Virtual Teams For Dummies

Set your virtual team on a path to success In the global marketplace, people can work practically anywhere and anytime. Virtual teams cut across the boundaries of time, space, culture, and sometimes even organizations. Rising costs, global locations, and advances in technology are top reasons why virtual teams have increased by 800 percent over the past 5 years. Packed with solid advice, interviews and case studies from well-known companies who are already using virtual teams in their business model and their lessons learned, Virtual Teams For Dummies provides rock-solid guidance on the essentials for building, leading, and sustaining a highly productive virtual workforce. It helps executives understand key support strategies that lead virtual teams to success and provides practical information and tools to help leaders and their teams bridge the communication gaps created by geographical separation—and achieve peak performance. Includes research findings based on a year-long study on the effectiveness of virtual teams Mindset and skill shift for managers from old school traditional team management to virtual team management Covers the communication and relationship strategies for virtual teams Examines how the frequency of in-person meetings affects a remote team’s success Written by an award-winning leadership expert, this book is your one-stop resource on creating and sustaining a successful virtual team. 

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Foolish Assumptions 3 Icons Used in This Book 4 Where to Go from Here 4 Part 1: Getting Started with Virtual Teams 5 Chapter 1: The Big Picture of Virtual Teams 7 Embracing the New Virtual Team Reality 8 Why virtual teams are rapidly growing 8 Globalization effect 9 Generational worker shift 11 Sorting Out Virtual Team Concepts 11 Understanding the Benefits and Challenges 12 Noting virtual benefits 13 Considering virtual drawbacks 14 Jumping into the Virtual Workforce 16 Having the right environment 16 Maintaining balance and focus 16 Building community 16 Connecting using collaborative technology 17 Appreciating team culture 18 Practicing emotional intelligence 18 Assembling a Virtual Team 18 Managing a Virtual Team 19 Chapter 2: Envisioning Virtual Teams in Your Business 23 Contemplating Using Virtual Teams 24 Thinking about these key factors 25 Embracing the challenges: The five flaws of virtual teams 27 Deciding Whether Virtual Teams Make Good Business Sense 29 Finding a place for virtual teams 30 Counting the real ROI savings 31 Winning the recruitment and retention war 32 Impacting the environment 33 Deciding on Your Plan 34 Defining purpose and goals 34 Figuring out the roles to fill 35 Communicating about virtual team adoption 37 Setting Up Your Virtual Team for Success 38 Having the right resources in place 38 Arranging your remote office 39 Establishing communication expectations 39 Paying Attention to What You Need 40 Size matters: small versus large teams 40 Choosing the right technology 41 Creating Connection and Community 41 Connecting your virtual team to the larger organization 42 Connecting virtual team members to each other 42 Fighting isolationism on your virtual team 43 Chapter 3: Preparing for Your Career as a Virtual Team Member 45 Deciding If Working Virtually Is Right for You 46 Eyeing why virtual work is so attractive 46 Recognizing the personal impacts of working virtually 48 Predicting whether you’ll excel as a virtual team member 50 Assessing your skills for virtual freelance work 52 Proposing Virtual Work to Your Boss and Teammates 52 Preparing your proposal 52 Focusing on the benefits 56 Addressing key concerns 58 Determining Whether You Have a Workspace That Works 60 Working from home 61 Considering hoteling 62 Becoming a globe-trotter 65 Creating Your Remote Worker Brand 66 Reworking your resume 66 Building your portfolio 67 Establishing your online presence 68 Keeping current on the latest communication and collaboration tools 69 Shopping for virtual worker–friendly clientele 70 Focusing on healthy work-life balance 71 Part 2: Building a Strong Virtual Team 73 Chapter 4: Planning Ahead for Your Team’s Success 75 Defining