Management and Leadership

Managing Virtual Teams

• Traditional Classroom: 2-day
• Virtual Instructor-led: Four 3-hour sessions

Being able to effectively lead a virtual team has quickly escalated into the category of must-have skill sets in the global marketplace. With unprecedented numbers of people now engaged in remote work, leaders and managers need to embrace a deeper understanding of virtual team “success.” A solid grasp of the logistics and technology involved in virtual teaming is only the first step; there is a host of second-level skills required to establish and sustain high levels of productivity, engagement, morale, and team health.

In this highly interactive course participants will engage in a variety of hands-on activities to explore best practices in building trust and motivating virtual teams; facilitation and collaboration; dealing with challenging behaviors; and maintaining productivity and performance.

Target Audience

Individuals who will benefit from this course include leaders/managers who have remote teams, project and program managers, sales and other distance managers, and remote team members.

Learning Objectives

• Develop best practices of facilitating in virtual environments.
• Determine and apply leadership best practices for teleworkers.
• Build rapport, gain trust, and manage group dynamics.
• Create interdependent teams versus independent teams.
• Effectively leverage technology in the virtual environment.
• Develop project plans to effectively manage communications, scope, schedule, and risk on virtual teams.
• Utilize conflict for growth versus destruction.
• Increase morale through recognition and celebration.

Key Takeaways

• Apply critical success factors and competencies for facilitating virtual team meetings.
• Determine how preparation can prevent key risks of virtual teams.
• Utilize conflict resolution techniques to successfully optimize and manage conflict.
• Secure commitment and buy-in from virtual team members.

Course Outline

Module 0: Foundational Concepts

• Welcome and Introductions
• Course Content and Approach
• Critical Behaviors for Managing Virtual Teams
• Facilitation Best Practices

Module 1: Forming a Virtual Team

• Virtual Leadership Styles
• Tuckman Jensen Model of Team Building
• Creating the Launchpad
  • Technology
  • Kickoff
  • Ground Rules
  • Goals
  • Role Definition (RACI)
  • Team building
  • Building Trust

Module 2: Planning (Yours, Mine, and Ours)

• Planning Mindset
• Project Plans for Virtual Teams
  • Communication Management Plan
    • Teleconferencing Best Practices
    • Cross-Cultural Communications
  • Scope Management Plan
    • Avoiding Scope Creep
  • Schedule Management Plan
  • Risk Management Plan
    • Risk Identification and Response

Module 3: Monitoring Progress of Virtual Teams

• Monitoring Progress
  • Change Management
  • Conflict Management
• Weak Links
  • Poor Performers
  • Difficult Conversations
  • Resistance to Change
• Review Characteristics of Successful Virtual Teams

Module 4: Celebrating Success Virtually

• Theories on Human Motivation
• Rewards and Recognition for Virtual Teams
• Virtual Team Celebration Tips

Module 5: Course Summary and Individual Commitment

• Teach-Back Exercise
• Review
• Action Planning

MDP1002 Course Code