Leading Virtual Project Teams: Adapting Leadership Theories and Communications Techniques to 21st Century Organizations

215 Pages·2013·2.97 MB·English

by  Margaret R. Lee

Business Management / Project Management L
e
In a 1945 speech, Winston Churchill stated, “We are shaping the world faster than we e Leading Virtual
can change ourselves, and we are applying to the present the habits of the past.” Was
Churchill predicting the future of project management? Have we changed how we
communicate and lead projects? Have leadership and management theories and models
evolved to keep pace with today’s business environment?
Project Teams
Leading Virtual Project Teams: Adapting Leadership Theories and Communications L
Techniques to 21st Century Organizations addresses the challenges the virtual
e
project management environment poses to traditional methods of leadership and
a Adapting Leadership Theories and Communications
communication. It introduces new approaches for adapting existing leadership d
theories to e-leadership as well as progressive tools and techniques to improve virtual Techniques to 21st Century Organizations
i
project communications. n
g
The book begins by examining the factors affecting the movement from traditional
work environments to virtual organizations. It considers the challenges of leading V
multicultural, global organizations and reviews what e-leadership means. Illustrating
i
the application of both traditional and new leadership models and theories to virtual r
t
project management, the book includes best practices for
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• Managing and motivating the multicultural team a
• Communicating in a distributed work environment l

P
• Avoiding social isolation
• Cyber-bullying in the virtual environment and e-ethics r
o
• Cultural management issues
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e
c
Explaining how traditional leadership theories and models can be applied to
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contemporary projects, the book details methods virtual project managers can use to

enhance virtual communications. The final chapter describes the e-leadership skills T
and competencies project managers will need to ensure sustainable success in today’s e
competitive business environment. a
m
This book provides the virtual project manager with the tools and techniques to improve
e-leadership and communications. Complete with case studies that illustrate real-world s
applications to the virtual challenges presented in each chapter, the book is a suitable text
for educational institutions looking to increase understanding of project management
leadership and communications outside the traditional project environment.
K16755
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ISBN: 978-1-4665-7688-9
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an informa business New York, NY 10017 90000 Margaret R. Lee, PhD, PMP
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Best Practices and Advances in Program Management Series
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K16755 mech -rev2.indd 1 7/5/13 3:17 PM

Leading Virtual
Project Teams
Adapting Leadership Theories and
Communications Techniques
to 21st Century Organizations
Best Practices and Advances
in Program Management Series
Series Editor
Ginger Levin

PUBLISHED TITLES
Leading Virtual Project Teams: Adapting Leadership Theories
and Communications Techniques to 21st Century Organizations
Margaret R. Lee
Construction Program Management
Joseph Delaney
Applying Guiding Principles of Effective Program Delivery
Kerry R. Wills
Program Management: A Life Cycle Approach
Ginger Levin
Implementing Program Management: Templates and Forms Aligned
with the Standard for Program Management,
Third Edition (2013) and Other Best Practices
Ginger Levin and Allen R. Green
FORTHCOMING TITLES
Program Governance
Muhammad Ehsan Khan
Successful Program Management:
Complexity Theory, Communication, and Leadership
Wanda Curlee and Robert Lee Gordon
Sustainable Program Management
Gregory T. Haugan
The Essential Program Management Office
Gary Hamilton
From Projects to Programs: A Project Manager’s Journey
Samir Penkar
Leading Virtual
Project Teams
Adapting Leadership Theories and
Communications Techniques
to 21st Century Organizations
Margaret R. Lee
CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Group
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300
Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742
© 2014 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business
No claim to original U.S. Government works
Version Date: 20130626
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-1-4665-7689-6 (eBook - PDF)
This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reasonable
efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher cannot
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Dedication
This work is dedicated to my husband, Paul Lee, and my children,
David Lee, Kathy Strickland, and Megan Strange. Their support,
love, and encouragement made it possible for me to complete
my education and start over. This work is also dedicated to my
colleagues, my longtime “lunch-bunch,” and my friends and
neighbors who continue to support and encourage me without
fail. And, last but most importantly, this book is dedicated to all
those individuals who lead and manage virtual project teams.
© 2010 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Contents
List of Figures ........................................................................................xi
List of Tables .......................................................................................xiii
List of Case Studies ...............................................................................xv
Preface .................................................................................................xvii
Acknowledgments ...............................................................................xix
About the Author. ................................................................................xxi
Introduction ......................................................................................xxiii
Chapter 1 Overview .............................................................................1
Virtual Terminology ...................................................................1
Factors Affecting the Movement from Traditional
Work Environments to Virtual Organizations .......................5
Challenges of Leading in Virtual Organizations ....................7
Looking Ahead: The Application of Traditional
Leadership Models and Theories to Virtual Project
Management ...............................................................................10
References ...................................................................................12
Chapter 2 e-Leadership for Projects .................................................15
Introduction ...............................................................................15
Defining e-Leadership ..............................................................17
Application of Traditional Leadership Models and
Theories to Virtual Project Management...............................18
Control-Related Leadership ................................................18
Leadership through Empowerment ..................................20
Transformational and Transactional Leadership Styles ...21
Contingency School of Leadership .....................................23
Situational Leadership Styles ..............................................24
Decision Tree Approach ......................................................25
Agile Project Management ..................................................26
Servant Leadership and Grateful Leadership ..................28
Models of Team Development ............................................29
© 2010 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC vii
viii  •  Contents
The ARCS Model .................................................................30
Entrepreneurial Leadership.................................................32
Extreme Agility .....................................................................33
Negative e-Leadership Approaches .........................................35
Authoritarian Leadership Style ..........................................35
Laissez-Faire Leadership .....................................................38
Leader–Member Exchange Theory ....................................38
Moving toward Multiple e-Leadership Styles ........................39
Benefits of Multiple Leadership Styles in Virtual
Projects ...................................................................................39
Looking Ahead: Current Approaches to Virtual
Communications ......................................................................42
Food for Thought ......................................................................54
Notes ...........................................................................................54
References ...................................................................................55
Case Study References...............................................................59
Chapter 3 Enhancing Virtual Project Communications ................61
Understanding Project Communications ..............................61
e-Leadership for Virtual Project Communications .........62
Planning for Project Communications .............................62
Communications Plan ....................................................63
Various Approaches to Virtual Communication ................68
Different Methods ...............................................................68
Tools and Techniques to Enhance Communications
for Virtual Organizations ....................................................69
Communications Technology ........................................70
Virtual Etiquette ..............................................................71
Sharing Knowledge ..........................................................72
Communicating in a Nonverbal World ........................72
Best Practice Approaches ....................................................74
Face-to-Face Communications ......................................74
Teleconferences and Telephone Calls ............................75
Collaboration Tools .........................................................76
Using Multiple Leadership Styles to Communicate to
Distributed Teams .....................................................................79
Situational Communication Styles....................................80
Servant Leadership Communication .................................82
© 2010 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC