How virtual teams effectively use communication tools. We have all been in a meeting that should have been an email. And we have all read email exchanges that should have been meetings. As communication tools are the backbone of virtual work, virtual teams benefit from understanding the characteristics of the various tools and agreeing on
Swoosh. That is the sound of conferences and on-site meetings being canceled due to the coronavirus. It has happened to me, and many others, and now we are all quickly scrambling for Plan B – a virtual meeting. In the ideal world, conference organizers would redesign the flow for remote participants, such as multiple sessions, engaging virtual activities,
Sometimes looking from a different angle makes the difference. For years I have pondered the key ingredients to make an offshoring structure in a company a success. By offshoring I mean the centralization of a function in one location (ie., Shared Service Center, Center of Excellence, R&D Center) with internal customers or colleagues around the
What happens to us when we work virtually? How do cultural diversity and distance impact how we act, think, and feel? Actually quite a bit. For instance, let’s look at the very common hybrid virtual team. Teams can be 100% co-located, 100% virtual, and the hybrids are everything in between, where at least one member
A Common Hybrid Team Story A virtual team were responsible for delivering a solution to a European client. The team consisted of 2 marketing persons in France, 3 developers in India and 4 salespeople in Spain, including José the team leader. Everyone was excited for the new customer and wanted this to succeed, but struggled to
