Designing the Model of Challenges of Virtual Teams in the Organization; A Qualitative Study

Background & Managing the challenges of virtual teams has become an important issue in today's global and technological work environment. Virtual teams are groups of people who collaborate remotely, often spanning different locations, time zones, and even cultures. While virtual teams provide many benefits, such as increased flexibility and access to a diverse talent pool, they also come with challenges. They are also unique. Based on this, in the present research, the design of the model of challenges of virtual teams in the organization is discussed with a qualitative approach.
This research has an exploratory nature in terms of its purpose, in terms of type, it is applied, and in terms of methodology, it is a qualitative study with a theme analysis approach. The statistical population of the research included eighteen experts who were selected in a targeted way. Data collection was done using semi-structured interviews. After conducting the interview, semantic expressions were extracted and then using the open coding method, the challenges of the virtual teams were compiled from these semantic expressions.
Based on the analysis of research data, the challenges of virtual teams in 5 areas of communication challenges (human communication problems, communication process problems, communication structural problems and transparency in communication), operational process challenges (feedback problems, time management challenges, management functional challenges, challenges of transparency in the management structure and challenges of team cohesion), challenges of human resources management (motivational challenges, cultural challenges and challenges of awareness and training), security challenges (challenges of security weaknesses and threats to the security of cyber space) and challenges of technology and technical infrastructure (challenges technology and technical infrastructure) were classified.
Based on the final model, virtual teams face various challenges. To overcome these challenges, there is a need for effective strategies in managing technology, strengthening communication skills, and creating an environment based on trust. Using the right digital tools and strengthening cross-cultural collaboration can help improve the performance and cohesion of virtual teams.