Brandeis University
Graduate Professional Studies
Rabb School of Continuing Studies
Course Syllabus
I. Course Information
1. Course Name Management of Virtual and Global Teams
2. Course Number RVTM-110-1DL
3. Course Start & End Dates; Class Meeting Times
· 1/22/14 – 4/1/14
· Distance Learning Course Week: Wednesday through Tuesday
4. Instructor’s Name and Contact Information
· Name: Dr. Aline Yurik
· Email:
· Phone: (617) 512-7485
· Office Hours/Availability: available through email M-F
5. Document Overview
This syllabus contains all relevant information about the course: its objectives and outcomes, the grading criteria, the texts and other materials of instruction, and of weekly topics, outcomes, assignments, and due dates.
Consider this your roadmap for the course. Please read through the syllabus carefully and feel free to share any questions that you may have. Please print a copy of this syllabus for reference.
I have tried to make the procedures that we will use clear to everyone through this syllabus and through the materials posted in LATTE. Please familiarize yourself with these materials and feel free to ask me any questions that you may have. I will work with you all to help you learn and apply these new skills, and I encourage you to ask questions when you are unsure and answer questions when you have the responses; in explaining how to approach problems, we learn more ourselves. We can all learn from each other, and I hope that we’ll have open and enriching discussions as we move forward!
6. Course Description
· Catalog Description
This course explores techniques for building, leading, managing, and motivating teams that reside in multiple locations. The course addresses methods to overcome the challenges of leading a virtual team with members in various geographical locations, including satellite and global offices and telecommuters. Concepts covered include virtual team structure; effective multi-cultural communication; motivation and performance considerations; knowledge sharing and knowledge management in a virtual, distributed team.
· Additional Description
Many work teams today are no longer co-located in a single office. The teams can include members from multiple company locations and telecommuters. With many companies today relying on the global workforce pool, and having offices in various regions of the world, an effective leader or manager needs to be able to build and lead virtual teams that are geographically distributed. Through a combination of theory, best practices, case studies, and course discussions, we will learn how to effectively create and manage virtual teams, master multi-cultural communication, share and manage the knowledge base, and motivate the team members to perform at the highest levels.
· Relevant Programs (graduate or undergraduate; Program(s) for which this course is a core or elective)
o Master of Science in Virtual Management – required core class
o Master of Science in Information Technology Management – required core class
o Master of Science in Management of Projects and Programs - elective
· Prerequisites
None
7. Materials of Instruction
a. Required Texts
· Nemiro, M. Beyerlein, Bradley, S. Beyerlein, editors, The Handbook of High-Performance Virtual Teams, John Wiley and Sons, 2008.
b. Required Software
· None required.
c. Recommended Text(s) / Journals
· Gibson, Cohen, editors, Virtual Teams that Work: Creating Conditions for Virtual Team Effectiveness, John Wiley and Sons, 2003
d. Online Course Content
· DL Courses: This section of the course will be conducted completely online using Brandeis’ LATTE site, available at http://latte.brandeis.edu. The site contains the course syllabus, assignments, our Discussions bulletin board, links/resources to course-related professional organizations and sites, and weekly checklists, objectives, outcomes, topic notes, self-tests, and discussion questions. Access information is emailed to enrolled students before the start of the course. To begin participating in the course, review the Week 1 > Week 1 Checklist.
8. Overall Course Objectives
The course is intended to provide students with an understanding of:
· Leadership and management skills needed to manage people from a distance
· Virtual team building techniques
· Group dynamics and communication strategies for virtual teams
· Knowledge sharing and team sharing strategies for virtual teams
· Performance and motivation strategies for virtual teams
9. Overall Course Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
· Lead teams in distributed work settings
· Demonstrate the people skills required to manage from a distance
· Build virtual teams, and apply strategies for managing multiple locations
· Understand and apply the group dynamics and social processes involved in leading teams at a distance
· Apply effective communication and structure for virtual teams
· Manage performance and motivation for virtual and global teams
· Enable knowledge sharing and management through team sharing approach and knowledge management tools
10. Course Grading Criteria
· Description of work expectations for assignments
· Homework 1: Virtual Team Project 1
· Homework 2: Virtual Team Project 2
· Final Project: Research paper covering course topics
· Discussion Participation Requirements:
Given the lack of the traditional classroom environment, all student participation will be done online via LATTE. Each weekly has a page that includes "Discussion Topics". These are a series of questions or points to consider regarding the course materials posted that week. To earn full credit for the Participation component of the grade, participants will be expected to complete the following during weeks 1 through 10 of the course:
Respond to (at least) two Discussion Topics each week; respond to one topic by end of day Saturday (midnight EST) and one by end of day Monday (midnight EST). These responses should be substantive in length and include your own insights into the topics. Any relevant sources used within the post should be cited appropriately.
Post (at least) two other substantive messages to the Discussions by end of day Tuesday (midnight EST) each week. These other posts may be responses to the discussion topic messages of others, they may be questions or comments about the topics covered during the week, or they may be responses to the posts of other groups. The assumption is that you will read through the posts of your classmates to enhance your learning; respond to those of your choice, based upon your own experiences and insights.
Please make sure to post on at least 3 different days of each course week (Wednesday through Tuesday).
