EPI: A Virtual Organization

EPI is a virtual organization. Dube and Pare (2004) define a virtual team as an interdependent group of individuals who predominantly use technology to communicate, collaborate, share information and coordinate their efforts in order to accomplish a common work-related objective. Duarte and Snyder (2006) identified the following competencies and skills for team members: effectively manage projects, network, use technology effectively, can self-manage, create home/workplace boundaries, and have good interpersonal awareness.

Virtual teams reveal the following advantages:
• Allows the organization to focus on what they do best
• Decrease operating/overhead costs
• Increase productivity
• Increase the diversity of perspectives
• Decrease travel and mandatory relocation
• Improve flexibility, work-life balance, and job satisfaction
• Enable organizations to adapt more quickly to the global economy

EPI has realized the advantages of a virtual team. As an organization we are able to focus on what we do best and that is improving individual and organizational performance through training and development programs. EPI has 9 full-time employees, and a variety of contractors who would all agree that we have improved flexibility and job satisfaction. EPI has an office in Golden where we meet periodically for team meetings or to brainstorm client projects. Otherwise, we all work out of our home office and leverage technology to communicate, collaborate, share information and coordinate efforts to accomplish the organizational mission.

If you are considering moving toward the virtual organization, here are some steps we recommend:

1. Join the communications revolution: Use email, buy laptop computers so employees can be more mobile, leverage SharePoint, and adopt social media.

2. Consider new ways of working: Look at various options that provide employee flexibility in where and how work is done.

3. Identify strategic alliances: Finding the right partner(s) is important. EPI and ICC just recently formed a strategic alliance and together we hosted a healthcare reform event and had over 80 attendees. ICC is an outplacement and career transitions service provider.

4. Manage the change: Think about human reactions to change and the investment your people have in the status quo. Employees may feel that a virtual organization may inhibit social aspects of work that they value, so provide open forums using technology for employees to discuss the change to a virtual team and be sure to set expectations clearly.