Master the unique challenges and reap the rewards of leading virtual teams

In today's global and fast moving economy, businesses are increasingly using resources located across geographies and time zones including distributed organizations and virtual teams. This means team members can be from more diverse geographies, cultures, demographics, and backgrounds than ever before. These virtual teams may be project-based, involving groups that may or may not be formally linked; or they may be formally linked groups located in different locations. Global and virtual teams depend on a variety of telecommunication technologies to exchange information, brainstorm, and make decisions. To lead a virtual team, managers need to learn how to operate across distance and in different time zones, be sensitive to language and cultural issues, be aware of interpersonal and communication style factors, cultivate a sharing and trusting environment, and keep the team focused. This course is designed to provide you with a frame work for leading virtual teams, offer guidelines on what works and what doesn't, discuss various communication tools for team effectiveness, and review tools and methods that facilitate leading global teams in a virtual setting.

Following the course you will be able to:

• Utilize tools and technologies to assist you in leading virtual teams
• Communicate effectively in a virtual team environment
• Measure results and set expectations for success
• Develop trust and focus the team on a common goal