Virtual Team Success : A Practical Guide for Working and Leading from a Distance

by Richard Lepsinger (Right Management Consultants); Darleen DeRosa

• ISBN13: 9780470872413
• ISBN10: 0470872411
• Format: eBook
• Copyright: 2010-09-01
• Publisher: Pfeiffer

Summary

Praise for Virtual Team Success"There's no school for this yet, but when the first is established, Virtual Team Success: A Practical Guide for Working and Leading from a Distance will certainly be the core curriculum." -Jessica Lipnack and Jeffrey Stamps, CEO and co-founders, NetAge"Virtual Team Success is a must have for anyone managing geographically-dispersed teams. DeRosa and Lepsinger bring experience and credentials to guide us all through the labyrinth of problems that so often derail virtual teams. As our global businesses become increasingly complex, I can't imagine a more timely or better resource." -Jay Moldenhauer-Salazar, vice president, talent management, The Gap"For global teams that want to be top-performing, Virtual Team Success should be their team handbook. It's loaded with tools, checklists, models, and practical recommendations for working and leading from a distance. This is the kind of book virtual teams really need to be successful. I've been waiting for a book like this and look forward to recommending it as a resource that can help improve the performance of our teams!" -Kathleen McGuire, manager organizational development, Bayer Healthcare HR Global Leadership Development"Virtual teams are intended to make optimal use of expertise spread across the world, but performance excellence is the exception and mediocrity the rule. After extensive and careful study of real teams, DeRosa and Lepsinger have captured essential information, principles of operation, and tools in a highly readable volume that can help thoughtful readers elevate the performance of the teams significantly. The practical focus, collection of techniques and tools, and "how to" tips provide an essential foundation for anyone with virtual team responsibility. The organization of the book centered around challenges, differentiators, and lessons will facilitate finding answers to any problem the team faces. The RAMP model makes it easy to focus on what's important in enabling top performance." -Mike Beyerlein, professor, Organizational Leadership, Purdue University

Table of Contents

List of Tables, Case Studies, Figures, and Exhibits

Acknowledgments

Foreword

Introduction

Building High-Performing Virtual Teams

Why Virtual Teams Fail

Key Challenges

Four Pitfalls to Virtual Team Performance

Conclusion

Profiles of Virtual Team Success-What Good Looks Like

Team Composition

Communication and Training

Leadership

Conclusion

Virtual Team Launch Kit

Test Your Virtual Team Launch IQ

Setting Virtual Teams Up for Success

Is Your Organization Prepared to Support Virtual Team Work?

Conclusion

What Differentiates Great Virtual Teams-How to RAMP Up Your Team's Performance

What Differentiates Top Virtual Teams?

The ShingleSeal Standstill: How Would You Handle It?

RAMP Up Virtual Team Performance

Conclusion

Leading Virtual Teams

How to Lead Virtual Teams-Tips, Techniques, and Best Practices for High Performance

Challenges Virtual Team Leaders Face

Raygen Company Slump: How Would You Handle It?

Virtual Team Leadership Self-Assessment

What Makes an Effective Virtual Team Leader?

Obstacles at a Glance: A Quick Reference Guide

Conclusion

What Factors Really Accelerate Virtual Team. Performance-The Four Top Performance Boosters

Taking Virtual Team Performance to the Next Level

Conclusion

Facilitating High-Impact Virtual Meetings-Techniques. That Really Work

The Facilitator's Role

V-Meeting Checklist

Building a V-Meeting Agenda

Keeping Virtual Meetings on Track

Dealing with Other Common Challenges

Conclusion

Conclusion: Six Lessons for Successful Virtual Teams

Focus on People Issues

No Trust, No Team

"Soft" Skills are Essential

Watch Out For Performance Peaks

Create a "High-Touch" Environment

Virtual Team Leadership Matters

Closing Thoughts

Appendix: OnPoint's Global Virtual Team Study

Notes

About the Authors

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.