Virtual Teams in Action: Building the F-35 Fighter The F-35 Lighting II Program, also known as the Joint Fighter Program, is the U.S. Department of Defense’s next generation stealth fighter aircraft. The Depart- ment of Defense named Lockheed Martin Aeronau- tics of Fort Worth, Texas, to design and build the fighter with Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems as major partners. Several countries, including Italy, Australia, Canada, Turkey, India, and Israel, have con- tributed toward development costs of the program. The success of the mega project hinges greatly on intricate teamwork and the cooperation of count- less individuals. For example, more than 80 suppliers worked at 187 locations worldwide to build compo- nents for the fighter. A 75-member technology group at Lockheed’s aeronautics division linked the suppliers along with the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marines to Britain’s Defense Ministry to track progress and make midstream design and production changes. Individuals working at more than 40,000 computer stations collab- orated to get the first plane airborne in just four years. Speaking of the teamwork involved, Mark Peden, vice president for information systems at Lockheed Aero- nautics, said, “It’s the true virtual connection.”Teams working both nationally and internation- ally were connected as if team members were work- ing in the same room. Teams communicated via their computers while looking at shared documents, car- ried on e-mail chats, and used electronic whiteboards on which geographically separated team members could draw pictures or charts, in real time, as others watched and responded. The Internet was designed to allow people from different companies with in- compatible computing systems to interface on web- sites that speak a common language.
Questions
1. What advantages did Lockheed Martin gain by using virtual teams? Explain.
2. Identify and discuss potential problems with us- ing virtual teams—for example, interpersonal, technical, or geographical concerns.
3. Discuss the characteristics that virtual team members should possess.
4. What specific training should virtual teams receive.