Managing Virtual Teams Second Edition

Virtual teams are an integral part of today's global business environment. Traditional face-to-face communication is frequently replaced with technology-mediated communication methods including phone, e-mail, fax, synchronous chat programs, and videoconferencing. While virtual teams offer various advantages to organizations and individuals in flexibility and the ability to overcome geographic distance, they face unique challenges. Virtual teams often are made up of members of various cultures and ages with diverse communication styles. Men and women also tend to behave differently in virtual environments. Challenges occur in the forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning phases of team development, and virtual teams must be able to cope effectively with those obstacles if they are to be successful and reach their potential. Team participants should be selected carefully for various personal characteristics that help ensure success and be trained in how to be effective virtual team members. Various team strategies can be implemented to improve effectiveness and satisfaction of virtual team members.

Virtual teams are an integral part of today's global business environment. Traditional face-to-face communication is frequently being replaced with technology mediated communication methods including phone, email, fax, synchronous chat programs, and videoconferencing. While virtual teams offer various advantages to organizations and individuals in flexibility and the ability to overcome geographic distance, they face unique challenges. Virtual teams are often made up of members of various cultures with diverse communication styles. Men and women also tend to behave differently in virtual environments. Challenges occur in the forming, storming, norming, and performing phases of team development, and virtual teams must be able to cope effectively with those obstacles if they are to be successful and reach their potential. Team participants should be selected carefully for various personal characteristics that help assure success and trained in how to be effective virtual team members. Various team strategies can be implemented to improve effectiveness and satisfaction of virtual team members.

The book Managing Virtual Teams, explores the critical elements that must be considered in managing virtual teams in organizations – from structural, managerial, and process points-of-view. Based in solid research, the book provides a deep look at the nature of virtual teams and the factors that enable their success. It lays out in clear detail the key characteristics of virtual teams and traces their emergence within organizations and the research literature. It makes a valuable contribution with clear guidelines for managerial practice - both to researchers interested in learning about virtual teams and to managers and organizations dealing with the challenges of managing virtual teams.

The second decade of the 21st century brought unprecedented challenges to traditional workplaces forcing the advance of working from home (telework) due to a global virus pandemic. Individuals with little or no background or training in e-leadership, virtual project management, or virtual team management suddenly found themselves in the environment of virtual work. Leading Virtual Project Teams, Second Edition addresses the challenges that today’s virtual project management environment poses to traditional methods of leadership and communication. Leadership for successful virtual team management is different from traditional, collocated project team management. Being familiar with appropriate e-leadership styles for virtual project teams and the transition toward new leadership styles, communication techniques for virtual project teams, and e-leadership competencies is an important part of managing projects and human resources in successful organizations today. The second edition also examines: Virtual meeting techniques Inclusive language Managing virtual relationships Why virtual work is now more important The work-at-home environment By recognizing how virtual teams are different from traditional teams, those managing virtual projects may be able to offer benefits to their organization by providing positive, successful leadership and exceptional communications, resulting in better project deliverables and products. This book provides an approach that explores all facets of e-leadership—from how traditional leadership theories and models can be applied by 21st century leaders to providing methods by which the virtual project manager can enhance virtual project communications to meet the needs of our modern global business world. It features project management checklists and templates and includes business cases, best practices, and tools and techniques for virtual project management communications.

Virtual teams are an integral part of today's global business environment. Traditional face-to-face communication is frequently being replaced with technology mediated communication methods including phone, email, fax, synchronous chat programs, and videoconferencing. While virtual teams offer various advantages to organizations and individuals in flexibility and the ability to overcome geographic distance, they face unique challenges. Virtual teams are often made up of members of various cultures with diverse communication styles. Men and women also tend to behave differently in virtual environments. Challenges occur in the forming, storming, norming, and performing phases of team development, and virtual teams must be able to cope effectively with those obstacles if they are to be successful and reach their potential. Team participants should be selected carefully for various personal characteristics that help assure success and trained in how to be effective virtual team members. Various team strategies can be implemented to improve effectiveness and satisfaction of virtual team members.

Yael Zofi’s proprietary Trust Wheel model is a proven solution to the unique challenges managers must overcome as more people migrate to partially or fully-remote working situations. Based on the author’s twenty-plus years of consulting experience, this powerful tool encourages cohesiveness and engagement among team members--even if they’ve never met. A Manager’s Guide to Virtual Teams does this by providing a practical road map for bridging the physical distance among coworkers, incorporating self-study exercises and simple, fun activities that develop trust and ensure your team’s success. The book explores the most critical elements to success for a team founded in trust, including: accountability, communication, conflict management, and deliverables. Complete with examples, case scenarios, and strategies to help you navigate even your biggest hurdles, A Manager’s Guide to Virtual Teams will help your disparate collection of people get their work “out the door” faster and better.

The software serves as an assessment tool to help make the distributed team more effective

Praise for the First Edition of Virtual Teams "If you want to see where organizational communications are going in the future, heed what these pioneers have written today." —Howard Rheingold, author, The Virtual Community, and founder, Electric Mind "Lipnack and Stamps have written an important book for the twenty-first-century corporation." —Regis McKenna, The McKenna Group, author, Relationship Marketing "This book provides a long overdue perspective on how to apply the discipline of real teams in the fast-moving, increasingly dispersed information age of the future." —Jon R. Katzenbach, author, The Wisdom of Teams "For those who want to lead the movement, catch up with it, or simply know where it is going, this book is packed with useful information and interesting stories." —Dee W. Hock, founder and chairman emeritus, VISA "Virtual Teams provides valuable insights into global teamwork and management through network technologies now available to all companies, large or small." —Jim Lynch, director, corporate quality, Sun Microsystems, Inc.