ENGR802:

Lesson 4: Globalization and the Impact on Communication & Knowledge Sharing

Leading Virtual Teams

All teams, whether virtual or collocated, need leaders that can clarify the mission of the group, create a vision, communicate the vision, develop strategies to achieve the vision, build coalitions of believers, attract supporters, and shape the team culture through clearly defined operating values (modified from Chutnik, 2009). Part of the leader’s responsibilities include idendifying the right team members and being able to motivate them, setting goals, building trust, establishing behavioral norms, and making sure their team members can plan for and handle new situations (Malhotra, et al., 2007). Executing these responsibilities on virtual teams can be challenging.

Watch the following video on “Overcoming Challenges Faced When Leading Global Teams” (36:30 minutes), this presentation is by Kitty Pearsall, IBM Distinguished Engineer Emeritus. This was a presentation originally given at the 2009 IEEE Women in Engineering Global Engineering International Leadership Conference. The lessons learned that Dr. Pearsall presents are important for all leaders (men and women). The last nine minutes of the video include the Q&A and are not required for the lesson.

As you watch the following video, look for tips and tools that you can use in your virtual team class project.