Successfully Working in Virtual Teams

I.D. #

C0943

Duration

2 Days

Managing engineering teams in the best of circumstances is often a challenge. In virtual and distributed teams, these challenges can be significant. Today's engineering teams consist of members participating from various sites and cities. In some cases, teams are formed among members from across the globe, bringing with it its own set of unique social and cultural differences and creating new challenges for team members and those that lead them. With shrinking corporate budgets and more demands of employees' time, organizations are increasingly reliant on virtual teaming as a necessary means by which to deal with increased customer expectations, competition, time, pressure, and rapid change. While virtual teams can provide real benefits to organizations, they often present new challenges to project leaders who are not prepared for the realities of getting things done at a distance. Research systemically shows that virtual teams suffer from a high failure rate: Enthusiasm is simply not enough. This seminar features cutting-edge information and critical tools to enable you to overcome the barriers of distance, cultural diversity and lack of time, while maintaining communication through collaborative technology. It will help you develop the tools necessary to manage distributed teams while strengthening working relationships and operational effectiveness across multiple sites supported by team members you rarely see "face-to-face".

Learning Objectives

By attending this seminar, you will be able to: Identify the unique characteristics of successful global virtual teams Develop a culture of team spirit and community within virtual teams Recognize the importance of effective team start up, team leadership and team processes Evaluate how cross-cultural differences affect team performance Understand the various individual "team styles" within a team Evaluate the range of collaborative technologies and how to put a communication plan in place Recognize essential elements of trust and why trust is critical to success Identify the critical success factors for high performance distributed teams

Who Should Attend

Engineers, technical professionals and business people who work in distributed environments will find the subject matter practical and useful. Human resource and education / training professionals who prepare people to work successfully in these environments will also find particular value in this content. It is also appropriate for university faculty interested in preparing students for success in a changing workplace environment.

Prerequisites

There are no specific prerequisites required.

Seminar Content

DAY ONE Virtual/Distributed Team Working Defining virtual team working Why companies use virtual teams The realities of effective virtual team working Reasons why many virtual teams fail Proficiency framework for successful virtual teams Optimizing Team Roles Insight into the Belbin team roles model How did the concept originate? Characteristics of each of the roles Application of the Belbin model to our virtual team work Working With Cross Cultural Diversity Examining the pros and cons of diversity in a virtual team What do the cultural experts say? The "Cultural Onion" - a useful framework for examining culture Cultural profiling - recognizing cultural differences and how to manage them Effective Global Communication - International/Offshore English How to adapt to the needs of non-native speakers Developing perceptiveness, transparency and listening for communicating in an unfamiliar cultural context DAY TWO Effective Distributed Team Start Up, Team Leadership, and Team Processes Aligning diverse and distant individuals to a common vision, goals and methodologies Making the activities of the team visible to the rest of the organization Combating confusion, ambiguity, conflict and isolation with team members Tracking work flow and knowing the specific questions to ask off-site teams that will tell you how things are really going Selecting and Optimizing the Right Technology Initiating a communication contract Hardware and software needs for team members Storage of documents (team website, shared file, etc.) Acquisition of new technology (groupware, electronic meeting rooms, etc.) Communication Technology: E-Mail E-mail protocol for distributed global teams Achieving balance between high context and low context e-mail styles Dealing with conflict and problems in e-mails Writing an e-mail that achieves universal clarity What do your e-mails say about you? Real business e-mails from different countries Trust in a Virtual Team What is the essence of trust? Why is trust crucial to the success of a distributed team? Type of trust required by diverse members How can we build trust when we don't see each other? Examining the 10 trust criteria and their importance for an effective global virtual team Identifying behaviors and actions required to build and maintain trust

Instructor(s):

Johanna Hassan Hollowich

Ms. Hassan Hollowich is the founder and president of Potencium Limited, an international training and consulting company with clients throughout Europe, the Asia-Pacific, and the Americas. Recognized and respected as an international consultant, Ms. Hassan Hollowich has successfully facilitated international business solutions in over 20 countries for global reaching clients such as Boeing, GM, and Manitowok. Known for her innovative and motivational style of training, she has presented more than 500 training programs as well as designed a variety of online learning courses. A native of England, Ms. Hassan Hollowich has offices in London and Los Angeles. She is an adjunct faculty member at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Extension Department of Engineering, Information Systems and Technical Management. Prior to forming Potencium, Ms. Hassan Hollowich was a senior consultant for Canning International UK and Rostrum Pharmaceutical Training, a division of MDS Pharma Services UK. Ms. Hassan Hollowich holds a Master's Degree in Adult Learning and Education from the City University (London) with a focus on training intervention techniques, group dynamics, mentoring, and management development.

Fees:

$1225

SAE Members*:

$980 - $1103

* The appropriate SAE Member discount will be applied through the Registration process.  Discounts vary according to level of membership: Elite Member 20%; Premium Member 15%; Classic Member 10%

CEU

1.3

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