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Recent News on Social Media

  This week I have run across some very interesting articles on social media and how their use is evolving. These two articles struck me as interesting because they discuss requiring people to use Facebook or Second Life in order to perform in classes or on the job. I think these use-cases highlight that we desire to use social tools… Read more →

How Harmful is Facebook to Reputations and Relationships?

I recently deactivated my Facebook account.  Although it had been a handy tool for reconnecting with old friends, keeping up with some colleagues, and socializing with family & other loved ones, in the past few months, I began to experience a downside to the social networking site. This eventually led to the deactivation of my account. Although social networking can… Read more →

Using a Virtual World for Multiple Audiences: Benefits & Challenges

At the Academy of Management meeting earlier this month, I had the pleasure of assisting Dr. Ulrike Schultze in a session that she coordinated. The panelists at the session were respected journal editors. What was different about this session from other sessions at the annual meeting was that it was held simultaneously in Second Life and the hotel in Chicago. … Read more →

Does Online Identity Matter In Virtual Teams?

  I just returned from the Academy of Management conference in Chicago where I presented a paper that Surinder and I wrote with Professor Rui Huang. Our paper was an extension of the research we have been doing on leadership in virtual worlds that I wrote about previously. This paper focused on how one’s online identity may affect virtual team… Read more →

Using Technology for Teamwork and Collaboration Critical, Says John Chambers

Using Technology for Teamwork and Collaboration Critical, Says John Chambers

I have long admired John Chambers, the CEO of Cisco. In my various readings of Cisco, I have observed how Mr. Chambers has been able to produce a strong culture of customer satisfaction at Cisco.  In my personal interactions with those working at Cisco, I have found Cisco’s employees (including executives) to be extremely helpful and willing to spare their… Read more →

Virtual Worlds: A Potential Tool for Cross-Cultural Training

Previously, Surinder wrote a blog post on his observations about different cultural expectations and implicit communication patterns.  He discussed some ways that virtual team leaders could help limit cultural snafus in teams. As more companies are working with partners around the world and multicultural teams occur more and more often, understanding of cultural differences is important for team members and… Read more →

Closing the Knowing-Doing Gap in Leadership

Closing the Knowing-Doing Gap in Leadership

The June 2009 issue of Harvard Business Review contained a brief note by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman titled “10 Fatal Flaws That Derail Leaders“. The authors, who analyzed 360-degree feedback, identified the following 10 most common shortcomings of ineffective leaders. The worst leaders: Lacked energy and enthusiasm; Accepted their own mediocre performance; Lacked clear vision and direction; Had poor… Read more →

Facebook & Twitter Talk Not Empathy-Evoking

Facebook & Twitter Talk Not Empathy-Evoking

  Some months back, Betsy had blogged about a New York Times article by Clive Thompson on how technologies such as Facebook, Flickr, and Twitter lead to ambient awareness. She wrote: “These technologies make it convenient to quickly and easily give or get updates with a number of other people.  Although each individual message might have little meaning as a stand-alone,… Read more →