book

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

Name: Virtual Team Success: A Practical Guide for Working and Leading from a Distance
ISBN: 9780470532966

by Darleen M. DeRosa, Richard Lepsinger

October 2010

Beginner

222 pages

3h 51m

English

Pfeiffer

Read now

Unlock full access

Copyright
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Introduction
Why Virtual Teams Are More PrevalentHow the Book Is OrganizedFinding What You Need: A Quick Reference Guide
I. Building High-Performing Virtual Teams
1. Why Virtual Teams Fail
1.1. Key Challenges1.2. Four Pitfalls to Virtual Team Performance1.2.1. Lack of Clear Goals, Direction, or Priorities1.2.2. Lack of Clear Roles Among Team Members1.2.3. Lack of Cooperation1.2.4. A Lack of Engagement1.3. Conclusion
2. Profiles of Virtual Team Success—What Good Looks Like
2.1. Team Composition2.1.1. Stable Team Membership2.1.2. Fewer Team Members2.1.3. Team Members Are from the Same Function2.1.4. Team Members Belong to Fewer Teams2.1.5. Longer Tenure as a Team2.2. Communication and Training2.2.1. Face-to-Face Meetings2.2.2. Effective "V-Meetings"2.2.3. Well-Leveraged Technology2.2.4. Skill Development2.3. Leadership2.4. Conclusion
3. Virtual Team Launch Kit
3.1. Test Your Virtual Team Launch IQ3.2. Setting Virtual Teams Up for Success3.2.1. Before the Launch: Forming a Virtual Team3.2.1.1. Keep Your Virtual Teams at a Manageable Size.3.2.1.2. Choose Virtual Team Leaders Carefully.3.2.1.3. Make Sure Teams Have the Right Mix of "Virtual" and Technical Skills.3.2.1.4. Select the Right Communication Technologies.3.2.1.5. Determine How Performance Will Be Recognized and Rewarded.3.2.2. The Launch Stage: Hold a Great Kick-Off Meeting3.2.2.1. Create a Sense of Purpose.3.2.2.2. Clarify the Team's Goals.3.2.2.3. Clarify Team Members' Roles.3.2.2.4. Develop Team Norms.3.2.2.5. Develop a Plan for Communicating Among Team Members.3.2.2.6. Hold Team Development Activities.3.2.2.6.1. Get to Know Each Other.3.2.2.6.2. Clarify Your Team Player Style.3.2.2.6.3. Do Something Together.3.2.3. After the Launch: Monitor and Assess Team Performance3.3. Is Your Organization Prepared to Support Virtual Team Work?3.4. Conclusion
4. What Differentiates Great Virtual Teams—How to RAMP Up Your Team's Performance
4.1. What Differentiates Top Virtual Teams?4.1.1. Differentiator 1: Commitment and Engagement4.1.2. Differentiator 2: Shared Processes for Decision Making4.1.3. Differentiator 3: Getting the Right Information to the Right People4.1.4. Differentiator 4: Task-Based Trust4.1.5. Differentiator 5: Collaboration4.2. The ShingleSeal Standstill: How Would You Handle It?4.3. RAMP Up Virtual Team Performance4.3.1. RAMP Component 1: Relationships4.3.1.1. Communication.4.3.1.2. Trust.4.3.1.3. Conflict Resolution.4.3.2. RAMP Component 2: Accountability4.3.2.1. Preservation of Self-Image.4.3.2.2. "Social Loafing."4.3.2.3. Locus of Control.4.3.3. RAMP Component 3: Motivation4.3.4. RAMP Component 4: Process and Purpose4.4. Conclusion
II. Leading Virtual Teams

