ABSTRACT
Overview
Chapter 1 begins by reviewing basic virtual terminology, the different types of virtual teams (networked, parallel, product, work or production, service, action, and offshore) and terms that define virtual employment such as telework or telecommuting, work from home or working at home (WFH or W@H), mobile work, remote work, and remote-flexible or flexible work. It discusses the internal human resource factors, internal financial factors and external factors affecting the movement from traditional work environments to virtual organizations – including reduction/restructuring/relocation strategies, global competition, pandemics, climate change, and economic collapse. The challenges – communications, cultural teams, interpersonal, technological, and economical – of leading multicultural, global organizations are presented in this chapter. Case studies that help provide real-world application to virtual challenges, templates and “Food For Thought” sections are featured in the following chapters throughout this book.
