Virtual Teams, further defined

["Peggy Richardson of mer-it.com" <techwrl -at- mer-it -dot- com>]

In answer to John's question: yup - that's what we mean. And not only just 
the act of working in this way - but the real interaction of a 
*high-functioning team* who work together in this way. My reading leads me 
to believe that the term "Virtual Teams" was developed in response to the 
need for members to feel the same level of *trust* that a well-built team 
who worked locally with each other would have.

We're finding, through research and various interviews with those that work 
on successful virtual teams, that there are some definite tricks to 
establish this. Your point about communication is key. We're trying to move 
away from just being fascinated with the technology, to finding out how to 
mold the technology around the humans involved. How is this high-quality 
level of communication established? Does it mean just using web 
conferencing and other tools? What are the peripheral issues, such as how 
to deal with difficult people on the team, how to garner enthusiasm for new 
ideas, etc.?

Steve Hudson makes a good point: sometimes a quality team setup does not 
involve a lot of expense. If you were using only email and a few free or 
cheap web-based tools, what are the techniques involved that can be applied 
no matter what your setup? (This list might be an interesting case study, 
come to think of it... we do have many of the aspects of a successful team. :o)

I'd be interested in further feedback from the list, now that we've 
narrowed the definition down a bit.
Thanks again,
Peggy

At 03:17 PM 1/17/02 -0800, John Posada wrote: