As the world moves deeper into the information age, business and work are increasingly being done remotely. The skills that made it possible to successfully work face-to-face in teams in the industrial age are not necessarily the same skills that will make it possible to succeed in working remotely in the information age. Many traditional principles of leadership and teamwork still apply in the information age, but they require adaptation to be used optimally in the virtual team environment. For a virtual team to be successful, it must be set up and launched correctly, use the RAMP model to overcome obstacles, convene effective meetings, and be competently optimized and accelerated. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The success of a virtual team cannot be assured from its inception, but failure can be. Virtual teams often work separated by great distances and time differences, without daily physical mixing. This work environment is inherently more difficult and cumbersome than that used by traditional non-virtual teams. If this fact is not taken into account when planning and launching virtual teams, they may have little chance of success. Building relationships also builds trust. Team members must have confidence that other team members have competence and integrity. Such trust is much more difficult to establish with someone who is merely a remote presence on a computer screen, as opposed to a physical person encountered by a team member. Good leaders understand this fact and actively work to overcome it. Conflict resolution can also be a challenge in a virtual team environment. Intense conflicts and disagreements were usually resolved by bringing people together face to face and discussing their differences. Virtual teams often don't have this luxury. It can be more difficult for some people to be honest when they are not physically dealing with a person face to face. Conversely, other people are more likely to be contrived and insubordinate when they know they cannot be physically confronted face to face. Successful virtual teams address these challenges and resolve conflicts so that they do not sabotage the team's effectiveness. Accountability, the second RAMP principle, can be much more difficult in virtual teams and groups. Without team members being physically close to each other, it is virtually impossible to directly track or monitor performance through periodic physical observation. This is problematic if some team members are lazy and looking to shirk their fair share of work, but is also a challenge if a worker requires more supervision and has many questions. Overall, the successful virtual team member must be able to exercise greater independence than a physical team member. A good leader helps team members develop their ability to work independently. In the industrial world of physical teams, a leader could have a physical face-to-face meeting with a team member who was having motivation issues. In such a meeting, the leader could give a pep talk to the struggling team member, listen to their problems, and demonstrate understanding and empathy. This is another.