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VIRTUAL LEADERSHIP & VIRTUAL TEAMS Linda Adams, Memphis Chapter

The Association for Improvement of Minorities Internal Revenue Service 39 th Annual Business Meeting and Training Seminar Milwaukee, Wisconsin. VIRTUAL LEADERSHIP & VIRTUAL TEAMS Linda Adams, Memphis Chapter James Parker, Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter August 2008. Objectives.

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VIRTUAL LEADERSHIP & VIRTUAL TEAMS Linda Adams, Memphis Chapter

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  1. The Association for Improvement of MinoritiesInternal Revenue Service39thAnnual Business Meeting and Training SeminarMilwaukee, Wisconsin VIRTUAL LEADERSHIP & VIRTUAL TEAMS Linda Adams, Memphis Chapter James Parker, Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter August 2008

  2. Objectives • Define Virtual Organization/Leader/Teams • Characteristics & Influencing Factors of Virtual Teams (VT) • Challenges of VT • Core Categories of Effective Leadership Skills in Distance-Management (VT) • Explain leadership actions for DM communicating • Benefits & Expectations of a VT • Myths of Remote/DM & VT • Experiences& application of DM & VT

  3. Key Definitions • A virtual organization is a way in which an organization uses information and communication technologies to replace or augment some aspect of the organization to get the job done - often without bringing people together face-to-face. • A virtual leader or manager is someone charged to lead people who are not normally located together at the same place at the same time. • A virtual team is a collection of individuals operating from many different places, all of whom are working to accomplish a common goal.

  4. Distance Managed & Co-located Teams

  5. Five Core Categories of Effective Leadership Skills in Distance-Management Situations • Communicating effectively & using technology that fits the situation • Building community, based on mutual trust, respect, fairness & affiliation, among project team members • Establishing clear & inspiring shared goals, expectations, purpose & vision • Leading by example with a focus on visible, measurable results • Coordinating/collaborating across organizational boundaries

  6. Characteristics of Virtual Teams • Virtual teams take on the same basic structure as “real” teams • Few virtual teams are 100% virtual • Virtual teams get the job done • People can be trusted

  7. Factors Influencing Virtual Teams Social Technology Business Government

  8. Four Challenges of Virtual Teams • Time & Distance • The Team • Terrain • Technology

  9. Why Virtual Teams? Locate best employees anywhere in the world Changes in workers' expectations of organizational participation Workers demand personal flexibility and increasing technological sophistication Workers in a flexible organization tend to be more productive and responsive

  10. Why Virtual Teams? • Gives 24 hours versus 8 hours workdays to manage increasing global and corporate activity • Increasing horizontal organization structures characterized by structurally and geographically distributed human resources • New ennvironments require inter-organizational cooperation • A continued shift from production to service and knowledge work environments

  11. Benefits of Virtual Teams Reduces expenses for office or parking spaces Reduces traveling expenses for employees Managers can include more people labor pool Decreases pollution/congestion - less commuting Reduces concerns for persons with physical disability

  12. Benefits of Virtual Teams • Retention of valued knowledge workers who might otherwise lose motivation because of the lack of attention from the rest of the organization • People can be recruited for their competencies, not just a physical location • Less time required to address conflict problems created by poor communication • Flexibility: People can work from anywhere at anytime

  13. Distant/Virtual Teams: Expectations • Coordination rather than control – The best control of the off-site employee is the control imposed from within (self control) rather than from the outside (manager imposed). • Accessibility rather than either inaccessibility or omnipresence – A virtual team members want their leaders to accessible. They want to know that they can reach them when they need to.

  14. Distant/Virtual Teams: Expectations (cont.) • Accessibility rather than either inaccessibility or omnipresence – A virtual team members want their leaders to accessible. They want to know that they can reach them when they need to. • Information without overload – The challenge is to give team members what they need to sustain their health without unintentionally creating internal hemorrhaging from too much data.

  15. Distant/Virtual Teams: Expectations (cont.) • Feedback instead of advice – Employees generally appreciate receiving skillfully delivered information about how they are doing. Q: How can management tell if they are meddling or mentoring? A: Ask the team member. Management should wait for a teaching/mentor moment when an employee solicits advice.

  16. Distant/Virtual Teams: Expectations (cont.) • Fairness over favoritism – Fairness is especially important in distance situations because perceived inequities are magnified over time and space. Favoritism of any type can affect productivity of distance workers. • Decisiveness but not intrusive supervision – Team members don’t want intrusive supervision, but they don’t want management to be among the missing either. When a leadership decision needs to be made, make it.

  17. Distant/Virtual Teams: Expectations (cont.) • Honest rather than manipulation – Honesty is the best policy, because it encourages trust and builds a culture of openness. Employees don’t want to be manipulated into false participation where the leader tries to get them to agree with their way of thinking. • Concern for their development over apathy – The expectation is that management will develop and train team members. Although classroom training is the preferred method, the most effective learning is often derived from developmental project assignments or mentoring programs.

  18. Distant/Virtual Teams: Expectations (cont.) • Community building over mere coordinated isolation – Team building activities and other community-building interventions are essential. • Respect rather than paternalism or condescension – Respect is a basic human need. When it is absent in a group, people revolt.

  19. Myths About Virtual Teams Myth: are deployed to save money on travel Myth: requireface-to-face meetings early in a life cycle to build trust Myth: requireface-to-face brainstorming meetings Myth: only need weekly conference calls to stay connected

  20. Myths About Virtual Teams • Myth: require hands-off leadership • Myth: leaders do not deal directly with diversity • Myth:are best served by allocating one task to every member

  21. Planning and Using Technology • Asynchronous (One-Way) Technologies Email Voice mail Shared Drives Databases • Synchronous (Two-Way) Technologies Audio Conference Video Conference Web-based Conference

  22. Summary • Defined Virtual Organization/Leader/Teams • Characteristics & Influencing Factors of VT • Core Categories of Effective Leadership Skills in DM • Explain leadership actions for DM communicating • Benefits of a Virtual Team • Virtual Team Expectations • Myths and Benefits of Remote/DM & VT • Experiences & personal application of DM & VT

  23. VIRTUAL LEADERSHIP & VIRTUAL TEAMS Questions?

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