Editing Virtual management (section)

{{short description|Supervision, leadership and maintenance of virtual teams}}
{{tone|date=September 2013}}
'''Virtual management''' is the supervision, leadership, and maintenance of [[virtual team]]s—dispersed work groups that rarely meet face to face. As the number of virtual teams has grown, facilitated by the [[Internet]], [[globalization]], [[outsourcing]], and [[remote work]], the need to manage them has also grown. The challenging task of managing these teams have been made much easier by availability of online collaboration tools, adaptive project management software, efficient time tracking programs and other related systems and tools. This article provides information concerning some of the important management factors involved with virtual teams, and the life cycle of managing a virtual team.

Due to developments in [[information technology]] within the workplace, along with a need to compete globally and address competitive demands, organizations have embraced virtual management structures.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Powell, A.|author2=Piccoli, G.|author3=Ives, B.|name-list-style=amp|year=2004|title=Virtual Teams: A Review of Current Literature and Directions for Future Research|journal=Database for Advances in Information Systems|volume=35|issue=1|pages=6–36|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/220627357|doi=10.1145/968464.968467|s2cid=6381882 }}</ref> As in face-to-face teams, management of virtual teams is also a crucial component in the effectiveness of the team. However, when compared to leaders of face-to-face teams, virtual team leaders face the following difficulties: (a) logistical problems, including coordination of work across different time zones and physical distances; (b) interpersonal issues, including an ability to establish effective working relationships in the absence of frequent face-to-face communication; and (c) technological difficulties, including finding and learning to use appropriate technology.<ref>{{cite journal|year=2002|title=A typology of virtual teams: implications for effective leadership|url=http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=hrpubs|journal=Group and Organization Management|volume=27|issue=1|pages=14–49|doi=10.1177/1059601102027001003|author1=Bell, B. S.|author2=Kozlowski, S. W. J.|hdl=1813/76175 |name-list-style=amp|citeseerx=10.1.1.110.5616|s2cid=2881684|access-date=2016-07-18|archive-date=2015-09-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920154245/http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=hrpubs|url-status=live}}</ref> In global virtual teams, there is an additional dimension of cultural differences which impact on a virtual team's functioning.