I believe that the internet has facilitated our lives. I can see how these virtual teams are advantageous to companies, employees, the environment, etc. But I can also see the disadvantages it has. So I will play devil’s advocate and argue against using the Internet for substituting meetings and teamwork.
First, there is no such thing as the real thing. Nothing can compare to having a meeting in person. Having a virtual meeting instead of an in-person meeting is like writing an email instead of a letter. Sure both probably get the same message out there, the email may be easier. But it is much less personal and transmits a much more distant message. One can never make a true connection with someone who you can only see through a computer screen or even worse, can just hear. Without the face-to-face connection people can lose the ability to develop good chemistry and create a sense of familiarity with others. There is nothing like a hand-written letter and meeting a person in the flesh.
Plus, what is so bad about traveling? Meeting other people? Seeing other cultures in person? Getting away from the office for a few days?
It is so much harder to communicate through a computer, without being able to point out to things and fully explain things.
People get distracted by virtual meetings. Not that one doesn’t get distracted on real meetings! But on virtual meetings people could just easily get up and leave because others can’t see what they are doing, or they make faces about the subject.
Lastly, the internet may be great. But connections are not great in all places at all times, resolutions is not always great. I have many problems webcaming with my family, imagine if I had an important meeting and the webcam program didn’t want to start!
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2 comments:
I agree with a lot of your statements, but I would like to make a few general comments.
There is nothing like a face-to-face meeting, but holding virtual meetings and communicating via e-mail are not bad either. They may be more impersonal than a meeting, but they are what work in the business world. A company in our world today cannot function unless they are using e-mail at the very least. Communicating via telephone and post mail would be extremely inefficient in regards to time, and would require more human labor, thus increasing cost.
I think we all can agree with traveling, meeting other people and experiencing another culture by actually being in it, but from a business perspective, this cannot always work.
High-speed internet connections have not reached all corners of the world yet, but I hope we all understand that. Even in a country like India, where cost of technology is cheap and widespread, I have experienced poor connections even in the most modern of areas in the country's capital, New Delhi.
While technology has allowed for us to cut our time, which also cuts cost, it has definitely increased the sense of impersonality. Perhaps this is why some companies make such an effort for teams of people who communicate primarily through email to use programs that allow for collaboration, or for some time of virtual interaction.
Sonia - thats a really interesting point about technology in other countries.
As for the face-to-face vs virtual meeting, I would argue that it depends on the importance of the assignment, and the time constraints. I know everyone's argument has been that virtual meetings are time effective and so on. But with my experience in SL and other collaborative projects, not always.
For example, there are numerous distractions when you're in front of your computer instead of sitting down face to face with a person, devoting your time solely to your group members.
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