7-2 Project One Critical Analysis Essay

 7-2 Project One Critical Analysis Essay

Shanon Beck 

English Composition I 

December 4th, 2023

The article I chose to analyze is “Managing Virtual Teams” by Yendor Felgate, the author’s main claim is that managers need to adapt and tailor their leadership style to the needs of the new digital workplace; this claim is incredibly strong. I agree with this claim and find it incredibly effective because of the rapid and unprecedented rise in work-at-home jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the unbelievable stress that comes with trying to manage a team at a distance, as well as employee engagement primarily relying on management style. Additionally, as a manager myself, I have also found myself in the same predicaments mentioned in the article … rapidly advancing technology has led to significant changes to how I manage my team, how I lead my team, and I have adapted to them.

The author states that we need to re-think our approach to the workplace in order to adapt to managing digital teams; as a frontline manager, I have found myself needing to adapt to the ascent of new technologies every day in order to best serve my team. We can achieve this reality by making individualism a cornerstone principle of our workplace by being intentional in our approach to employees (Felgate, 90) through one-on-one meetings and direct coaching sessions in order to get to know our employees and what they need to succeed. But at the same time, expectations must be set straight and clear for all employees in order to establish a baseline of “what good looks like” within our workplace. Without expectations and a baseline of what each employee should strive to complete in a given day, workplace standards cannot be set and can lead to an additional workload being placed on one or two individual team members.

We need to re-engage with our workplace in order to ensure inclusive and accommodating workplaces in the digital era. We all have our own strengths and weaknesses, that’s being human, and we have to do our best to accommodate those differences to build a highly productive team. We can achieve this by a) holding regular meetings with employees in order to get their feedback on our leadership style, b) ensuring that employees feel heard and accepted within their workplace, and c): setting time aside for social activities and gatherings (Felgate, 90); socializing is a vital part of any workplace, by intentionally scheduling it into the day-to-day workflow it allows your whole company to grow as a team. As a manager myself, I set time aside to talk to my employees on a daily basis, small talk here and there has allowed me to understand their concerns and troubles a lot better than I otherwise could … allowing me to build a better and more inclusive workplace culture.

The author states we need to reimagine our workplace by providing the right tools so employees can do their jobs (Felgate, 90). In this digital world, having the right tools is perhaps the most important thing; think about it, how far has technology come in the past twenty years, and how often do you use it at your workplace? If employees are not provided the right tools and the right accommodations to do their jobs, then expectations can not be met, nor can communication be properly had between employees. Additionally, with how fast-paced and innovative the modern world is, if you aren’t staying up to date in your technology and practices, then you really won’t be able to function as a company.

In conclusion, the author’s claim that managers need to adapt and tailor their leadership to match digital workplaces is incredibly strong. “We need to re-think, re-imagine, and re-engage with our employees” (Felgate, 90), not only in the digital environment but in traditional workplaces as well. Innovation and change are inevitable, especially in today’s world, where technology continues to advance rapidly and the job environment changes to meet new and challenging demands. Adapting to the new realities of the modern age is vital in order to ensure high productivity, not only in technology, but also in your company culture and practices … inclusion and diversity are cornerstones of our modern world, and if you aren’t meeting those expectations then employees will surely look to workplaces that do.

Works Cited

Felgate, Yendor. “MANAGING VIRTUAL TEAMS.” African Business, no. 479, Jan. 2021, pp. 89–90.