Recommended reading: The Distance Manager
The Distance Manager
By: Fisher, Kimball; Fisher, Mareen Duncan. Business Book Review Library, 6/23/2010, p1-9, 10p;
Abstract: With an increasing number of employees working outside the central workplace, direct control over members of a project team is a thing of the past. In The Distance Manager, authors Kimball Fisher and Mareen Duncan Fisher have created a practical guide for employers and managers on how to get the most out of off-site employees and virtual teams. Emphasizing the value of management skills and resources required to keep the project on track, the Fishers offer simple tips and real examples in order to guide the prospective team to a project’s successful conclusion. In addition to a list of ways the manager can cripple the success of the project, the authors offer several competencies—such as articulating a vision and aggressively eliminating barriers to team effectiveness—that make the undertaking successful. Team members offer additional recommendations on how the manager can help the project flourish. Keeping the team running at peak performance can be difficult, but the initial moves involved in creating the team—such as finding the right type of employee and recognizing the variant of team that has been established—are also important. Face to face meetings are essential at the beginning so the manager can work with the whole team to set up roles and responsibilities and define the parameters of the project. The authors offer several practical tips for keeping the teams on track, including 1) how to build trust among team members, 2) making sure members have the skills they will need to continue the project, 3) managing employees who do not report directly to the manager, 4) using technology to continue effective communication, 5) creating protocols to smooth communication when using technology, and 6) having face-to-face meetings when necessary.These ideas do work. The authors interviewed Fortune 500 managers who have successfully completed projects and whose stories can help the prospective distance manager through the ups and downs of their projects.
(Recommended by DDI)
By: Fisher, Kimball; Fisher, Mareen Duncan. Business Book Review Library, 6/23/2010, p1-9, 10p;
Abstract: With an increasing number of employees working outside the central workplace, direct control over members of a project team is a thing of the past. In The Distance Manager, authors Kimball Fisher and Mareen Duncan Fisher have created a practical guide for employers and managers on how to get the most out of off-site employees and virtual teams. Emphasizing the value of management skills and resources required to keep the project on track, the Fishers offer simple tips and real examples in order to guide the prospective team to a project’s successful conclusion. In addition to a list of ways the manager can cripple the success of the project, the authors offer several competencies—such as articulating a vision and aggressively eliminating barriers to team effectiveness—that make the undertaking successful. Team members offer additional recommendations on how the manager can help the project flourish. Keeping the team running at peak performance can be difficult, but the initial moves involved in creating the team—such as finding the right type of employee and recognizing the variant of team that has been established—are also important. Face to face meetings are essential at the beginning so the manager can work with the whole team to set up roles and responsibilities and define the parameters of the project. The authors offer several practical tips for keeping the teams on track, including 1) how to build trust among team members, 2) making sure members have the skills they will need to continue the project, 3) managing employees who do not report directly to the manager, 4) using technology to continue effective communication, 5) creating protocols to smooth communication when using technology, and 6) having face-to-face meetings when necessary.These ideas do work. The authors interviewed Fortune 500 managers who have successfully completed projects and whose stories can help the prospective distance manager through the ups and downs of their projects.
(Recommended by DDI)
