Leading and Managing Virtual Teams Training

Introduction and Overview

• Identifying the differences between co-located and virtual working
• Dealing with the realities of effective global teamwork
• Assessing the impact of management in a virtual environment

Creating a Model for Effective Management in the Virtual World

Overcoming the challenges of working in virtual teams

• Planning to meet the individual and team challenges of operating virtually
• Meeting the motivational challenges of individuals and teams
• Managing the impact of separation factors including distance, time zones and cultures
• Proactively adopting a model that focuses on relationships, communication and tasks

Analyzing the impact of distance on collaborative working

• Comparing working together with working apart and plugging the gaps
• Factoring in the effect of trust among team members

Establishing the foundation for effective collaboration

• Providing what team members need to be successful
• Focusing on the needs of a virtual team

Building and Maintaining a Virtual Team

Proactively developing a team with a common goal

• Identifying key staff competencies and qualities
• Balancing an individual's technical and virtual contributions
• Mapping the key relationships to enhance team success
• Analyzing the perspectives and priorities of stakeholders
• Assessing the impact of current communications with stakeholders

Managing dynamics

• Orienting new virtual team members through onboarding
• Managing the virtual learning dip
• Running effective virtual team start-up sessions
• Start-up sessions: face-to-face or virtual?

Technology, Communication and the Virtual Workplace

Enhancing the benefits of virtual collaboration

• Developing proactive communication approaches
• Measuring the impact of technology tools in filtering the richness of human communications
• Generating structured processes for selecting the right medium for key team activities
• Auditing the communication landscape
• Focusing on training in the use of common available tools

Leveraging key virtual technologies

• E-mail
• Intranets/Extranets
• IM
• Blogs
• Wikis
• Social Networking
• Conferencing and collaboration tools
• Tips for using e-mail efficiently
• Evaluating virtual tools to maximize communication

Managing Diversity and Distance

Working with cultural diversity

• Culture from different perspectives: organizational, national, regional and international
• Exploring levels and categories of culture
• Impact of culture on communications, negotiations and relationships
• Responding positively to the range and depth of cultures
• Incorporating cultural differences to benefit the team

When things go wrong at a distance

• Proactive approaches to conflict pressure points
• Developing an empathetic approach to energy levels of team members

Creating an Action Plan to Lead Virtual Work

Taking a proactive approach to daily leadership

• Refocusing leadership actions using a three-level model
• Practical tips for successfully managing virtual work
• Shifting to a new set of management priorities
• Adopting a proactive vs. reactive management approach to virtual operations