Virtual Team Dynamics is the term used to describe how the personal characteristics and interpersonal behaviours of members of virtual team impact the ways in which they interact, how they communicate and how they share the tasks required to successfully undertake their assigned work. Whether the virtual team is a continual,... read more →
Sep
04
Sep
01
One question that arises very frequently is around the size differences between a workforce for a co-located team and a virtual one, most particularly in a project space. Realistically, in business virtual teams, those teams that operate continually rather than project teams, which come and go, the size of the... read more →
Aug
28
Following on from my recent post on the strategic planning and implementation process I would like now to consider the technique of scenario planning and where it fits in the strategic planning process. The process was largely pioneered by Shell in the 1960's as a way to consider the impact... read more →
Aug
25
Expanding on the brief mention of the use of SWOT analysis in my earlier strategic planning post, following is a more comprehensive description of SWOT analysis, why you would use the technique, how you would use it and where in the strategy development sequence. What is a SWOT analysis So,... read more →
Aug
22
Every organisation, whether for profit or not for profit, large or small needs a strategic plan, yet many either don't believe they need one, have one that has not been touched for far too long or have one, maybe even a great one, but it is kept locked away, only... read more →
Aug
20
Communication styles, by which I mean the individual's preferred or default manner of communicating, can have a great influence on their ability to be effective in communicating in virtual team environments. There are many different sources of information on communication styles and, among them, a reasonably confusing assortment of terms... read more →
Aug
18
One of the first things to consider when setting up a new project in the modern working environment is how the team will be structured. Historically, it was simply a case of assembling the project team in one location and getting on with the work, but with the evolution of virtual... read more →
Aug
14
One of the most demanding and complex tasks in a large virtual teams project is that of interface management. This work is typically undertaken by someone with a title such as 'interface manager' or 'coordination manager', and is the person, or group of people, with responsibility for ensuring each location is aware of... read more →
Aug
12
Turnover of personnel in an organisation is always a problem, personnel join, learn the ways the company does its business, meet and work with their colleagues in the organisation and from time to time, decide to move on. Understanding the impact of personnel turnover in a co-located team is relatively... read more →
Aug
08
Ambiguity is a curse in almost any business environment. Dealing with uncertainty in most endeavours can be frustrating for all concerned, but managing ambiguity in virtual teams is one of the most challenging tasks facing any team. As discussed in an earlier post, many cultures deal with uncertainty differently, but the cultural... read more →