Virtual teams: an exploratory study of key challenges and strategies

Virtual arrangements are proposed as a way for organizations to face the challenges of the upcoming century and to operate both efficiently and innovatively (Jarvenpaa and Ives 1994; Savage 1996). Among other emerging arrangements, virtual teams, both within and across organizations, are relatively recent phenomena brought about in part by the development of technologies such as Internet, groupware and videoconferencing (Barnatt 1995; Lipnack and Stamps 1997). The reluctance of many workers to relocate for a new job, the global nature of the marketplace, the need to complete projects as quickly as possible, and the need to tap the best brains no matter where they may be are all examples of virtual team drivers within and across organizations (Geber 1995; Lipnack and Stamps 1997).