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

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

by Darleen M. DeRosa, Richard Lepsinger
Released October 2010
Publisher(s): Pfeiffer
ISBN: 9780470532966

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Book description

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

  1. Copyright
  2. Acknowledgments
  3. Foreword
  4. Introduction
    1. Why Virtual Teams Are More Prevalent
    2. How the Book Is Organized
    3. Finding What You Need: A Quick Reference Guide
  5. I. Building High-Performing Virtual Teams
    1. 1. Why Virtual Teams Fail
      1. 1.1. Key Challenges
      2. 1.2. Four Pitfalls to Virtual Team Performance
        1. 1.2.1. Lack of Clear Goals, Direction, or Priorities
        2. 1.2.2. Lack of Clear Roles Among Team Members
        3. 1.2.3. Lack of Cooperation
        4. 1.2.4. A Lack of Engagement
      3. 1.3. Conclusion
    2. 2. Profiles of Virtual Team Success—What Good Looks Like
      1. 2.1. Team Composition
        1. 2.1.1. Stable Team Membership
        2. 2.1.2. Fewer Team Members
        3. 2.1.3. Team Members Are from the Same Function
        4. 2.1.4. Team Members Belong to Fewer Teams
        5. 2.1.5. Longer Tenure as a Team
      2. 2.2. Communication and Training
        1. 2.2.1. Face-to-Face Meetings
        2. 2.2.2. Effective "V-Meetings"
        3. 2.2.3. Well-Leveraged Technology
        4. 2.2.4. Skill Development
      3. 2.3. Leadership
      4. 2.4. Conclusion
    3. 3. Virtual Team Launch Kit
      1. 3.1. Test Your Virtual Team Launch IQ
      2. 3.2. Setting Virtual Teams Up for Success
        1. 3.2.1. Before the Launch: Forming a Virtual Team
          1. 3.2.1.1. Keep Your Virtual Teams at a Manageable Size.
          2. 3.2.1.2. Choose Virtual Team Leaders Carefully.
          3. 3.2.1.3. Make Sure Teams Have the Right Mix of "Virtual" and Technical Skills.
          4. 3.2.1.4. Select the Right Communication Technologies.
          5. 3.2.1.5. Determine How Performance Will Be Recognized and Rewarded.
        2. 3.2.2. The Launch Stage: Hold a Great Kick-Off Meeting
          1. 3.2.2.1. Create a Sense of Purpose.
          2. 3.2.2.2. Clarify the Team's Goals.
          3. 3.2.2.3. Clarify Team Members' Roles.
          4. 3.2.2.4. Develop Team Norms.
          5. 3.2.2.5. Develop a Plan for Communicating Among Team Members.
          6. 3.2.2.6. Hold Team Development Activities.
            1. 3.2.2.6.1. Get to Know Each Other.
            2. 3.2.2.6.2. Clarify Your Team Player Style.
            3. 3.2.2.6.3. Do Something Together.
        3. 3.2.3. After the Launch: Monitor and Assess Team Performance
      3. 3.3. Is Your Organization Prepared to Support Virtual Team Work?
      4. 3.4. Conclusion
    4. 4. What Differentiates Great Virtual Teams—How to RAMP Up Your Team's Performance
      1. 4.1. What Differentiates Top Virtual Teams?
        1. 4.1.1. Differentiator 1: Commitment and Engagement
        2. 4.1.2. Differentiator 2: Shared Processes for Decision Making
        3. 4.1.3. Differentiator 3: Getting the Right Information to the Right People
        4. 4.1.4. Differentiator 4: Task-Based Trust
        5. 4.1.5. Differentiator 5: Collaboration
      2. 4.2. The ShingleSeal Standstill: How Would You Handle It?
      3. 4.3. RAMP Up Virtual Team Performance
        1. 4.3.1. RAMP Component 1: Relationships
          1. 4.3.1.1. Communication.
          2. 4.3.1.2. Trust.
          3. 4.3.1.3. Conflict Resolution.
        2. 4.3.2. RAMP Component 2: Accountability
          1. 4.3.2.1. Preservation of Self-Image.
          2. 4.3.2.2. "Social Loafing."
          3. 4.3.2.3. Locus of Control.
        3. 4.3.3. RAMP Component 3: Motivation
        4. 4.3.4. RAMP Component 4: Process and Purpose
      4. 4.4. Conclusion
