Accelerating High-Performing Virtual Teams

Accelerating High-Performing Virtual Teams is a highly interactive program, conducted virtually using the Adobe Connect platform, and designed to equip virtual teams with the key skills and tools needed to enhance their leadership and team effectiveness.

Because today’s teams are dispersed geographically, sustaining high performance levels, continuously improving, and staying “engaged” are especially challenging. In addition, while the attributes of high-performing teams are the same for all types of teams, there are several key distinctions that must be taken into account for virtual teams to achieve high performance. These include: challenges to focus and flexibility, using technological tools, and engaging virtually, given the lack of “live” face-to-face interaction on virtual teams. This program equips team leaders and members with the ability to accelerate performance in the virtual environment.

Accelerating High-Performing Virtual Teams is delivered in four phases:

Phase 1: Team assessment of current strengths and opportunities
Phase 2: Team “virtual” observation with feedback
Phase 3: Four team skill-building modules:

• Active Listening
• Assertion
• Conflict/Trust
• Decision Making

Phase 4: A 90-day, post-learning assessment that measures the team’s progress and effectiveness.

Additional team coaching and consulting support can be provided through the Guttman Leadership Institute to enhance continuous learning and development.

Who Should Attend:

Teams (intact, cross-functional, or project) who work across time, space, cultural, or organizational boundaries and routinely communicate electronically

Learning Objectives:

• Assess current “as is” of virtual-team effectiveness through an online survey and real-time observation of team members
• Understand the skills, accelerators, and stallers of high-performing virtual teams
  Identify the actions and behaviors necessary to leverage the skills/accelerators and mitigate the stallers
• Practice key skills, including virtual meeting facilitation, assertion, active listening, decision making, building trust, and resolving conflict in a virtual environment

Learning Format:

Assessments, concept briefings, case studies, skill practice, experiential exercises, structured application and tracking, with optional follow-on coaching support

Program Duration:

Sixteen program hours conducted in 6 modules, including virtual team overview, action learning, team observation, leadership skill development and assessment.