to achieve great success. So, if companies can manage virtual teams effectively, they can stay ahead of the curve.

So, let’s go through some of the key challenges of virtual team management, and how to overcome these challenges with some useful and effective tips.

Virtual Team- Introduction, Industries, and Benefits

A virtual team is a group of individuals who work from remote locations using the Internet. A location is never an issue for a virtual team, they can literally work from any corner of the world, without meeting other colleagues in real or reporting at the physical location.

Virtual teams may not be suitable for all businesses. However, these are the industries that can leverage the virtual teams for greater benefits and achieve great success.

1. Software development

2. Content and Digital Marketing

3. SEO and Social Media Marketing

4. Accounting and Bookkeeping

5. Legal Work

Simply put, whether it is promoting the website or writing an article, everything is possible remotely just like it can be done from the office. What makes virtual teams beneficial? Let’s find out the answer to this question now.

Top Business Benefits of Virtual Teams

On managing effectively, the remote teams or virtual teams have many advantages for the company. Some of them are-

– Reduced Costs: Virtual team does not need office space, supplies, and other utilities. So, having a virtual team is a cost-effective option for any size company. 

– Work-life Balance: Remote workers can get a healthy work-life balance and become more productive. 

– Access to Highly Talented Resources: The virtual workforce has no restrictions of time and location, so you can hire talented workforce from across the world

– 24/7 Operation: Your business can be run on a 24/7 basis thanks to time zone advantage while practicing remote working model

However, it does not mean that work from home or remote places is not all roses. Here are three common and big challenges of virtual team management.

Also Read : 10 Task Management Tips To Boost Work Productivity

Top Challenges of Virtual Team Management

1. Communication Issues

These issues can be resolved by two ways- One, by setting guidelines for remote team members and Two, by using robust communication tools. While creating guidelines, it is better to set common business hours while clearly stating timings for lunch and tea breaks. It should be ensured that the entire team should be available for virtual collaboration. It is better to define the time limit for response to resolve doubts quickly.

Talking about communication tools, companies can bank on tools for specific functions. For example, Slack can be used for instant messaging & Google Meet can be utilized for holding video conferences. They can use tools like Skype, Teams, etc. as a one stop communication solution.

2. Project Management Issues

Project management software or a team task management tool can effectively manage all the virtual teams for daily project-related activities. The task management tool can be used for project planning and enhancing collaboration with remote members. 

Talking about the major benefits of a team task management tool, it can help managers create and assign tasks to the virtual team, assist users to split their tasks into subtasks, and enable them to set priorities. Finally, the project management software can enable users to establish a seamless virtual collaboration over comments. Users can also exchange project-related information with other members in real time. The task management tool also facilitates users to share files and links to improve the collaboration in the virtual team.

3. Productivity Issues

Productivity issues are the biggest drawback of virtual teams. As an entrepreneur, you need to create a dedicated virtual workspace. Such a workspace can help remote teams work undisturbed for enhanced productivity. The virtual team and the company management can track time spent on tasks, websites, & apps during working hours remotely. The time management tool can benefit the management as employees tend to avoid visiting unproductive websites and remain active all the time.

4. A Lack of Team Culture and Bonding

Office team culture plays an important role in increasing employee productivity. Remote working style lacks team culture and nurturing close bonding among employees. The new era of employers and employees both focus on work culture. While managing a virtual team, the management needs to take extra care for maintaining the team culture and bonding.

Management should utilize virtual team management tools to stay connected with team members, and indulge them in virtual team bonding activities and games. Occasional virtual coffee breaks or lunch breaks also help in creating a good team culture. A good communication channel will help organizations foster a sense of belonging and encourage virtual team-building activities.

Let’s Manage Remote Teams Virtually

Managing remote teams is not child’s play. From establishing effective communication to using a team task management tool, companies can implement various techniques and create a dedicated virtual workspace. It is fair to mention that the project management software or task management software can enable the company to manage the virtual team efficiently. A team task management tool like TaskOPad can be a great help in managing the virtual team with a wide range of productivity booster features.