Leading Virtual Teams (HBR 20-Minute Manager Series)

by Harvard Business Review

Overview

Manage your team from anywhere.

Leading any team involves managing people, technical oversight, and project administration, but leaders of virtual teams perform these functions from afar. Leading Virtual Teams walks you through the basics of:

• Connecting your people to each other—and to the team’s mission
• Surmounting language, distance, and technology barriers
• Identifying and using the right communication channels

Don't have much time? Get up to speed fast on the most essential business skills with HBR's 20-Minute Manager series. Whether you need a crash course or a brief refresher, each book in the series is a concise, practical primer that will help you brush up on a key management topic. Advice you can quickly read and apply, for ambitious professionals and aspiring executives—from the most trusted source in business.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781633691452
Publisher:	Harvard Business Review Press
Publication date:	08/02/2016
Series:	20-Minute Manager
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	1,032,796
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 6.80(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Harvard Business Review is the leading destination for smart management thinking. Through its flagship magazine, 13 international licensed editions, books from Harvard Business Review Press, and digital content and tools published on HBR.org, Harvard Business Review provides professionals around the world with rigorous insights and best practices to lead themselves and their organizations more effectively and to make a positive impact.

Table of Contents

What Is a Virtual Team? 1

Why use virtual teams? 5

What are the key challenges? 7

Get the Right People on the Team 11

What's important on a virtual team? 14

Tweak an existing team 16

Assemble a new team 24

Manage the Technology 27

Assess needs and resources 30

Seek input 37

Set Up a team site 39

Establish rules for technology use 40

What to do when technology fails 44

Get to Work 47

Launch the team 49

Create a shared vision 51

Define common expectations 54

Align priorities 55

Build rapport and trust 62

Keep people engaged 66

Communicate Effectively 71

Pick the right channel 74

Work around time zones and linguistic and cultural barriers 75

Avoid communication fatigue 79

Find the right balance 82

Cope with Common Problems 85

Evaluate performance from a distance 88

Maintain accountability from afar 95

Manage conflict on a virtual team 99

Learn More 105

Sources 111

Index 113