Leadership skills in virtual teams are different to leadership skills needed in a co-located team. Leaders of co-located teams need to be able to inspire and direct a team they see around them every day, they can lead by example and by modelling in ways that all of their team members can... read more →
Dec
01
Nov
24
Communications in project teams should always be the most simple they can to convey the intended message. Simplicity in messages is very important, the messages need to be clear, concise and focused on the subject matter. At the same time however, team communications must be culturally sensitive and appropriate and,... read more →
Nov
17
Building a high productivity virtual team is a complex thing to do. In reality, any individual or organisation can establish a virtual team, all that is needed is to engage with someone or a group working on the same task as you but located elsewhere. Building a high productivity virtual... read more →
Nov
10
Building and operating effective virtual teams is as much an art as it is a science. Many organisations rely more on luck than good planning when embarking on a virtual team project, then are as shocked by the results as everyone else. After decades helping virtual teams, here are four of the top... read more →
Nov
03
As a species, we humans are notoriously poor a conceptualizing risks. Yes, historically, we have developed some pretty good mechanisms to evade predatory animals, but the chances of being pursued around the modern workplace by an actual sabre toothed tiger are extremely slim these days. The biggest physical risks we... read more →
Oct
27
When you are trying to maintain enthusiasm and coordination in your team, whether its a small co-located group or a large virtual community, it is critically important to keep your messaging consistent at all levels of delivery and, in all methods of delivery. Whether the message is being formalised in newsletters... read more →
Oct
20
With all of the buzz around the recent release of the movie adaptation of Andy Weir's book "The Martian", its interesting to take a look at the book's storyline and scenario from the perspective of communications and virtual team... read more →
Oct
13
Engineering projects are one of the largest adopters of virtual teams. Companies such as Boeing, Airbus and Shell among others have been adopters of the use of distributed teams or workshare, as they often refer to it, for their projects for the past couple of decades. Driven, or at the very least enabled by... read more →
Oct
06
In life, as in business, a strong personal network is critically important to a person's effectiveness. This need is amplified when the person is working in a distributed or virtual team. In these teams, an individuals' network needs to extend beyond the bounds of their home office and society into... read more →
Sep
30
The 30th September is International Podcast Day, a day when podcasters around the world are celebrating their art and craft. As such it seemed appropriate that this post should consider the role of podcasting in supporting communications in virtual teams. In celebration of international podcast day, we are delighted to unveil... read more →