What: Wall Street Journal article (also available at Yahoo Finance!) about embarrassing moments during virtual meetings. Posts to which it is related: Improving Virtual Team Leadership Using Technology Bottom Line: Be mindful of the embarrassment that you may create for yourself if you don’t learn about and manage the technology (e.g., web meetings, video-conferencing, telephone-conferencing) that you are using for… Read more →
For those who are interested in virtual team collaboration, the concept of teamwork is crucial. But rarely is “teamwork” actually defined. Just as the adage goes, we know it when we see it, but we may have trouble explicitly saying what makes for good teamwork. This week, Surinder sent me an academic journal article by Martin Hoegl and Hans Georg… Read more →
As more companies are considering the option of allowing their employees to telecommute (see the recent flurry of news about telecommuting), there is an increasing need to understand how leading in virtual teams is different from leading in face-to-face teams. In many cases, people have challenged the idea that leading in virtual teams is different from leading in face-to-face situations…. Read more →
What: Forbes.com article about doing business in geographically dispersed virtual teams (also see: accompanying slide show). Posts to which it is related: Implicit Communication and Culture: What it means for leading virtual teams; Culture Matters in Virtual Teams. Bottom Line: The author has a consulting business that helps companies manage IT-focused virtual teams that are globally dispersed. He points out… Read more →
Email has become part of our everyday communication both in the office and at home. Correspondence that use to take place via the phone or in person are now being done virtually via email or webmail. Because of the unique nature of email contact and the prevalence of email in our everyday communication, a new set of challenges have arisen when it comes to the rules of email etiquette. One such rule is saying “thank you” via email.
What: CIO News article interviewing CIOs who believe virtual collaboration tools enable creativity when properly chosen and implemented. Posts to which it is related: Virtual Teams – Beneficial or Detrimental?, Leading to Increase Commitment in Virtual World Collaboration, The Future of Virtual Teams: Collaboration in 3D Web. Bottom Line: The article recaps what several CIOs had to say during an… Read more →
Without a doubt, technology plays an important role in the modern workplace. In most organizations, employees must have certain technology skills in order to complete their work. Most people in office jobs need to demonstrate proficiency with a word processor or spreadsheet; in some positions much more specific software proficiency is required. We seem to assume that proficiency with a… Read more →
What: CNN article “Virtual watercooler makes workplace more fun.” Posts to which it is related: Rethinking the Value of Virtual Worlds for Virtual Team Collaboration, Building Trust in Virtual Teams Bottom Line:As companies get larger and virtual teams establish their presence as the norm in large companies, it is getting harder for colleagues to remain connected and “have fun” with… Read more →
The unexpected results from our studies comparing virtual team collaboration in virtual worlds to that in instant messaging (see previous post in which we discussed this) have prompted me to rethink the value of virtual worlds for virtual team collaboration. I have so far been focusing on the potential of virtual worlds to add value during the collaboration event itself…. Read more →
What: Wall Street Journal article “Managers Learn to Bond with Remote Workers.” Posts to which it is related: Virtual Teams – Beneficial or Detrimental, Manipulate Perceptions to Improve Virtual Team Performance, Implicit Communication and Culture: What it Means for Leading Virtual Teams, Building Trust in Virtual Team Bottom Line: Article indicates that it is becoming more critical for managers to… Read more →