Your Team Purpose 76 Aligning with company vision and values 76 Communicating why your team exists 78 Having clarity around team priorities 80 Considering what you want your team to be known for 81 Choosing a Team Framework 82 Using a framework that builds trust and mutual respect 82 Letting your team decide 85 Establishing Team Goals: What Does Success Look Like? 85 Aligning virtual team goals with company goals 86 Setting goals that are motivating, inspiring, and purposeful 87 Understanding what resources are needed to achieve team goals 88 Determining Team Member Roles 89 Ensuring team members understand their roles and why they’re important 90 Incorporating systems thinking to support how your team works together 91 Chapter 5: Finding and Hiring the Right People 93 Attracting Your Virtual Team Talent 94 Making your business attractive to teleworkers 95 Composing virtual worker–friendly job ads 95 Recruiting 0nline 96 Hiring Based on Skill, Behavior, and Fit 97 Hiring for skill 98 Hiring for behavioral competencies and interests 98 Hiring for cultural fit 100 Seeking Out the Right Qualities in Virtual Team Members 101 Determine whether they’re self-directed 102 Be on the lookout for strong communication skills 102 Specify the importance of engagement 103 Holding the Candidate Interview 105 Preparing for the interview 105 Knowing what and what not to ask 105 Discussing your expectations and theirs up front 107 Evaluating responses 108 Checking Out the Past 109 Reviewing work samples 109 Contacting references 109 Making an Offer 110 Chapter 6: Contracting with Contract Workers 113 Deciding Whether You Need a Contract 114 Differentiating between an employee and independent contractor 114 Figuring out a worker’s status if you still aren’t sure 116 Choosing to Work with an IC: What You Need to Do 116 Checking credentials 117 Keeping records 117 Knowing what to include in a contract 118 Specifying compensation 119 Understanding insurance requirements for ICs 120 Clarifying contractor status 120 Requiring a Nondisclosure Agreement (NDA) or Not 121 Navigating the Legalities of Noncompete Agreements 122 Chapter 7: Structuring and Assembling Your Team 123 Organizing Your Team the Smart Way 124 How teams are structured 124 The importance of frameworks 125 Focusing on the Onboarding Process 125 Creating an onboarding process that works for your team 126 Using the buddy system 128 Focusing on the first 90 days 130 Establishing Team Values as Your Bumper Rails 132 Defining your team values 132 Living your team values 135 Identifying Team Traits That Build Cohesiveness 137 Having clear expectations for success 137 Getting real with feedback and accountability 138 Rotating leadership 140 Part 3: Creating and Nurturing a Productive Team Culture 143 Chapter 8: Making Work Culture Considerations 145 Grasping Why Company Culture Is Key 146 Recognizing toxic cultures and the mess they create 147 Identifying a healthy culture and how to build one that thrives 149 Taking Note of Your Existing Organizational Culture 150 Commanding culture 151 Energizing culture 152 Supportive culture 152 Analytical culture 152 Deciding What You Want Your Culture to Be 153 Building and Maintaining the Culture You Want 155 Establishing principles to guide mindset and behavior 155 Putting the right HR policies in place 156 Pinpointing culture champions 157 Noting the Benefits and Challenges of a Cross-Cultural Team 158 Benefits of a cross-cultural team 159 Challenges of a cross-cultural team 160 Chapter 9: Managing Differences in Gender, Generation, and Culture 161 Managing Gender Differences 162 Recognizing gender benefits 162 Eradicating gender bias 163 Connecting with the Generations on Your Team 165 Working with all generations 165 Tapping the power of baby boomers 166 Redirecting Generation X 166 Tuning in to the high-tech Millennial 167 Meeting the new kids on the block: Generation Z 168 Building Your Cultural Intelligence 168 Getting to know your team members 169 Sharing culture norms 170 Practicing cultural sensitivity 171 Offering cross-cultural training 173 Chapter 10: Transitioning from Old-School Manager to Virtual Team Leader 175 Recognizing Which Leadership