Leading Virtual Teams

Overview/Description
 Virtual teams are emerging as the basic unit for conducting business in the 21st century. Virtual communication networks have made virtual teams possible, while globalization has made them a necessity. Leading virtual teams presents new challenges to leaders and managers. Virtual team leaders must find ways to successfully manage people who are separated by distance, time zones, and cultural differences. This course offers a framework for successfully leading virtual teams. It addresses some of the primary concerns managers, team leaders, and team members have about virtual teams: building teamwork to create synergy and to banish feelings of isolation, selecting and feeling comfortable with virtual technologies, and overcoming common virtual communication challenges.

Target Audience
 Managers, team leaders, supervisors, directors, and group leaders

Expected Duration
5.0 hours

Lesson Objectives:

Combating Feelings of Isolation in Virtual Teams

  • recognize the benefits of combating feelings of isolation in virtual teams.
  • match the four parts of a connection strategy with corresponding examples.
  • create a connection strategy for virtual team members in a given situation.
  • match the strategies for ensuring virtual team member inclusion with the corresponding examples.
  • recommend ways to improve virtual team member inclusion in a given scenario.

    • Understanding Technologies for Virtual Teams

  • recognize the importance of effectively choosing and using the right technologies for virtual teams.
  • differentiate between examples of synchronous and asynchronous virtual communication tools.
  • choose the best virtual communication tool to use in a given virtual team situation.
  • sequence examples of the steps for helping virtual team members use technology.
  • follow steps to help team members use technology in a given situation.

    • Establishing Standards for Virtual Communications

  • recognize the benefits of establishing standards for communicating via virtual technologies.
  • select the appropriate standards for adding context to e-mail messages and teleconferences.
  • match the steps for prioritizing virtual communications with the corresponding examples.
  • prioritize virtual communications in a given situation.
  • match steps for establishing acknowledgment standards of virtual communications with corresponding examples.
  • follow steps to establish acknowledgment standards for virtual communications in a given scenario.

    • Course Number: TEAM0153