Reference no: EM133913819

Task
This assignment has been adapted from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Managing Virtual Work Teams - A SHRM case study by Frankie S. Jones, PhD.
For this group assignment there are three parts. 
Part I: An Introduction to Virtual Teams 
Part II: Building a Virtual Team
Part III: Managing Conflict Virtually
Directions: In your groups, you will review, discuss, and address questions in each of these parts in order to arrive at your collective responses.  As part of your discussion, you are to apply what you have read and discussed in our course as well as outside sources in order to justify your recommendations.  Use the group discussion forum prepared for your team to summarize your group responses to each part of the case study. 
After your team discusses all three parts associated with this case, you will prepare a 7-10 page paper that addresses the questions in each of the three parts.  This paper will serve as your team voice to coach Lauren on how to lead her cross-functional team to success and overcome the issues presented in the case study.  In other words, the team members will collaborate to write the paper, and each team member will upload the paper to the assignment folder to facilitate grading.  Your team paper should include a minimum of 10 references from sources published within the last ten years.  Get top-rated assignment help now.
 
Part I: An Introduction to Virtual Teams
Lauren is assigned team leader of a cross-functional team for a very important project to the company.  Lauren reviews the profiles of the six team members her boss gave her.  She is both intrigued and anxious when she sees that team members are geographically dispersed.
Lauren works in the Atlanta office.  One team member is in India; another is in Germany; and the rest live in the United States, but in different time zones.  Two staff members are in the eastern time zone (Virginia and North Carolina) and two staff members are in the central time zone (Texas and Louisiana).
Lauren has never managed a virtual team and is unsure what special skills it will take to be successful.  She begins to wonder what competencies are necessary for virtual team leaders and members.  She studies the team member profiles and creates a matrix to evaluate each member's strengths and weaknesses from the perspective of working virtually.  She includes herself because she realizes she needs to evaluate her own strengths and weaknesses.  Lauren thinks about the challenges and opportunities she will face managing this virtual team. 
In your assigned groups, you are to: 
Analyze the supplied team member matrix. 
Identify challenges and opportunities Lauren's team might face. 
Brainstorm ways to capitalize on opportunities and address challenges.
Record your ideas in the group discussion forum.