Style Works Best 176 Examining what makes virtual team leaders succeed 176 Determining if you’re a micromanager, coach, or hands-off manager 179 Comparing control-based and trust-based leadership 181 Playing in Your Sandbox 183 Pushing the boundaries of culture and C-level expectations 183 Knowing when to manage up 184 Recognizing Common Virtual Team Issues 185 Poor communication 186 Lack of clarity, direction, and priorities 186 Loss of team spirit and morale 187 Lack of trust 187 Lack of social interaction 187 Tech issues 188 Cultural clashes 188 Part 4: Getting Your Team Rolling 189 Chapter 11: Establishing Best Practices of Engagement 191 Addressing Personal Disengagement 192 Having a Meaningful Team Purpose 193 Clarifying the why and how team members contribute 194 Identifying values on your virtual team 195 Recognizing virtual values 196 Using Clear Goals and Expectations to Build Engagement 197 Building Your Road Map Together with Team Agreements 198 Understanding the top areas to cover in your team agreements 198 Building your agreement virtually 199 Conducting Virtual Meetings That Have an Impact 201 Ensuring full participation and engagement 202 Managing tech issues 203 Practicing Virtual Meeting Etiquette 205 Chapter 12: Building Trust and Rapport 207 Getting Started: What You Can Do to Build (or Repair) Trust 208 Tallying the Leadership Trust Scorecard 210 Setting the stage for trust to exist 211 Practicing behaviors that build cohesiveness 212 Leveraging Team Member Strengths 215 Discover your own strengths first 216 Recognize the strengths of team members 216 Create opportunity for people to work on a project together 216 Making Respect a Nonnegotiable 217 Act as if you’re all virtual 217 Gain understanding from each other 217 Discourage cliques 217 Address mistakes together 218 Practicing Cultural Appreciation on Global Teams 218 Giving Team Members Face Time 219 Recognizing the importance of “in real life” (IRL) meetings 220 Getting up to speed on IRL best practices 221 Creating a Connection Culture That Transforms Trust 223 Chapter 13: Adopting Best Practices in Communication 225 Identifying Four Components to Transform Your Communications 226 Looking Closer at Text-Only Communication 228 Examining the pros 228 Considering the cons 229 Using text-only communication effectively 230 Providing Consistent and Frequent Feedback 231 Establishing clear expectations 231 Recognizing the importance of two-way feedback and performance discussions 232 Giving feedback: The how-to 233 Shifting focus from individual accountability to team accountability 234 Establishing Best Practices with Communication Agreements 235 Choosing appropriate communication methods 235 Agreeing on expected response times 235 Setting the rules for handling conflicts 238 Choosing a problem-solving model 238 Agreeing on a process for communicating outside the team 239 Putting together your plan 240 Establishing standards for meeting participation 241 Utilizing the DISC Assessment Tool 242 Chapter 14: Measuring Virtual Team and Team Member Success 245 Tracking Virtual Team Success 246 Knowing what to track 247 Recognizing the importance of tools when tracking 247 Using data to coach your team members 248 Measuring Data That Matters 249 Looking at the results from an executive point of view 249 Interpreting performance from a virtual team leader perspective 249 Evaluating performance as a virtual team member 250 Recognizing the Engagement Levels of Your Team Members 251 Chapter 15: Training Your Virtual Team 253 Training during the First 90 Days 254 Assigning a mentor to instill culture 255 Utilizing communication tools for training 255 Sharing information about your company 256 Being organized and following up 256 Keeping Your Team Members on Top of Their Game with Ongoing Training 257 Using online training 258 Paying attention to trends and practicing innovation: VR and AR 259 Using teach-backs to build cohesion and advance understanding and mastery 260 Evaluating training effectiveness 260 Supporting team members who are struggling 262 Tackling technology issues 263 Training Your Veteran Team Members 263 Chapter 16: Checking All Things Technology: What You