Virtual Team Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Virtual Team - Essay Example 1)." As a group, they have complementary skills and are committed to a common purpose, have interdependent performance goals, and share an approach to work for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. The emergence of virtual teams has undoubtedly brought a huge impact in business organizations. According to IBM (2006), virtual team brings together various expertises in company disciplines such as product design, manufacturing, supply chain management and logistics. As GDT works together they can share ideas, experience and technical information to create better solutions which leads to the improvement of the organization's internal operations. Taking the aforementioned information into consideration, this paper will look at the positive effects of having a virtual team in the operation of a warehouse distribution center. This will be done by utilizing Michael Porters famous business tools-value chain and competitive forces. In the value chain model, Michael Porter classified business activities as either primary or support activities. Primary activities include: inbound logistics, production, outbound logistics, sales and marketing, maintenance. Meanwhile administrative infrastructure management, human resources management, R&D, and procurement comprise the support activities. Appendix 1 shows the primary and support activiti... All these activities in the value chain are designed to add value that the customer derived from the company's products or services (Value Based Management 2006). Virtual teaming in the value chain of a warehouse distribution center can bring about more efficiency in the functioning of the entire firm. Locating the warehouse distribution center in the value chain, we can see that it is after the production and before marketing and sales. Establishing a virtual team within the company can integrate the processes within the company. Due to technological innovation, communication within the value chain is more capable of transmitting information to different departments. For instance, the warehouse distribution center can closely collaborate with the other team members in the other departments through the company's intranet. Thus, from the procurement of inputs to the after-sales service, a virtual team can be organized to regulate each process in the value chain. The presence of virtual team makes it easy to monitor the inventory level in the warehouse distribution center and regulate production. It also becomes relatively easier to track inventory levels and replenish stocks to maintain them at the optimum level. Also, delivery from the warehouse distribution center to the customers can be best facilitated if there is a virtual team which oversees the transaction from the warehouse to the customers' doorstep. Of course, some of the functions mentioned above can be carried out by a physical team. However, it should be noted that the presence of virtual team is not hampered by geographic boundaries. It is most important for warehouse distribution centers which are located in two different continents. As information can now be