The mere suggestion of employees working from home is enough to make many managers sweat. Faced with the prospect of managing an employee they can’t even see, many discover that their managerial style just doesn’t work anymore. As an increasing number of jobs can be executed from home, managers must learn how to adapt their leadership style to cater to remote employees. Based on years of research, The Virtual Manager provides any manager with the tools he or she needs to successfully work with virtual employees. Trust us: it’s not like managing office-bound employees! This book is a tell-all user manual for a new generation of managers. To stay competitive in a global marketplace, it is essential to incorporate virtual employees into talent management strategy. The Virtual Manager arms managers with the knowledge they need to be become effective virtual leaders, including actionable advice on how to: Leverage the top engagement drivers for virtual employees Develop or alter policies and procedures to fit virtual employees’ needs Impact business outcomes through a flexible work strategy

With an increasing number of employees working remotely, it is more difficult than ever to ensure that team members are working smoothly and productively. This books provides a roadmap for bridging the logistical, cultural and communication gaps that can prevent any virtual team from reaching its full potential.

Manage your team from anywhere. Leading any team involves managing people, technical oversight, and project administration, but leaders of virtual teams perform these functions from afar. Leading Virtual Teams walks you through the basics of: Connecting your people to each other—and to the team’s mission Surmounting language, distance, and technology barriers Identifying and using the right communication channels Don't have much time? Get up to speed fast on the most essential business skills with HBR's 20-Minute Manager series. Whether you need a crash course or a brief refresher, each book in the series is a concise, practical primer that will help you brush up on a key management topic. Advice you can quickly read and apply, for ambitious professionals and aspiring executives—from the most trusted source in business.

Successfully Launch and Operate a Virtual Project Management Office New technology and global businesses and organizations are making virtual project management offices (VPMOs) more important and more prevalent than ever. Successfully operating a VPMO requires project managers to employ additional skills and address different challenges from those necessary to operate a traditional PMO. For example, the virtual project manager must have effective soft skills to build trust among a dispersed team and to select the best forms of communication. He or she must also ensure compliance with the unique policies, procedures, and laws relevant to maintaining a VPMO. This book offers best practices for successful virtual projects and the most effective ways to create and implement a PMO in a virtual environment. It's a valuable resource for companies considering a VPMO and those already operating one. You'll find: - Proven implementation plans - Guidance for building a business case - Laws and ethics governing VPMOs - Tips and advice from experts Plus! Dozens of practical tools to use in launching a VPMO or improving an existing project management office.

Today we have greater control over where and when we work. As our businesses spread across the world and technology makes it easy to do our jobs from anywhere there’s Wi-Fi, more of us have the option to go remote. But that doesn’t mean we’re good at it. Whether you’re calling in from a home office every day or one of your team members occasionally logs in from the quiet car on a train, distance can make collaboration more difficult. Remote work gives teams flexibility and options, but when you’re not face-to-face with colleagues, it’s difficult to set and manage expectations, deal with inevitable tech glitches, keep your people (and yourself) motivated and engaged, and infuse warmth and personality into the blunt communication tools you’re using. The Virtual Manager Collection gives you the solutions you need to be productive, whether you’re managing a team, a project, or just your own work. This specially priced three-volume set includes Virtual Collaboration, Running Virtual Meetings, and Leading Virtual Teams. Tips and strategies cover: • getting your technology up and running—and keeping it there • building and maintaining relationships from afar • communicating well through a variety of media • running productive virtual meetings • setting and managing expectations for your work • leading geographically dispersed teams This set has the practical advice, insights, and tools you need to work well, no matter where you are. Don’t have much time? Get up to speed fast on the most essential business skills with HBR’s 20-Minute Manager series. Whether you need a crash course or a brief refresher, each book in the series is a concise, practical primer that will help you brush up on a key management topic. Advice you can quickly read and apply, for ambitious professionals and aspiring executives-from the most trusted source in business. Also available as an ebook.

This book, with the legendary leader King Arthur, shows you how to transform a geographically distributed team that's falling short of its goals, into a "virtual work group" that gets results.

