29 -
The Successful Facilitation of Virtual Team Meetings
pp. 680-706
By Brooke B. Allison, Marissa L. Shuffler and Allison M. Wallace
View chapter as PDF
The Cambridge Handbook of Meeting Science
Edited by Joseph A. Allen
Edited by Nale Lehmann-Willenbrock
Edited by Steven G. Rogelberg
Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print Publication Year: 2015
Online Publication Date:August 2015
Online ISBN:9781107589735
Hardback ISBN:9781107067189
Paperback ISBN:9781107646940
Abstract
Virtual teams, whose members
may be freaged in interdependent tasks while geographically dispersed,
are highly prevalent workgroups within organizations today. Because
these global virtual teams must rely on technology to fulfill team goals
across time and space, they may warrant unique meeting styles and
structure. This chapter reviews the literature on virtual team meetings,
providing evidence regarding the factors that may aid in the
facilitation of such meetings based on existing research, and offers
practitioners and professionals guidelines for successfully facilitating
virtual team meetings. Drawing on previous meeting and global virtual
team research, we make the following recommendations: select a
facilitator, select appropriate information and communication
technology, set meeting norms, set and reinforce team roles, acknowledge
time zone and cultural differences, and follow up with action items.
Keywords: virtual meetings, global virtual teams, virtual teamwork, meeting facilitation, meeting inputs
My
supervisor has just stopped by to remind everyone to meet upstairs in
10 minutes. Today is Friday – team meeting day. I finish preparing my
weekly summaries, lock the company desktop, and head to the conference
room with my notes. When I arrive, I join my team at the table and face
the black teleconferencing system in the center of it. Our team is
geographically dispersed across several states within the United States,
with the slight majority of teammates being collocated at my location. I
collaborate mainly with a woman from New York who will be dialing into
today's meeting from home. My supervisor adjusts the volume on the sound
system, and I now recognize the voice of another co-worker speaking to
us from the black box; she is met with enthusiasm and thanked by all
present for her well-done work this week. We wait for the others to dial
in while my supervisor reminds those of us in the room to call up the
electronic agenda he e-mailed us yesterday. Side chatter and small talk
happen among those of us in the room. When the others join the meeting,
we greet them, my supervisor goes over the agenda, and the meeting
begins with each member updating the team on his or her current role and
how his or her work is affecting the team's goals. Time flies quickly
in our meetings.
29 - The Successful Facilitation of Virtual Team Meetings - University Publishing Online
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