Need to Know 265 Assessing the Right Fit for Your Team 266 Focus on the problem, not the technology 266 Avoid jumping on the latest trendy tool 267 Make a checklist of features 268 Go with tools that your team loves 269 Include your IT department or tech guru in your decision 269 Choosing Only the Essential Tools Your Team Needs 271 Collaboration suites 272 Project management tracking 272 Workflow management and time tracking 273 Shared calendars 273 Meeting tools 274 Flash polling 274 Brainstorming 274 Social media 275 File sharing 275 Cloud collaboration 275 Mobile options 276 Videoconferencing 276 Chat and instant messaging 276 Training Team Members for Success 276 Using mentoring to help virtual team members get up to speed 277 Introducing tools strategically 277 Chapter 17: Rolling with the Changes 281 Adjusting to Shifts in Team Membership 281 Boosting emotional resilience 282 Using consistent communication to get on track quickly 283 Regrouping around team goals, values, and priorities 284 Building Relationships as a New Leader 284 Onboarding strategies for a new leader 285 Sharing cultural norms and styles 285 Getting on Board with a New Team Goal 286 Discussing the why 286 Acknowledging successes and letting go 287 Grounding Your Team after a Reorganization 287 Recognizing the stages of change 288 Practicing empathy and understanding 288 Part 5: Best Practices in Managing Your Virtual Team 293 Chapter 18: Leading by Example 295 Building a Connection Culture 295 Being a leader your team wants to follow 296 Getting to know your team members 296 Reaching out and building rapport 298 Focusing On a Healthy Lifestyle 300 Staying healthy when working virtually 300 Starting your team wellness 301 Maintaining boundaries 302 Discovering Your Legacy 303 Figuring out your legacy 303 Leading authentically: The how-to 304 Chapter 19: Understanding What Drives Motivation 305 Differentiating between Engaged and Passionate Team Members 306 Creating a Passionate Team 307 The need to be respected 307 The need to learn and grow 308 The need to be an insider 309 The need to do meaningful work 310 The need to be on a winning team 310 Using Positive Psychology to Create a Motivational Team Environment 312 Understanding what really motivates people 312 Using recognition as a powerful motivational technique 314 Chapter 20: Managing Workflow and Execution 319 Starting Off on the Right Foot 319 Clarifying How Work Flows through the Team 320 Deciding on meeting formats to stay up-to-date 321 Establishing communication guidelines 322 Choosing the right collaborative tracking tools for your team 322 Delegating Effectively to Your Virtual Team 322 Eyeing the benefits to letting go 323 Understanding why delegation fails: Leaders don’t let go 323 Trusting in the process 324 Holding team members accountable for deliverables 325 Knowing How to Communicate Externally Regarding Team Progress 325 Part 6: The Part of Tens 327 Chapter 21: Ten Predictors of Virtual Team Success 329 Having the Right Technology 329 Hiring the Right Team Leader 330 Hiring the Right Team Members 330 Establishing Clear Team Vision and Values 331 Aligning Team Goals with Company Goals 331 Having a Solid Team Agreement in Place 332 Using a Communication Strategy 332 Agreeing on a Process for Team Workflow 333 Using an Onboarding Strategy for New Team Members 333 Actively Managing Executive Perceptions 333 Chapter 22: Ten Signs Your Organization Is Ready for Virtual Teams 335 Having Champions on the Executive Team 336 Having Empowered Leaders 336 Leveraging a Supportive Culture 336 Willing to Invest in Technology 337 Addressing Issues Early 337 Being Prepared for the Logistical Set Up 337 Keeping the Team Focused 338 Using an Onboarding Process 338 Training Virtual Team Leaders 338 Having a Clear Idea of Roles and Responsibilities 339 Index 341

About the Author :
A 20-year talent development professional,Tara Powers is an international best-selling author, award-winning leadership expert, and sought-after keynote speaker. She's worked with more than 200 companies and 15,000 leaders worldwide, building and launching talent initiatives that deliver high touch and high impact for her clients.