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Description :
Description
Virtual teams have been used to leverage scarce and distributed resources for many years. Expense reductions, health epidemics, air travel safety, and complex supply chains have only intensified this need. General best practices for leading and participating in virtual teams are well known but why are there still misconceptions about their effectiveness? What drives the notion that “face to face is always better”? How can groups and individuals take the most advantage of virtual teams through the appropriate use of technology? Working Virtually: Challenges of Virtual Teams provides an in-depth, practical perspective on the growing dependence of virtual teams and how to best exploit them. Based on years of direct experience in managing and participating in virtual teams, as well as developing solutions to help virtual teams be more effective, the authors have provided unique insight that can be leveraged to help you get the most of your virtual teams.
Content :
Table of Contents
Foreword
............................................................................................... ix
Preface
.................................................................................................. xi
Reader’s Guide to
Working Virtually: Challenges of Virtual
Teams
.................................................................................................
xvii
Section I: Virtual Team Myths
Chapter I. Eight Myths of Virtual Teams ............................................ 1
Myth #1 .......................................................................................... 1
Myth #2 .......................................................................................... 2
Myth #3 .......................................................................................... 2
Myth #4 .......................................................................................... 3
Myth #5 .......................................................................................... 3
Myth #6 .......................................................................................... 4
Myth #7 .......................................................................................... 4
Myth #8 .......................................................................................... 5
Chapter II. Look Them Straight Between the Eyes ............................ 6
Myth #1 .......................................................................................... 7
Myth #2 .......................................................................................... 9
Myth #3 ........................................................................................ 11
Final Thoughts ............................................................................. 12
Chapter III. Out of Sight, Out of Mind ............................................... 13
Myth #4 ........................................................................................ 14
Myth #6 ........................................................................................ 14
Myth #5 ........................................................................................ 18
Final Thoughts ............................................................................. 21
Chapter IV. It’s the Exception, Not the Norm ................................... 22
Myth #7 ........................................................................................ 24
Myth #8 ........................................................................................ 24
Final Thoughts ............................................................................. 25
Chapter V. Establishing
Trust
............................................................. 26
Consensus and Agreement ........................................................... 27
The Virtual Handshake ................................................................ 28
Section II: Business Case
Chapter VI. Show Me the Money ...................................................... 33
Company Moves .......................................................................... 33
Travel Avoidance ......................................................................... 35
Savings on Real Estate ................................................................ 36
Chapter VII. Human Resources Advantages .................................... 38
Getting the Right Person for the Job Regardless of Location ..... 38
Safety and Security ...................................................................... 39
Providing Work/Life Balance ...................................................... 40
Improving the Quality of Life ...................................................... 42
Blurring Work and Personal Time ............................................... 43
Impact on Leisure Time ............................................................... 43
Chapter VIII. Organizational
Advantages
......................................... 45
Tying Together a Decentralized Environment ............................. 45
Mergers and Acquisitions ............................................................ 49
Getting Sales Representatives Out of the Office and in
Front of Customers ................................................................ 52
Regional Representatives ............................................................. 53
Innovation
.................................................................................... 56
Other Virtual Team Drivers ......................................................... 57
Why Some Companies Don’t Get It ............................................. 58
Section III: Virtual Team Models
Chapter IX. Mostly Co-Located ......................................................... 61
One Primary Location, Several Remote Team Members ............ 61
Several Locations of Concentration ............................................ 63
Challenges to These Models ........................................................ 65
Chapter X. Mostly Virtual .................................................................. 66
Advantages of a Mostly Virtual Team ......................................... 67
Challenges of a Completely Virtual Team ................................... 67
Case Study: A Mostly Virtual Team Hosts a Summer Intern ...... 69
Chapter XI. How Teams
Work Virtually
............................................ 73
The Needs .................................................................................... 74
The Skills ...................................................................................... 75
The Tools ..................................................................................... 76
Role of Video (Desktop and Room-Based) ................................... 78
Virtual Teams Don’t Play Putt-Putt Golf ................................... 79
Case Studies Illustrating Creative Ways to Address Working
Together Within Virtual Teams .............................................. 81
Organizational “Celebration and Farewell” .............................. 82
Periodic Organizational Get-Togethers / Team Building ............ 87
Determining What Projects an Organization Will Pursue ........... 87
Substituting for a Multi-Day, Face-to-Face Meeting .................. 88
Getting Quick, Routine Decisions Made ...................................... 88
Facilitating Informal Interaction Among an Entire
Virtual Team ........................................................................... 89
Chapter XII. International
Issues ....................................................... 91
Australia
...................................................................................... 91
Europe ......................................................................................... 95
Japan ........................................................................................... 97
The Internet as a Unifying Language .......................................... 98
Chapter XIII. Virtual T
eam Matur
ity Curve
..................................... 99
Avoid .......................................................................................... 100
Tolerate ...................................................................................... 101
Operate
...................................................................................... 102
Capitalize
................................................................................... 102
Organizations and the Virtual Team Maturity Scale ................. 103
Chapter XIV. Where is Your Company or Organization
on the Virtual Team
Continuum?
...................................................... 104
Comments on Our Scoring ........................................................ 108
Chapter XV. Managing a Virtual Team ........................................... 114
Be an Example ........................................................................... 114
Get Off to a Great Start ............................................................ 115
Standardize
................................................................................ 115
Time Zone Considerations ......................................................... 116
Be Visible ................................................................................... 117
A Note for People Managers ..................................................... 118
Rewards System ......................................................................... 119
Chapter XVI. Managing a
Virtual Organization
.............................. 120
Announcements
.......................................................................... 121
Motivation
................................................................................. 121
Setting Up Your Organization for Success ................................ 122
Section IV: Best Practices for Virtual Teams
Chapter XVII. Impact of Culture, Affiliation, and Shared Goals .... 125
Team Culture ............................................................................. 125
Virtual Out of Necessity ............................................................. 126
How Many Different Hats Can You Wear? ............................... 127
Shared Goals Strengthen Virtual Teams ................................... 127
The Top Leaders Set the Tone ................................................... 128
Changing the Culture ................................................................ 128
Chapter XVIII. Evolution of the
Groupware Concept
..................... 130
Chapter XIX. Applying Tools for
Maximum Impact
....................... 133
Let’s Talk ................................................................................... 134
Virtual Filing Cabinet ................................................
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