as more companies outsource some of the activities previously conducted internally, the traditional organizational structure is being replaced by a series of virtual teams, which rarely, if ever, meet face to face. such teams may be established as temporary groups to accomplish a specific task or may be more permanent to address continuing issues such as strategic planning. membership on these teams is often fluid, depending upon the task to be accomplished. they may include not only employees from different functions within a company, but also members of various stakeholder groups, such as suppliers, customers, and law or consulting firms. the use of virtual teams to replace traditional face-to-face work groups is being driven by five trends: