It is amazing how in today’s teams, there are so many ways to not have to meet in person. Technology has really allowed teams to become more virtual in the corporate workplace. These technological advances, although definitely able to cut down on corporate costs and having to meet in person, do hinder team unity to an extent.
Let me begin first with saying, that technological advances have absolutely changed the workplace for the better, but there are some factors to keep in mind as teams determine how they will work together. It is very easy to work on things from a virtual office, but there is something unique when team dynamics are formed through teamwork and being in the same room.
Corporations for cost savings should use virtual forums on a needed basis, but should not replace live interaction with technological means. Often times, teams through working together in the same place, can accomplish more as team moral is boosted, things are done more efficiently and teams can work off of each other.
Let me give you an example of an age old exercise that is very effective and should show management how sometimes live meetings and human interaction can be more beneficial than technological reliance and interface. The snowflake activity is very useful, where a couple of members of a team are asked to make a snowflake. Easy enough right? Well the members who made the snowflake are then asked to write out the directions of how they made that snowflake. The other team members are then to enter the room while those who made the snowflake and directions leave. With no visual other than the written directions, the “other” teammates are to recreate the snowflake.
When a group of corporate auditors came together to do the activity, they thought this would be a cinch. Little did they know how hard it would be. One associate said ” Making a snowflake seemed like a joke, but when team members are not around to work together to accomplish a goal, it is extremely hard to know exactly what is wanted or needed. If this was a real-life situation, we would have failed miserably, but considering this was an exercise, we learned a great point – don’t allow doors and technology to get in the way of accomplishing team goals.”
This is the exact point that corporate teams need to begin to consider before developing teams. It is critical to team success that teams can be accessed other than through technological means sometimes, especially if there is a lot of hands on things to get done.
The next time you consider a virtual meeting, think about whether that will be most effective for the team even if it is more cost efficient for the company. Sometimes the extra time spent on a project through poor planning will cost the team more than coming together for a day.
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mjm/187672716/
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