Get solid collaboration from team members in remote locations Globalization and new technologies have made team collaboration from distant geographical locations—on the road, from home or client sites, even on the other side of the globe—a routine part of business. Managing these teams requires new skills and sensitivities to maximize team and organizational performance. Emphasizing pragmatism over theory and offering helpful tips instead of vague observations, Manager’s Guide to Virtual Teams helps you bridge the communication gaps created by geographical separation and get peak performance from employees you rarely see. You will learn how to: Keep team members in remote locations motivated and involved Coach for peak performance via e-mail, telephone, teleconference, and videoconference Help widely scattered team members understand their contribution to the business Build consensus for decisions among virtual team members Learn effective communication and feedback techniques for enhancing team performance Briefcase Books, written specifically for today’s busy manager, feature eye-catching icons, checklists, and sidebars to guide managers step by step through everyday workplace situations. Look for these innovative features to help you navigate each page: Clear definitions of key terms and concepts Tactics and strategies for managing virtual teams Tricks of the trade for executing effective management techniques Practical advice for minimizing the possibility of error Warning signs for when things are about to go wrong Examples of successful virtual managing Specific planning procedures, tactics, and hands-on techniques

A proliferation of new technologies has lulled many into thinking that we actually have to think less about how we communicate. In fact, communicating and collaborating across time, distance, and cultures has never been more complex or difficult. Written as a series of bulleted tips drawn from client experiences and best practices, Leading Effective Virtual Teams: Overcoming Time and Distance to Achieve Exceptional Results presents practical tips to help leaders engage and motivate their geographically dispersed project team members. If you’re a leader of any type of virtual team and want to help your team members collaborate more effectively, then buy this book. You will learn how to: Build trust and cultivate relationships, virtually, across your team Design and facilitate virtual meetings that are focused and engaging Influence without authority Motivate and galvanize a virtual team for top performance Blend asynchronous and synchronous communications for better virtual collaboration Navigate cross-cultural and generational differences in the absence of vital visual cues Assess skills, strengths, aptitudes, and preferences from afar Handle other tough issues that can trip up virtual teams The ideas in this book are based on Nancy Settle-Murphy’s decades of experience working as a change management consultant, facilitator, and trainer for project teams around the world. Designed to be read section by section in any order, this book shares approaches and techniques to help you address some of the toughest challenges virtual team leaders face, including keeping team members engaged from afar.

This is an expert guide to the 2.6 Linux Kernel's most important component: the Virtual Memory Manager.

In Managing Telework, Jack Nilles illustrates that telework is undeniably the corporate wave of the future on a global level. Telework, or telecommuting, a term coined originally by Nilles, means basically moving the work to the worker instead of the other way around. Although there are both risks and opportunities involved in managing a virtual workforce, the opportunities usually far outweigh the risks. As Nilles explains, the key to a successful virtual workforce is making the best use of those opportunities through proper planning and the development of an appropriate management style. Management philosophy, style, and technique constitute the foundation of this indispensable resource. Managing Telework provides crucial information on every part of the telecommuting process. Nilles first explores the issues of selecting the right type of telecommuter-candidates who are likely to be effective workers without the structured environment of the office-and how to find or make proper workplaces for an effective telecommuting program. He then goes on to discuss that central, often unspoken managerial fear of telecommuting: the threat of losing control. Nilles explains that leaders, not administrators, are the key players in successful telecommuting, and that leadership can be taught. There must also be a basis of trust between the worker and the manager, and constant, open communication. Many other pressing topics are discussed in detail, such as how to select the best technology for your specific organization, how to navigate the formal rules and regulations of telecommuting (including union rules and zoning laws), how to measure results, and how to set up a home office. Plus, there is absolutely critical advice provided on other legal, corporate, and cultural issues. This step-by-step guidebook to telework is the only management resource you'll need for the future of business. Learn how to get out of the office. A step-by-step guide to managing a successful, efficient, and happy virtual workforce. "There is no better guide to telework than Jack Nilles. His insights are of growing importance to managers and teleworkers at all levels and sectors of government, business, and industry." -William H. Dutton Professor, Annenberg School of Communication and School of Public Policy and Urban Development at the University of Southern California, and former national director of the UK's Programme on Information and Communication Technologies(PICT) "From his twenty-five years of pioneering and perfecting telework, Jack Nilles defines the essential leadership philosophy of the successful telemanager and presents his time-tested techniques for Managing Telework. These pages are packed with top-notch expertise. I wouldn't be without it!" -David Fleming Fleming LTD "In Managing Telework, Jack Nilles describes what managers and workers need to do to create successful telework programs and explains the benefits they can derive from this way of working." -Paul Gray Professor of Information Science, Claremont Graduate University "Another milestone from the father of telecommuting; an essential reference and stimulation for the biggest change in work organization since Henry Ford." -Peter Johnston Directorate General XIII BI, Telecommunications, Information Market and Exploitation of Research, European Commission "The success of any telecommuting program hinges on thoroughly training telemanagers and non-teleworkers as well as telecommuters themselves. Nilles presents his guidelines in a practical, straightforward manner."-Margaret A. Klayton-Mi, PhD Associate Professor of Business Administration, Mary Washington College "A major transformation in the nature of work is in process. Jack Nilles, for years the foremost expert and visionary leader in the field of telecommuting, has written the definitive book on the subject. This is where the future begins. Don't miss it." -Burt Nanus Author, Visionary Leadership Professor Emeritus of Management, University of Southern California