Managing Virtual Teams

This course provides students with the skills necessary to form and manage a virtual team.  The course will explore the history of teamwork as well as the history of virtual teams.  Students will investigate essential skills and activities associated with managing teams.  Students will also explore the essential technologies associated with managing virtual teams.   Topics include the history of teams, the advantages of a virtual team, trust in teams, networking and technology, managing time in the virtual workplace, ethical considerations in virtual teams, thinking and learning in virtual teams, organizational culture limitations, and how to ensure virtual team success.

CAVEAT: No graduate credit will be awarded if MGT4620 has been successfully completed.

UPON COMPLETION OF THE COURSE, THE STUDENT WILL BE COMPETENT IN:

• Understanding the history of teamwork and its value within organizations.
• Understanding the role of virtual teams in organizations.
• Defining the difference between traditional face-to-face teams versus virtual teams.
• Understanding how to form a virtual team.
• Understanding the challenges of managing a virtual team.
• Understanding how to conceptualize organizational needs in relation to virtual teams.
• Defining team trust.
• Understanding how to manage and build team trust.
• Understanding how personality type affects team communication.
• Understanding the need to manage virtual team technology efficiently.
• Understanding the issues of privacy and respect.
• Understanding ethics within a virtual team.
• Understanding external and internal boundaries of a virtual team.
• Understanding the need for relationship building within virtual teams.
• Understanding the importance of effective communication within virtual teams.
• Understanding individual team member skills and how they affect the team.
• Exploring the future of virtual teams.