USA: +1 (725) 712-1730 
Sign in
UVA-BC-0255 Dec. 11, 2014 DARDEN BUSINESS PUBLISHING UNIVERSITY VIRGINIA MANAGING TEAMS FROM A DISTANCE: MAKING THE MOST OF VIRTUAL MEETINGS The Economist Intelligence Unit’s “Foresight 2020” research report outlines five key years. Of these, three trends-globalization, atomization, and have a significant effect on the structure, functioning, and across boundaries. As organizations become global and cater more geographically dispersed teams will increase, especially as work gets broken down into more granular units to be managed and delivered by specialist teams or individuals. Atomization will enable firms to “use the world as their supply base for talent and materials…As a result, effective collaboration will become more important.At the same time, many see the future value of their organizations becoming closely trends in business for the next 15 three tren knowledge management–will distribution of teams within and to worldwide markets, the prevalence of multicultural and linked to the knowledge they can leverage-knowledge that is frequently an amalgam of individual experience, behavior, and understanding. Managing people who are geographically dispersed across time, space, and organizational boundaries requires team leaders who are able to communicate effectively and both understand and navigate interpersonal relationships. A 1964 Harvard Business School study noted that a successful leader “is able to communicate, to make sound decisions, and to get things done with and through people”-advice that is equally sound for today’s virtual team leader. The virtual team leader of today needs to understand team dynamics, how to create a virtual team culture, and what works best when managing from a distance. Issues in Managing Teams in separate, remote locations What does it take to create and sustain high-performing teams, whether people are working or in the same corporate workplace? Lynn Isabella, the Darden School of Business’s resident expert on the subject, tells us that teamwork is at the core of any hig h- Economist Intelligence Unit, “Foresight 2020: Economic, Industry and Corporate Trends, ” 2006 Garda Bowman et al.,” What Helps or Harms Promotability?,” Harvard Business Review 18. Kenneth M. Eades (Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2010). This technical note was reia Foundation, Charlottesville, VA. All rights reserved. To order copies send an e-mail to sales@dardenbusinesspublishing.co Information in this section draws heavily from L ynn Isabella “Managing Teams,” in The Portable MBA, ed. was prepared by June A. West, Assistant Professor of Business Administration. Copyright O 2014 m. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted photocopying recording, or otherwise-without the permission of the Darden School School Foundation Page I of 9
Expert Answer
The international management problem arises because of the fundamental way the business settings have changed in an internalized environment. Due to the international nature of the engagement, today we have employees of bigger corporations scattered across the globe working in different time zones and having limited physical or face to face contact. Most of the interactions is through virtual channels and this diverse workforce also have different cultural backgrounds which gives rise to different belief systems and different comprehension of the same message.
In this environment, it becomes very essential for the team leader to have a clear crisp manner of communication keeping in mind the idiosyncrasies of the various regions to which his team members belong in order to structure the communication in an effective manner. It is also important to establish common norms within the teams which are accepted and followed by all to ensure building up of trust and ensure teams function to achieve a common objective.
In a diverse global team, the only way to interact is through the virtual channel and thus these teams are essentially virtual teams which have got its own set of challenges for forging team spirit and common motivation to achieve organizational objectives. The principal reason for arising of this challenge is because of the geographical spread of the teams.
