Organizational leadership decision-making processes for virtual team adoption: A needs assessment study

The use of virtual teams in organizations is gaining importance. Because virtual team importance is growing, many leaders can no longer escape team formation and management decisions. A cogent aspect of virtual teaming is that virtual team formation may necessitate critical managerial decision-making capabilities that foster team strategy and organizational performance. The purpose of this evaluative qualitative study was to explore and evaluate the need and leadership priority for virtual team creation at a nationwide community of practice so that virtual programs may be proposed. A second purpose of the study was to discover the level of organizational readiness in creating a virtual environment by exploring the organization's leadership decision making. Approximately 25 members of the organization's leadership, who had been in their position for at least one year and were located across the continental United States, were surveyed or interviewed by telephone.;Data were analyzed using the NVivo 8.0 database software as well as content analysis to report findings and develop recommendations. The results from this study suggested that virtual teaming is a leadership priority because of the need for organizational flexibility and member satisfaction. The level of organizational readiness to implement a virtual environment was found to be high because of the presence of a robust information technology infrastructure. The results of this study may provide additional information that may assist organizational managers in making better decisions that balance the improved cost structure of virtual environments with the potential loss and future impact of not instituting virtual teams.