Virtual Leadership: Learning to Lead Differently - Softcover

Caulat, Ghislaine & Pedler Mike

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1907471502 ISBN 13: 9781907471506

Publisher: Libri Publishing, 2012

Synopsis

For at least two decades, people have been working together virtually, their interactions enabled and mediated by communication technology;based on years of research, this book summarises what it takes to lead effectively in the virtual space.

About this title

About the Author

Ghislaine Caulat is a consultant with more than 15 years of experience. She is an associate director at Ashridge Consulting in the United Kingdom and the founder of Black Gazelle, a company dedicated to developing and promoting virtual leadership in organizations. She is the author of "The Future of Learning." Mike Pedler is a professor at Henley Business School at the University of Reading and a coeditor for the journal "Action Learning: Research and Practice."

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Virtual Leadership

Learning to Lead Differently

By Ghislaine Caulat

Libri Publishing

Copyright © 2012 Ghislaine Caulat
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-907471-50-6

Contents

Acknowledgements, vii, 
Foreword, ix, 
Who Is the Book For?, 1, 
A Reader's Guide, 3, 
Chapter 1: Stories Instead of Recipes, 7, 
Chapter 2: Research With Virtual Leaders ForVirtual Leaders, 13, 
Invitation 1: Virtual Leaders Need to Learn, Relearn and Unlearn, 27, 
Invitation 2: Listen, Forget Body Language!, 37, 
Invitation 3: Don't Control, Connect!, 47, 
Invitation 4: Relationships Are All You Have!, 55, 
Invitation 5: The Virtual Leader Is a "Facileader", 63, 
Invitation 6: Your Power Is Trust!, 83, 
Invitation 7: Shape Your Virtual Culture, 103, 
Invitation 8: WHO Are You?, 113, 
Final Considerations, 125, 
Glossary, 128, 
References, 133, 
Appendix: An Introduction to My Key Fellow Researchers, 137, 
The Virtual Leadership Tool Box, 139, 
• A Summary Of Hygiene Principles For Synchronous Virtual Meetings, 140, 
• B Further Hints And Tips For Your Synchronous Meetings, 142, 
• C Focus Exercises, 144, 
• D Scheduling Virtual Synchronous Meetings, 149, 
• E Designing Communication, 151, 
• F The Foundation Of High Performance In The Virtual Team, 153, 
• G Helping You To Slow Down For Effective Virtual Leadership, 154, 
• H Questions To Exercise Reflexivity In Virtual Leadership, 155, 

CHAPTER 1

Stories Instead of Recipes

Why Has Virtual Working Remained So Difficult?

I have reflected often on the questions:

• Why do so many people reject or dislike virtual working?

• Why do they struggle with it?

Is it because it is inherently incompatible with human nature, or is it only a question of time? Will people get used to it and adopt this new way of working and communicating, just as they adopted the use of cars or microwaves decades ago? Are we just considering patterns in the adoption of a new technology? This curiosity led me to undertake substantial, practical research into what needs to happen for virtual working and leadership to be truly successful. In this book I present my key findings.

Like it or not, virtual working has become essential in the last few years, prompted by ever-increasing globalisation, a growing care for the environment, a concern for a better quality of life, the need to cut costs and the desire to welcome into the corporate world Generation Y (people born in the 1980s who have grown up with all today's virtual media).

Virtual working truly is nothing new though. This way of working (mediated by communication technology) has been practised for at least twenty years, and a great deal has been written about the topic. But even after so many years, virtual working remains an unsatisfactory practice which at best is considered as 'second class'; something you do when you cannot travel.

For most people, virtual working is associated with something that is not real or is superficial. For the vast majority of managers I have come across in organisations, personal contact can only equate to face-to-face contact. I am constantly amazed when people say to each other: 'I look forward to meeting you personally' when they mean 'meeting you face-to-face', even though they have already been working together virtually for perhaps six months. I wonder what they have been doing all this time. Have they not developed some sense of each other at a personal level? If not, why is it l

Edition details

• Publisher: Libri Publishing
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1907471502
• ISBN 13: 9781907471506
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 200