Tips on Managing Virtual Teams

Virtual teams are not synonymous with groups of telecommuters, although many similarities exist -- enough so that insights gained by some companies in managing virtual teams could help other companies when it comes to effectively managing telecommuters.

A case in point is Nortel Networks.

Why Virtual Teams?
For a company like Nortel, virtual teams are a must. The company, which creates Internet technologies, has 80,000 employees in 150 countries and has to do business 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in different time zones and localities all over the world. Dale Pratt is director of HR at Nortel and is herself a member of a virtual team with team members who are close to her Canadian headquarters and others who are as far away as Europe and China. "We have to work in real time across the globe," says Pratt, "and our employees have to be where our customers are. For us, working with our virtual team is the same as other companies where people might sit together under a centralized roof. We simply use different tools."

The Opportunities of Virtual Teams

The Challenges of Virtual Teams

Tips for Managing Virtual Teams

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