The Core Challenges of Managing Virtual Teams

Management at Work » Managing virtual teams.

I came across this article by Karen McHenry; consultant, writer, and professor, which I feel clearly and succinctly describes the core challenges of managing virtual teams – and what new skills are required for managers who are accostomed to leading co-located teams.

Ms. McHenry states:

When organizations elect to create virtual teams, they focus on the potential advantages, such as the diversity of the team, or the potential for “round the clock” productivity with employees working in multiple time zones. However, companies must also be aware of the challenges that accompany virtual teams. For these groups to be successful, managers cannot use the old rules of leadership. New ways of working require different skills.

While I agree with this statement I believe that most of the adjustments required are small changes to team interaction or management style; and many ultimately amount to being more deliberate about process and workflow. Some of them are simply good, fundamental management skills that get overlooked when team members see each other regularly. So I think it’s important to note that while new skills and workstyle changes are required to be successful, distributed teamwork does not require a whole new way of working.

Have a look at McHenry’s article and see if you agree that much of what she suggests would be good practices regardless of the structure of your team or where members are located.

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Dr. Ashley Acker, of Workstyledesign.com, will be the host and emcee for this exciting event. On 4 consecutive days she will be interviewing a group of experts sharing techniques for increasing the flexibility of how, when, and where you work. You can participate in these FOUR 75-MINUTE TELESEMINARS for FREE.

I’ll be interviewed on Tuesday, May 12th to discuss How Small Changes Lead to Big Results in The Anywhere Office. I’ll be sharing best practices for successfully managing virtual teams.

Here’s an overview of the 4 sessions:

Strategies for Stretching WHEN You Work | Monday, May 11th, 2pm CST

• How to create a competitive edge in your business by harnessing work-life integration.
• Why work-life fit is more important than work-life balance.
• How workplace flexibility isn’t just about mommies (Secret: it’s actually a cross-generational and gender-neutral issue).

Read more

The importance of developing effective virtual leaders

I came across this short thought-provoking video created by Team Builders Plus and some of the
statistics and points it raises are real eye-openers.

What’s it like where you work?

As they point out:

Leadership, trust, and communication are more important than ever, but if your organization is like many today, the intense focus on cost-containment and fears about the economy dominate
the conversation at work.

While millions of people are losing their jobs and an increasing number of companies are going out of business the landscape of business will be changing in the near future.

With more than 25% of the working population reaching retirement age by 2010 a massive workers shortage looms on the horizon. This means organizations will be forced to do more with less and increase productivity from fewer employees.

In a study of more than 1000 organizations, leadership was identified as the single biggest challenge. Increasingly people lack confidence and trust in their managers and leaders.

We’ve found that these issues are magnified when managing remote employees or virtual teams. That is why our training focuses on improving communication and increasing trust in virtual teams when managing virtually. Read more

Useful Links – “Let’s light this candle” Edition

On a daily basis I keep my eye on blogs, news, services, and other happenings related to virtual teams, virtual offices, and other topics concerning living a digital lifestyle and working from anywhere. I come across lots of interesting articles and useful websites that would be of interest to readers of this blog – however I don’t always have time or need to write much about them – other than pointing you at them so you can explore them on your own.

So welcome to a new regular feature we’ll be starting – our Useful Links posts.  So let’s light this candle and jump right in . . . enjoy!

Flex Your Force: Building the Virtual Office: Connecting knowledge workers and managers through both technology and social practices is a management imperative of the new millennium. Sun Vice President of Open Work Services Ann Bamesberger shares with Sun Executive Boardroom readers ways in which today’s managers can help their teams work effectively across distance and time.

I do not work in the nude and other issues with working (and learning) online: In this article Janet Clarey looks at some of the similarities between working at home and ‘e-learning’ at the office. She offers solutions to some of the common problems and misconceptions.

How to Send Large Files without Email: We’ve all been faced with the need to send someone a large file (maybe a report or video) that is to big to send via email. Robin Good reviews some of the best services and tools available for sending large files online without needing tech knowledge or using file transfer protocol (FTP).

What President Obama Teaches Us For Leading Virtually: This article takes an interesting look at some of the strategies and technology that President Obama used in his campaign. Obama’s use of technology offers some insights and lessons to leading virtually, both in teams and organizations.

Education and Virtual Team Leadership: The Future is Now

I read a post on the e-Learning Pundit blog today announcing a new MS program in Virtual Team Management and Communication:

The Rabb School at Brandeis University (MA) – will begin teaching an “online only”, 30-credit hour Master of Science in Virtual Team Management and Communication during the Spring 2009 semester.  Total tuition is estimated at just over $21,000. A few colleges around the US teach virtual team-related courses.  However, this is the first dedicated graduate degree that I’ve seen.

That reminded me of a website I found last month about The Deloitte Virtual Team Challenge. This program is a real-time, multi-user business simulation that is played over the course of several weeks by high school students throughout North America. Read more

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