This issue focuses on enhancing organizational performance by improving virtual work teams.

Ten years ago virtual teams were rare. Today, technology, globalization, and the need for 24/7 response times have dramatically changed the business landscape. Research by Gartner, Inc., indicates that nearly "137 million workers worldwide will be involved in some form of remote electronic work by the year 2003."

The International Telework Association and Council has announced that the number of people working in dispersed (or virtual) teams grew from 19.6 million in 1999 to 23.6 million in 2000. Ongoing research by Gartner indicates that these numbers will continue to increase. By 2010 it's projected that employees will spend only 5% of their time working in the same space and at the same time as their coworkers. Instead of working together in the same physical space, tomorrow's workers will spend 95% of their time working alone or in a different location or on a different schedule than their colleagues.

"Managing Virtual Teams," Workforce, June 2001

The biggest challenge in managing virtual workers is performance management, which requires that managers do three things well: define, facilitate, and encourage performance. While this principle is important to follow in conventional working environments, it is essential in a virtual working environment. On a virtual team, all team members must understand their responsibilities.

The next step is to develop specific, challenging goals that measure the extent to which goals are being achieved. Assessment mechanisms need to be designed so that workers and managers can stay focused on what really counts. To be useful, the measures should be linked to the strategic direction, business objectives, and customer requirements of the company.

"Managing a Virtual Workplace" Academy of Management Executive, August 2001

Managing virtual workers challenges even the best managers. Traditional management training focuses on how to manage people face-to-face. Virtual management, on the other hand, requires a new set of specialized tools and training in order to be successful. Here are some strategies to consider.

• "Culturize" the virtual employee. Spend a great deal of time initially in face-to-face interaction. Building trust and indoctrinating the individual into your work group should be the focal point.
• Develop a strong sense of purpose and trust. Employees separated from their colleagues and superiors tend to feel isolated, thus making it harder to remain focused and committed to objectives.
• Redesign work around processes. Virtual work enables more employees to be deployed around the needs, processes, and requirements of the customer.
• Reward outcomes and results. The output and results of the virtual worker's performance are more important in achieving group objectives than evaluating time spent on activities.

Are your virtual work teams as productive as you would like them to be? If you'd like to learn more about improving performance through stronger virtual teams, join us for a FREE Webinar Thursday, April 17. Hosted by Carmela Sperlazza Southers, coauthor of the Virtual Teams Handbook, this Webinar explains how team leaders and team members can meet the special challenges that confront virtual teams. Whether a team is in the beginning stages, has recently taken on new members, or is troubleshooting team problems, this online seminar shows how to make any virtual team more successful.