Virtually International: How Remote Teams can Harness the Energy, Talent, and Insights of Diverse Cultures

Organizations have turned in droves to videoconferencing to augment operations, launch products, and reduce the costs of doing business. The digital transformation of industries has driven a boom in a global gig economy. Enterprises are tapping vast pools of freelancers and distributed staff around the world to reduce overhead, use talent they do not have in-house, and become agile. A new dawn of project- and team management has arrived. Virtually International speaks directly to corporate staff who find themselves propelled into managing projects with globally diverse teams of talent spread across countries and cultures. This book introduces readers to basic project management principles that will shorten learning curves and curtail the costs of managing international teams. Virtually International talks about what to look for in technology platforms and tools intended to facilitate the work of remote teams, and discusses how newly anointed home office workers can optimize home-working environments. This book lays out ways that virtual project managers can support productivity and enhance the well-being of geographically distributed team members. Virtually International also explores the cultural dimensions of working with professionals from ethnic, religious, and linguistic backgrounds different from that of co-workers. This is the book managers have been looking for to build globally diverse and inclusive teams of top talent. You can go to VirtuallyInternational.com to continue exploring practical ways of working effectively and problem-solving remotely across borders and cultures.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1. The Work of Hephaestus Chapter 2. Assembling Remote Teams Chapter 3. The Habits of High-Performing Remote Teams Chapter 4. Remotely Productive: Anywhere, Anywhen Work Chapter 5. Out of Many Cultures, One Team Chapter 6. Navigating Cross-Cultural Currents Remotely: Practical Tips Chapter 7. Conclusion: The Promise and The Limits of Remote Work

About the Author :
William R. Dodson is an author, journalist, management advisor, and technology educator. He has been working with and managing virtual international teams since 1997 across dozens of countries. His expertise is in cross-cultural team communications, remote project management, and cross-border organizational change.

Review :
Virtually International's timing couldn’t be better. The era of remote work and virtual meetings has been foisted upon us, and Dodson harnesses his years of international business experience in crafting the definitive guidebook to the Zoom generation. Highly readable, entertaining, and informative, Virtually International is overflowing with lessons for companies aiming to unite their teams of employees scattered throughout the globe to best accomplish their goals. A comprehensive must-read for those working in or managing virtual, international teams. Combining personal experience with management theory, Bill effortlessly details the complexities, challenges, opportunities and rewards of working across cultures, geographies and time zones. Dodson has written the right book at the right time. Remote work is the new normal, but the unfortunate truth is that most organizations are simply not good at building or managing hybrid teams. Dodson not only analyzes the challenges, but offers practical, actionable solutions that can be implemented immediately. Dodson's extensive work and writing experience across Asia and Europe make him eminently suited to produce a book like Virtually International. An informative and engaging read! A book about the virtual business world that is insightful and entertaining! Who knew it was possible? Dodson has lived this topic, from China to Seattle, for the last twenty-five years, and he packs all of his knowledge, wisdom, and humor into these pages. Get it today, build your 21st-century team the right way and tell them Turner sent you (I don’t get a commission, but it still sounds cool). Dodson succeeds in capturing the key enablers to successful remote project management. Having completed a new factory-build during the pandemic, with a hybrid international team, the content and tone of the book resonates very closely to my actual experience. We heavily leveraged the latest technologies Dodson refers to and managed to maintain transparent communication across diverse cultures in five countries. I've interviewed over a hundred leaders in the remote work space, getting their take on what effective remote leadership looks like. William stands out among them for having a holistic set of principles honed through the course of a long career, one that started before working with distributed teams had a name. If you aspire to manage or lead people spread across the world, this book must be on your shelf.