This inside look tells what happens when a company, in this case ARC International, goes completely virtual-no offices and all employees dispersed to the far corners of the Earth. Alford, ARC's vice president of product and service integrity, gives a frank, very personal, and sometimes humorous account of how the virtual move affected the way work was done and the tenor of interaction with clients and among ARC workers. It was clear that going virtual meant that ARC's leaders had to model their own continued commitment to the company's mission, goals, and values in order to invite employees' sustained commitment. The company also had to reexamine its purpose and means of operation in light of the new virtual context. As headquarters dismantled and people packed up their belongings, emotions ran high. One interesting outcome was that email became a sort of lifeline between newly geographically distant employees and opened up new avenues for communication. It seems that people found it easier to express their feelings and thoughts through the somewhat protective barrier of; electronic mail. Other issues emerged around working at home. In addition, the team had to find ways to share design developments and proposals, make tools and other resources available, celebrate successes, serve clients effectively, and monitor people's engagement, motivation, and satisfaction. Alford's account pulls no punches: It wasn't easy. But in the shift, to virtuality, new energy, new learning, new strengths, and new opportunities came to the forefront. The article includes several "disciplines" for promoting team collaboration that could also work well for nonvirtual teams. There's also an outline of the pluses and minuses of going virtual in such areas as creativity responsiveness, involvement, and development.
