Virtual revolution

In Business Spotlight 2/2010, the main feature in the intercultural communication section focuses on working in virtual teams. This seems to be a hot topic for an increasing number of people and requires a new skill set. Often these teams are not only virtual but global. For example, the company HQ could be in Germany, the sales head for the Middle East in Dubai, and team members and customers might be dispersed across the rest of the globe.

While researching the article, I came across two books which appeal to me for two different reasons. Perhaps you’ll find them useful too. Terence Brake has chosen a catchy title for his unusual guide to Making a Success of Your Virtual Global Workplace; it is called Where in the World is My Team?

The guide is written in the form of a story, much more entertaining than the average business book, although it does contain a very useful "Briefing Report on Global Virtual Team Essentials". By the way, Brake's blog is highly interesting and also very entertaining.

A more traditional approach is taken by Deborah L. Duarte and Nancy Tennant Snyder in their Mastering Virtual Teams, Strategies, Tools and Techniques That Succeed, which is already in its third edition. It is an immensely practical guide with lots of useful tips and even a CD with exercises, checklists and "competency assessments" (a fancy word for what we used to call "tests").

I’m sure this isn’t the last time we’ll be covering this topic, as coping with global virtual teams is a key element of the revolution that is taking place in the workplace. Feel free to share your experiences on the blog: it would be great to hear from you.