  6. II. Leading Virtual Teams
    1. 5. How to Lead Virtual Teams—Tips, Techniques, and Best Practices for High Performance
      1. 5.1. Challenges Virtual Team Leaders Face
        1. 5.1.1. Challenge 1: Infrequent Face-to-Face Contact
        2. 5.1.2. Challenge 2: Lack of Resources
        3. 5.1.3. Challenge 3: Difficulty Building a Collaborative Atmosphere Virtually
        4. 5.1.4. Challenge 4: Lack of Time to Focus on Leading the Team
        5. 5.1.5. Challenge 5: Shifting Team and Organizational Priorities
        6. 5.1.6. Challenge 6: Difficulty Managing Poor Performers
      2. 5.2. Raygen Company Slump: How Would You Handle It?
      3. 5.3. Virtual Team Leadership Self-Assessment
      4. 5.4. What Makes an Effective Virtual Team Leader?
        1. 5.4.1. Differentiator 1: Ability to Effectively Manage Change
          1. 5.4.1.1. Step 1: Envisioning Change.
          2. 5.4.1.2. Step 2: Building Support for Change.
          3. 5.4.1.3. Step 3: Implementing Change.
        2. 5.4.2. Differentiator 2: Ability to Foster an Atmosphere of Collaboration
        3. 5.4.3. Differentiator 3: Ability to Communicate Team Goals and Direction
        4. 5.4.4. Differentiator 4: Strong Interpersonal Communication Skills
        5. 5.4.5. Differentiator 5: Ability to Empower Team Members
      5. 5.5. Obstacles at a Glance: A Quick Reference Guide
      6. 5.6. Conclusion
    2. 6. What Factors Really Accelerate Virtual Team Performance—The Four Top Performance Boosters
      1. 6.1. Taking Virtual Team Performance to the Next Level
        1. 6.1.1. Performance Booster 1: Provide Coaching and Support
        2. 6.1.2. Performance Booster 2: Gain Team Members' Commitment
          1. 6.1.2.1. Rational Persuasion.
          2. 6.1.2.2. Inspirational Appeals.
          3. 6.1.2.3. Consultation.
          4. 6.1.2.4. Collaboration.
        3. 6.1.3. Performance Booster 3: Recognize Team Members' Contributions
        4. 6.1.4. Performance Booster 4: Hold Team Members Accountable
          1. 6.1.4.1. Ask Three Accountability Questions.
          2. 6.1.4.2. Be Aware of the Possibility of a Defensive Response and Reduce It.
      2. 6.2. Conclusion
    3. 7. How to Facilitate High-Impact Virtual Meetings—Techniques That Really Work
      1. 7.1. The Facilitator's Role
      2. 7.2. V-Meeting Checklist
      3. 7.3. Building a V-Meeting Agenda
      4. 7.4. Keeping Virtual Meetings on Track
      5. 7.5. Dealing with Other Common Challenges
        1. 7.5.1. Scheduling
        2. 7.5.2. Communication
        3. 7.5.3. Matching Technology to the Task
      6. 7.6. Conclusion
    4. Conclusion: Six Lessons for Successful Virtual Teams
      1. 7.7. Lesson 1: Focus on People Issues
      2. 7.8. Lesson 2: No Trust, No Team
      3. 7.9. Lesson 3: "Soft" Skills Are Essential
      4. 7.10. Lesson 4: Watch Out For Performance Peaks
      5. 7.11. Lesson 5: Create a "High-Touch" Environment
      6. 7.12. Lesson 6: Virtual Team Leadership Matters
      7. 7.13. Closing Thoughts
  7. A. OnPoint's Global Virtual Team Study
    1. A.1. Study Background
    2. A.2. Study Methodology
    3. A.3. Team Demographics
    4. A.4. Team Leader Demographics
    5. A.5. Criteria for Identifying Top-Performing Teams
    6. A.6. What Factors Impact Team Effectiveness?
    7. A.7. Team Leader Findings
  8. Notes
    1. A.8. Introduction
    2. A.9. Chapter One
    3. A.10. Chapter Three
    4. A.11. Chapter Four
    5. A.12. Chapter Five
    6. A.13. Chapter Six
    7. A.14. Chapter Seven
    8. A.15. Conclusion
  9. About the Authors

Product information

  • Title: Virtual Team Success: A Practical Guide for Working and Leading from a Distance
  • Author(s): Darleen M. DeRosa, Richard Lepsinger
  • Release date: October 2010
  • Publisher(s): Pfeiffer
  • ISBN: 9780470532966