ImplicationsThe rapid uptake of the

Implications
The rapid uptake of the Internet and related communication technologies has afforded
organizations unbounded opportunities to adopt virtual teams that transcend time,
space, national culture and organizations (Robey et al., 2000). The trend of using
sophisticated communications technologies suggests that virtual teams will continue
to dramatically influence the world of business in the coming decade. Although virtual
teams may not be the solution for every organization, their advantages make them a
strategically important tool in today’s global market.
Virtual teams cut travel time and associated costs, help facilitate the recruitment of
talented employees, promote employment in different areas, build diverse teams, assist
disadvantaged employees and reduce various forms of discrimination. Senior
managers of organizations must continue in their efforts to understand the relationship
between the physical world and the e-world of virtual teams. The use of appropriate
technology, combined with the input of creative employees, is certainly redesigning the
ways in which organizations compete globally.
Building global teams and Internet-related capabilities are now options for all
companies, regardless of size and location. As businesses compete in a fast-paced market
place, creating virtual environments becomes a business imperative (Chinowsky and
Rojas, 2003). According to Lipnack and Stamps (2000, p. 25), ‘‘for virtual teams and
networks to be truly transformational, they must include what is timeless and enduring
in human groups. They also need to reflect the features that are really new in the
turbulent years’’ of the coming decades. Lipnack and Stamps conclude that the
‘‘organizing challenge of our time is to learn to work in virtual teams and networks while
retaining the benefits of earlier forms’’. We agree with this assessment and view the
advantages offered by virtual teams as far outweighing any disadvantages inherent in
these virtual team structures.
References as Lack of knowledge among some senior mature
managers concerning advanced technological
applications generally
Builds diverse teams Not an option for every type of employee because
of an employee’s psychological make-up and
other predispositions
Assists in promoting proactive
employment practices for
disadvantaged individuals and groups
Nor an option for every company because of the
operational environment
Reduces discrimination