5. How to Lead Virtual Teams—Tips, Techniques, and Best Practices for High Performance
5.1. Challenges Virtual Team Leaders Face5.1.1. Challenge 1: Infrequent Face-to-Face Contact5.1.2. Challenge 2: Lack of Resources5.1.3. Challenge 3: Difficulty Building a Collaborative Atmosphere Virtually5.1.4. Challenge 4: Lack of Time to Focus on Leading the Team5.1.5. Challenge 5: Shifting Team and Organizational Priorities5.1.6. Challenge 6: Difficulty Managing Poor Performers5.2. Raygen Company Slump: How Would You Handle It?5.3. Virtual Team Leadership Self-Assessment5.4. What Makes an Effective Virtual Team Leader?5.4.1. Differentiator 1: Ability to Effectively Manage Change5.4.1.1. Step 1: Envisioning Change.5.4.1.2. Step 2: Building Support for Change.5.4.1.3. Step 3: Implementing Change.5.4.2. Differentiator 2: Ability to Foster an Atmosphere of Collaboration5.4.3. Differentiator 3: Ability to Communicate Team Goals and Direction5.4.4. Differentiator 4: Strong Interpersonal Communication Skills5.4.5. Differentiator 5: Ability to Empower Team Members5.5. Obstacles at a Glance: A Quick Reference Guide5.6. Conclusion
6. What Factors Really Accelerate Virtual Team Performance—The Four Top Performance Boosters
6.1. Taking Virtual Team Performance to the Next Level6.1.1. Performance Booster 1: Provide Coaching and Support6.1.2. Performance Booster 2: Gain Team Members' Commitment6.1.2.1. Rational Persuasion.6.1.2.2. Inspirational Appeals.6.1.2.3. Consultation.6.1.2.4. Collaboration.6.1.3. Performance Booster 3: Recognize Team Members' Contributions6.1.4. Performance Booster 4: Hold Team Members Accountable6.1.4.1. Ask Three Accountability Questions.6.1.4.2. Be Aware of the Possibility of a Defensive Response and Reduce It.6.2. Conclusion
7. How to Facilitate High-Impact Virtual Meetings—Techniques That Really Work
7.1. The Facilitator's Role7.2. V-Meeting Checklist7.3. Building a V-Meeting Agenda7.4. Keeping Virtual Meetings on Track7.5. Dealing with Other Common Challenges7.5.1. Scheduling7.5.2. Communication7.5.3. Matching Technology to the Task7.6. Conclusion
Conclusion: Six Lessons for Successful Virtual Teams
7.7. Lesson 1: Focus on People Issues7.8. Lesson 2: No Trust, No Team7.9. Lesson 3: "Soft" Skills Are Essential7.10. Lesson 4: Watch Out For Performance Peaks7.11. Lesson 5: Create a "High-Touch" Environment7.12. Lesson 6: Virtual Team Leadership Matters7.13. Closing Thoughts
A. OnPoint's Global Virtual Team Study
A.1. Study BackgroundA.2. Study MethodologyA.3. Team DemographicsA.4. Team Leader DemographicsA.5. Criteria for Identifying Top-Performing TeamsA.6. What Factors Impact Team Effectiveness?A.7. Team Leader Findings
Notes
A.8. IntroductionA.9. Chapter OneA.10. Chapter ThreeA.11. Chapter FourA.12. Chapter FiveA.13. Chapter SixA.14. Chapter SevenA.15. Conclusion
About the Authors

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

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to many people for their help and support during the writing of this book. In particular we'd like to thank:

Jessica Lipnack and Jeffrey Stamps, whose insightful books and articles on virtual teams were a major source of inspiration to conduct work in this area. Angela Travagline, who partnered with us throughout the research study and provided valuable insights that helped shape the book. Donald Hantula and Ned Kock, who collaborated with us on several research studies and articles that were a catalyst for our applied research.

Our business partner, Jennifer Forgie, whose suggestions and feedback were invaluable in helping refine and focus the chapters. Max Wolfe whose research and data gathering where tremendously ...

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.

Read now

Unlock full access

More than 5,000 organizations count on O’Reilly

O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.

Julian F.

Head of Cybersecurity

I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.

Addison B.

Field Engineer

I’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.

Amir M.

Data Platform Tech Lead

I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.

Mark W.

Embedded Software Engineer

101 Leadership Actions for Creating and Managing Virtual Teams

Publisher Resources

ISBN: 9780470532966Purchase book

Cloud Computing

Data Engineering

Data Science

AI & ML

Programming Languages

Software Architecture

IT/Ops

Security

Design

Business

Soft Skills

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

by Darleen M. DeRosa, Richard Lepsinger

Acknowledgments

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.