Virtual Team Success: A Practical Guide for Working and Leading from a Distance [Hardcover]

Richard Lepsinger (Author), Darleen DeRosa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 19, 2010 | ISBN-10: 0470532963 | ISBN-13: 978-0470532966 | Edition: 1

This book leverages robust research studies and provides a practical resource for virtual team members and leaders. Based on a research study which is one of the most comprehensive studies ever conducted on virtual teams, this book offers a wealth of solid recommendations. To help organizations and leaders enhance virtual team performance, the book includes information on: key challenges, factors for success, characteristics of effective virtual teams, a model for success, effective practices, enhancing performance of low performing teams. The book also includes sections on future challenges and issues.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Virtual Team Success

In today's complex organizations it is not uncommon to have as many as 50 percent of employees working on virtual teams. As the "virtual revolution" continues to spread, how can companies ensure that virtual team collaboration is producing the desired results?

Highly practical and easy to navigate, Virtual Team Success leverages the authors' robust global research study and hands-on experience to provide an immediately usable resource for virtual team members and team leaders. This groundbreaking book is a hands-on, practical toolkit filled with down-to-earth examples and insights that can enhance the virtual team experience for everyone involved.

The authors' research study is one of the most comprehensive applied studies ever conducted on virtual teams, and all of the recommendations outlined are based on these findings as well as the authors' years of experience helping virtual teams and virtual team leaders effectively lead and collaborate from a distance. To help organizations and leaders enhance virtual team performance, the book includes:

• Why Virtual Teams Fail—outlines the four pitfalls that frequently derail virtual teams

• Profile of High Performing Teams—addresses the characteristics of the most effective virtual teams and what makes them successful

• Virtual Team Launch Kit—provides practical guidelines and tools for successfully launching virtual teams

• How to RAMP Up Your Team's Effectiveness—introduces a practical research-based model of virtual team effectiveness to improve team performance

• Profile of Top Performing Virtual Team Leaders—identifies the practices of the most successful virtual team leaders

• Facilitating High-Impact Virtual Meetings—includes tips and techniques to effectively lead "v-meetings"

Virtual Team Success also includes practical resources for virtual team leaders, quick reference guides for diagnosing virtual team problems, and six lessons for virtual team success.

From the Back Cover

Praise for Virtual Team Success

"There's no school for this yet, but when the first is established, Virtual Team Success: A Practical Guide for Working and Leading from a Distance will certainly be the core curriculum."
—Jessica Lipnack and Jeffrey Stamps, CEO and co-founders, NetAge

"Virtual Team Success is a must have for anyone managing geographically-dispersed teams. DeRosa and Lepsinger bring experience and credentials to guide us all through the labyrinth of problems that so often derail virtual teams. As our global businesses become increasingly complex, I can't imagine a more timely or better resource."
—Jay Moldenhauer-Salazar, vice president, talent management, The Gap

"For global teams that want to be top-performing, Virtual Team Success should be their team handbook. It's loaded with tools, checklists, models, and practical recommendations for working and leading from a distance. This is the kind of book virtual teams really need to be successful. I've been waiting for a book like this and look forward to recommending it as a resource that can help improve the performance of our teams!"
—Kathleen McGuire, manager organizational development, Bayer Healthcare HR Global Leadership Development

"Virtual teams are intended to make optimal use of expertise spread across the world, but performance excellence is the exception and mediocrity the rule. After extensive and careful study of real teams, DeRosa and Lepsinger have captured essential information, principles of operation, and tools in a highly readable volume that can help thoughtful readers elevate the performance of the teams significantly. The practical focus, collection of techniques and tools, and "how to" tips provide an essential foundation for anyone with virtual team responsibility. The organization of the book centered around challenges, differentiators, and lessons will facilitate finding answers to any problem the team faces. The RAMP model makes it easy to focus on what's important in enabling top performance."
—Mike Beyerlein, professor, Organizational Leadership, Purdue University

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Pfeiffer; 1 edition (October 19, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470532963
• ISBN-13: 978-0470532966
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #333,044 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Must have for virtual team members and leaders! November 28, 2010

By EWozniak

Format:Hardcover

I have been leading a virtual team for years at a global company and have read practically every virtual team book that has been released. All of the books I have read addressed the challenges faced by virtual teams, but only "Virtual Team Success" provided practical examples of how to address these challenges and how to avoid future issues. I applaud the authors for giving virtual teams a handbook of sorts to use as a guide going forward. My virtual team is far from perfect so I hope to incorporate some of the tips and guidelines to make our team more efficient and ultimately more successful.

3.0 out of 5 stars pretty good April 11, 2013

By bonnie

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Good illustrations. Bought this book for a class. It is fairly easy to read. Generally neutral feeling about this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars valuable for remote teams September 7, 2012

By Ron Herman

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Very valuable insights into remote/virtual team management. I highly recommended for executives, managers, consultants and team leads who are finding themselves working with remote personnel, either as employees, contractors, or in an outsourced model. For outsourcing, this is especially valuable for staff augmentation scenarios. Also a treasure trove of footnotes to worthwhile articles for followup.