Managing Virtual Teams, Second Edition

chapter 1

Growth in Popularity of Virtual Teams

“More and more … work is becoming something you do, not a place you go.” The workplace Woody Leonhard described in his 1995 book, The Underground Guide to Telecommuting, is quickly becoming the norm.1 Leaders worldwide agree that virtual collaboration is critical for success in today’s global business environment, and the likelihood that you will participate as part of a virtual team is almost certain. From 2005 to 2012, the incidence of telecommuting grew by nearly 80 percent, and nearly half of all U.S. companies currently use virtual teams. Of the more than 5,000 information workers surveyed in a recent study, 66 percent work remotely at least once per month and nearly one-half are involved ...