Leading Virtual Teams

by Harvard Business Press

• ISBN13: 9781422128862
• ISBN10: 1422128865
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-04-01
• Publisher: Harvard Business School Pr

Summary

How do you lead a team scattered all over the globe? How do you keep members you can't see focused, communicative, and productive? This book helps you understand both the benefits and challenges of virtual teams?and shows you how to build and coach a community that promotes collaboration and ongoing communication.

Table of Contents

Mentors' Message: The Power of Virtual Teams	p. ix
Leading Virtual Teams: The Basics
Why Virtual Teams?	p. 3
An overview of what virtual teams are and why they're important
What are virtual teams?	p. 4
Why are virtual teams valuable?	p. 5
What challenges do virtual teams bring?	p. 6
Setting the Stage for Success in Your Virtual Team	p. 7
Strategies for putting the right pieces in place early.
Achieving clarity on goals, roles, and processes	p. 8
Defining leadership responsibilities	p. 11
Assessing the team's culture	p. 14
Fostering Team Identity	p. 17
Tactics for cultivating a sense of unity and commitment
Holding a launch meeting	p. 18
Establishing communication protocols	p. 19
Encouraging collaboration	p. 20
Keeping Team Members Aligned Through Communication	p. 25
Tips for maintaining open lines of communication
Sustaining agreement about processes and results	p. 26
Documenting expectations	p. 27
Keeping everyone informed	p. 29
Using Coaching to Enhance Team Performance	p. 35
Ideas for using coaching to ensure high performance from your team.
Facilitating communication	p. 37
Clarifying priorities	p. 37
Easing isolation	p. 39
Addressing performance problems	p. 39
Leveraging Technology Effectively	p. 41
Suggestions for getting the most value from communication and meeting technology.
Assessing your team's technology needs	p. 42
Establishing rules about e-mail	p. 45
Using Web sites and intranet sites	p. 46
Using databases, fax machines, and group document software	p. 49
Using live-meeting technology	p. 51
Tips and Tools
Tools for Leading Virtual Teams	p. 59
Worksheets that you can use to document each team member's contact information, to set up a virtual team, to identify roles and responsibilities, to assess your team's culture, and to document a work plan for your virtual team.
Test Yourself	p. 67
A helpful review of concepts presented in this guide. Take it before and after you've read the guide, to see how much you've learned.
Answers to test questions	p. 71
To Learn More	p. 75
Further titles of articles and books if you want to go more deeply into the topic.
Sources for Leading Virtual Teams	p. 81
Notes	p. 83
For you to use as ideas come to mind.
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.