Managing and Leading Virtual Teams for Managers

format: Virtual course

duration: 3 days

level: Intermediate

accreditation: CPD

participants: 10

availability:

N/A

$1,599.00

The current situation related to the COVID-19 pandemic created a business environment where almost every team operates on a virtual basis. Geographically distributed team members rely on technology and digital tools in order to be able to perform their daily tasks. In this climate, leaders must manage their teams utilizing predominantly remote modes of communication. It is not an easy task and it requires a different set of skills and capabilities. That is why we designed this course to help leaders and managers in this difficult time.

Our Leading and Managing Virtual Teams training course will provide a deep understanding of the communication and collaboration tools that allow virtual working to be the normal mode of running business today, especially in full or partial lockdown due to COVID-19. In this training course, you will learn to effectively lead virtual teams across distance, time zones, organisational separation and cultural differences, while continuously delivering results across multisite and international environments.

Working through technology and across organizational boundaries is not easy. Each type of virtual team has its own specific challenges which if not addressed will gradually decrease the team’s productivity. Leading your team with the help of technology requires more effort and the application of specific skills tailored for a virtual setting.

This course is ideal for any existing team leader or team member of a virtual team, who needs to build more trust in their team while using digital tools and technology. It is particularly valuable for those who feel that distance is getting in the way of achieving their team’s outcomes. The content relates to all types of virtual teams including work teams, project teams, volunteer teams and study project teams.

If you would like to become more effective at managing and operating in a virtual professional environment, this course is designed for you.

The course is designed for:

Professionals taking on the responsibility of virtual management for the first time
Established leaders and managers who would like to develop a more effective approach to the challenges of delivering results across organisational, geographical and time boundaries
Individuals who are part of a virtual team
Anyone who attends virtual meetings on a daily basis at work

Course objectives

During the course you will learn about:

Streamlining cooperation – simpler ways of working and effective virtual meetings
Creating a communication cadence that engages team members when communicating through technology
Creating trust remotely and balancing trust, empowerment and control
Building community and maintaining virtual teams to create success
Designing an action plan to optimise team effectiveness
Maintaining team performance through key collaborative relationships
Facilitating teams using effective communication technologies
Managing the risks and benefits of distance and cultural diversity

Day 1

Introduction and Overview

Identifying the differences between co-located and virtual working
Dealing with the realities of effective global teamwork
Assessing the impact of management in a virtual environment

Creating a Model for Effective Management in the Virtual World

Overcoming the challenges of working in virtual teams

Planning to meet the individual and team challenges of operating virtually
Meeting the motivational challenges of individuals and teams
Managing the impact of separation factors including distance, time zones and cultures
Proactively adopting a model that focuses on relationships, communication and tasks

Analysing the impact of distance on collaborative working

Comparing working together with working apart and plugging the gaps
Factoring in the effect of trust amongst team members

Establishing the foundation for effective collaboration

Providing what team members need to be successful
Focusing on the needs of a virtual team

Day 2

Building and Maintaining a Virtual Team

Developing a team with a common goal

Identifying key staff competencies and qualities
Balancing an individual’s technical and virtual contributions
Mapping the key relationships to enhance team success
Analysing the perspectives and priorities of stakeholders
Assessing the impact of current communications with stakeholders

Managing dynamics

Orienting new virtual team members through onboarding
Managing the virtual learning dip
Running effective virtual team start-up sessions
Start-ups sessions: face-to-face or virtual?

Technology, Communication and the Virtual Workplace

Enhancing the benefits of virtual collaboration

Developing proactive communication approaches
Measuring the impact of technology tools
Structuring processes for selecting the right medium for key team activities
Auditing the communication landscape
Focusing on training in the use of common available tools

Leveraging key virtual technologies

E-mail
Intranets/Extranets
IM
Blogs
Wikis
Social Networking
Conferencing and collaboration tools
Tips for using e-mail efficiently
Evaluating virtual tools to maximise communication

Day 3

Managing Diversity and Distance

Working with cultural diversity

Culture from different perspectives: organisational, national, regional and international
Exploring levels and categories of culture
Impact of culture on communications, negotiations and relationships
Responding positively to the range and depth of cultures
Incorporating cultural differences to benefit the team

When things go wrong at a distance