What: Rochester Democrat & Chronicle article titled “Supervising a virtual team is still all about basics.”
Posts to which it is related: Overcoming Virtual Team Challenges: After Action Review, Building Trust in Virtual Teams
Bottom line: The article talks about three things needed to manage virtual teams: (1) Communication – share all relevant information with the team and use appropriate channels; (2) Be sure to involve distant members in strategic planning, decision-making and negotiations; and (3) Celebrate successes with the team. The author recommends a new book, Managing Virtual Teams: Getting the Most from Wikis, Blogs and other Collaborative Tools (Wordware Publishing), by M. Katherine Brown, Brenda Huettner and Char James-Tanny for additional tips on how to manage virtual teams.

What: Medical News Today article titled “Experts At AGS’ Annual Scientific Meeting Determine ‘Virtual’ Interdisciplinary Healthcare Teams Improve Care For Chronic Patients.”
Posts to which it is related: Leading to Increase Commitment in Virtual World Collaboration.
Bottom line: This article talks about a study to be presented at the American Geriatrics Society’s Annual Scientific Meeting, on May 2, 2008. Rush University Medical Center conducted a pilot project (Virtual Integrated Practice or VIP) that coordinated care for diabetic patients by linking physician practices to pharmacists, social workers and dietitians via phone, fax, and email. As a result of coordinated care higher risk diabetic patients getting VIP care made fewer trips to the ER over a period of two years compared to similar patients without virtual team care. The former also reported better understanding of how to use their medications. Physicians who participated in virtual teams reported being better informed about how their patients were doing between visits than physicians who did not.

What: Chief Learning Officer article titled “Building Exceptional Virtual Learning Teams.”
Posts to which it is related: Building Trust in Virtual Teams, Helping Your Virtual Team Take Ownership of the Team’s Project, Difficulty in the Trenches of Virtual Teamwork.
Bottom line: The article recommends five things for creating virtual learning teams: (1) Adopt project management principles; (2) Use team inventory tools to access strengths and weaknesses of team members; (3) Use technology for a collaborative virtual work environment; (4) Enhance openness and trust; and (5) Encourage professional development of team members.