Leading Virtual and Remote Teams October 27, 2009

Learn how to lead cohesive long-distance teams that can actually outperform face-to-face teams.

As the leader of a virtual or remote team, you need to manage performance and work relationships with employees you may not see very often and who may be hundreds or thousands of miles away. This up-to-date, hard-hitting seminar is designed to help you build truly effective long-distance teams. You will return to work with the tools and methods you need to manage and lead virtual and remote teams with confidence and success.
How You Will Benefit

* Recognize and address the unique challenges of virtual and remote teams in your organization
* Identify your organization’s readiness and current capabilities for successfully using virtual and remote teams
* Align resources to plan and launch a successful virtual/remote team
* Maintain cohesiveness and trust within virtual teams
* Apply appropriate online tools and communication techniques in a virtual/remote environment
* Provide coaching and build creativity in virtual environments
* Plan for launching or improving an actual virtual team in your organization

What You Will Cover

Recognizing the Challenges and Advantages of Virtual and Remote Teams in Your Organization

* Cite current successful applications of virtual teams
* Define the differences between virtual, remote and face-to-face teams
* Use appropriate vocabulary and concepts to discuss advantages and disadvantages of virtual and remote teams
* Identify common problems of and objections to virtual teams

Using the Virtual Team Assessment to Identify Your Organization’s Readiness and Current Capabilities for Successfully Using Virtual and Remote Teams

* Apply information about advantages and potential drawbacks of virtual teams to effectively align stakeholders, time, money, people, and technology
* Identify skills needed to successfully lead virtual and remote teams
* Identify the various organizational “players” that need to contribute and collaborate to launch and maintain virtual teams
* Plan how to engage the organizational “players”
* Identify common policies and practices that may need to be examined to successfully use virtual teams

Planning and Launching a Successful Virtual/Remote Team

* Apply the PPLT (Purpose, People, Links, Time) model to outline a plan for launching a virtual team
* In role-play exercises, apply techniques for launching a team
* Identify and address the underlying sources of typical problems or conflict in simulated virtual team scenarios at various phases of their development and work

Maintaining Cohesiveness and Effectiveness of Virtual Teams

* Use planning and communication strategies in role-play exercises to keep conversations and projects on track and to resolve conflict
* Referring back to the Virtual Team Assessment, discuss typical problems that occur both within and outside of the virtual team that can compromise its effectiveness
* Apply techniques to build trust in a virtual/remote team
* Identify various kinds of virtual “environments” and software tools that can supplement the typical conference calls and e-mails used

Applying Appropriate Coaching Skills in a Virtual/Remote Environment

* Identify the elements of successful coaching
* Explain which elements of successful coaching need to be adjusted to a virtual environment
* Give examples of virtual coaching
* Apply communication and coaching skills to a simulated coaching environment

Building Creativity in Virtual Environments

* Identify typical business situations in which creativity needs to be sparked
* Describe creativity and brainstorming techniques
* Apply creativity and brainstorming techniques to simulated and actual situations
* Describe online tools that can be used in a virtual environment to brainstorm and sift through creative ideas

Planning for Launching or Sustaining an Actual Virtual Team in Your Organization

* Identify major opportunities for a virtual team
* Do a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis to identify barriers and enablers and develop a plan of action
* Identify people and resources necessary to support a successful remote team
* Present a persuasive “pitch” for a virtual team

Who Should Attend

Managers, senior managers, directors and project leaders of global and geographically distributed teams.
Extended Training Description

Learning Objectives

* Identify the Roles and Concerns of Virtual Team Leaders
* Define and Apply a Proven and Successful Virtual Team Process Model
* Review and Plan How to Utilize Unique Virtual Team Member Characteristics to Promote Productivity
* Recognize the Value of Creating a Virtual Team Identity and Connectedness
* Apply Strategies for Unifying the Virtual Team’s Culture and Relationships around Team Purposes
* Identify Strategic Ways to Build Trust in Virtual Teams to Enhance Risk-Taking
* Define and Apply Communication Channel Choice-Making to Achieve Desired Team Relationships and Goals
* Identify the Strengths and Weaknesses of Various Electronic Communication Options, Defining When/How to Use Each to Build Productivity
* Express What You Mean, Both Content and Emotion, through Effective Use of Voice, Phrasing, Vocabulary, Style and Form
* Identify and Analyze Others’ Sensory Preferences for Taking in and Processing Information in Order to Implement Complementary and Adaptive Virtual Team Communication
* Review Effective Virtual Communication Behaviors to Model in Order to Facilitate Virtual Team Longevity, Productivity and Goals
* Review and Practice Effective Use of Listening, Voice, and Action That Is Demanded by Various Virtual Technologies
* Identify and Apply Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Execution of Key Virtual Team Performance Management Tasks
* Define and Practice the Skills Needed to Become a Successful Virtual Coach
* Set a Plan for Ongoing Virtual Team Leadership Skill Development

Virtual Team Leadership

* Define Effective Leadership of Virtual and Remote Teams
* Define and Manage the Place, Time and Culture Paradigm and Its Impact on Virtual Team Interactions
* Identify What Virtual and Remote Team Members Need and Expect from Team Leaders
* Recognize and Associate Avoidance of Virtual and Remote Team Busters through Effective Team Leadership Practices

Leading Virtual and Remote Team Development

* Define the Remote/Virtual Team Process
* Identify the Appropriate Team Membership to Achieve the Team Assignment
* Establish the Remote and Virtual Team’s Identity and Sense of Connectedness
* Balance the Social and Technological Needs of the Team
* Establish and Maintain Networks That Build a Sense of Relationships and Mutual Interdependence amongst Team Members

Trust and the Virtual Team

* Define Trust within the Culture of the Team
* Understand, Use and Encourage Virtual Team Trust-Building Behaviors
* Understand, Avoid and Discourage Virtual Team Trust-Eroding Behaviors
* Utilize Trust to Build Virtual and Remote Team Creativity
* Utilize Trust to Build Reasonable Risk-Taking amongst Virtual and Remote Team Members

Leading and Facilitating Virtual Channels of Communication

* Understand and Assist Others in Meeting Human Communication Needs in Virtual Team Settings
* Choose Virtual Communication Channels, Knowing Each Channel’s Strengths/Liabilities
* Identify and Facilitate the Use of Members’ Communication and Thinking Style Preferences to Build Trust
* Identify and Facilitate the Use of Members’ Communication Preferences to Build Team Productivity
* Understand the Impact of Cross-Cultural Needs on Team Performance

Successful Virtual Team Communication Practices

* Demonstrate an Ability to Express and Encourage Both Content and Feeling in Virtual Team Communication
* Understand and Use Multi-Channel Listening in Achieving Remote Teamwork
* Use Vocal Consideration Effectively When Using Audio-Based Technologies
* Use Verbal and Nonverbal Considerations Effectively with Audio-/Visual-Based Technologies
* Use and Encourage Effective E-mail Etiquette/Form

Managing the Performance of Virtual Teams

* Establish and Maintain Virtual Team Focus on Goals, Objectives, and Tasks
* Define Virtual Team Members’ Roles and Responsibilities
* Coach Members to High-Level Performance
* Apply Effective Virtual Motivation/Recognition Skills
* Identify and Use Effective Strategies to Address Virtual Team Performance Issues

Integrating Virtual Team Leadership Skills

* Synthesize and Apply New Skills for Successful Leadership in the Virtual and Remote Team Setting

Setting a Plan for Ongoing Virtual Team Leadership Skill Development

* Develop an Achievable Plan to Implement Professional Personal Leadership Skills for Successful Virtual and Remote Team Performance

Official Website: http://www.focustraco.com/index.php/tm-training-schedule/details/266-113208