Discussion Evaluation Criteria: A maximum of 10 points can be earned for discussion participation each week. Substantive on-time responses to the original discussion questions and substantive follow-up posts earn 2.5 points each. Additional discussion participation beyond the required 4 posts is also encouraged.
· Discussion Late Policies:
· 1 point off for initial discussion response posted 1 day late
· 2 points off for initial discussion response posted 2 or more days late
· 1 point off for participating in discussions fewer than 3 days a week
· No credit for discussion posts after the discussion week ends, unless there are extenuating circumstances that are discussed with the instructor.
· Homework Late Policies:
All course assignments are expected to be submitted by the assignment deadline. Any extenuating circumstances that prevent a student from submitting an assignment on time need to be discussed with the instructor. Upon instructor approval, late assignments will be accepted with 10% late penalty.
· While all the discussion and assignment due dates in the syllabus and in Latte are stated to be midnight EST, students in time zones other than EST can submit their work by midnight in the time zone they reside in.
· Percentages earned per assignment:
Percent / Component30% / Discussions/On-line participation:
· Each week respond to at least 2 Discussion Questions, one by Saturday and one by Monday, and post at least 2 other substantive messages by Tuesday. Post on at least 3 different days of each course week (Wednesday through Tuesday).
20% / Homework 1 (10% virtual team group grade + 10% individual contribution grade)
20% / Homework 2 (10% virtual team group grade + 10% individual contribution grade)
30% / Final Project
II. Weekly Information
Week 1 / 1/22 – 1/28Objectives / Principles of Managing Virtual and Global Teams
At the end of week 1, students will have an understanding of:
· A Framework for Virtual Teams Working Across Boundaries
· Design Principles for Successful Virtual Teams
· Development of Global Virtual Teams
· Conflict Management in Virtual Teams
Outcomes / At the end of week 1, students will be able to:
· Apply proven frameworks for setting up virtual teams to work successfully across boundaries
· Incorporate appropriate design principles into creation and management of successful virtual teams
· Select appropriate virtual team development techniques to achieve successful management of virtual teams.
· Apply conflict management skills to virtual team conflict resolution
Discussions (for DL) / · Example of virtual team you have been involved with
· Examples of projects where virtual team work is appropriate, and projects which are better done face-to-face
Readings / · Required: Nemiro at al, Chapters 1, 2
· Recommended: Gibson, Cohen, Chapters 15, 16
Assignments / Assessments/ Self-Assessments / · Homework 1 assigned: Virtual Team Project 1
Week 2 / 1/29 – 2/4
Objectives / Strategy, Structure and Practices of Virtual Teams
At the end of week 2, students will have an understanding of:
· Team Composition and Member Selection on Virtual Teams
· Design Concepts for Virtual Work Systems
· Aligning Tasks, Structures and Technologies on a Virtual Team
· Problem Solving in Virtual Teams
· Influence and Political Processes in Virtual Teams
· Time Gap Considerations for Virtual Teams
Outcomes / At the end of week 2, students will be able to:
· Determine the appropriate strategies for team composition and member selection needed for a particular virtual team
· Apply proven design concepts for virtual work systems
· Select and align appropriate tasks, structures and technologies for a virtual team
· Apply best practices for successful virtual team management, including problem solving, time gap management, political processes, and influence considerations
Discussions (for DL) / · Choosing a sample project X to use as an example for virtual team management and leadership decisions
· Making design strategy, leadership, team structure, and best practices decisions for project X
Readings / · Required: Nemiro at al, Chapters 10, 13, 17
· Recommended: Gibson, Cohen, Chapters 13, 14, 17
Assignments / Assessments/
Self-Assessments / · Homework 1 work continued
· Homework 1 – Team Charter due 2/4
Week 3 / 2/5 – 2/11
Objectives / Building a Strong Virtual Team, Establishing Trust
At the end of week 3, students will have an understanding of:
· Building a Winning Virtual Team: Selection, Training and Evaluation
· Assessing Training Needs for Virtual Team Collaboration
· Creativity Techniques for Virtual Teams
· Trust Building Online: Virtual Collaborations and the Development of Trust
· Building Trust: Effective Multicultural Communication Processes in Virtual Teams
Outcomes / At the end of week 3, students will be able to:
· Apply proven virtual team building techniques, including team member selection, training, and team evaluation
· Incorporate creativity techniques into virtual team work
· Apply trust building techniques, and effective multicultural communication processes to enhance the strength of a virtual team
Discussions (for DL) / · Team building and trust building strategies for project X
· Examples of creativity techniques applied on virtual team projects you participated in
Readings / · Required: Nemiro at al, Chapters 6, 12, 22
· Recommended: Gibson, Cohen, Chapters 4, 5
Assignments / Assessments/
Self-Assessments / · Homework 1 work continued
Week 4 / 2/12 – 2/18
Objectives / Effective Multi-Cultural Communication, Building a Collaborative Culture, Managing a Collaborative Team
At the end of week 4, students will have an understanding of:
· The Path of Expanding Emotional Bandwidth in Virtual Team
· Successful Collaboration Techniques for Virtual Teams
· Sensemaking to Create High-Performing Virtual Teams
· Generational Differences in Virtual Teams
· Managing Virtual Teams that Cross Borders
· Case Study: Virtual Collaboration in a Matrix Organization
Outcomes / At the end of week 4, students will be able to:
· Apply successful collaboration techniques to building a virtual, collaborative team
· Incorporate techniques such as expanding emotional bandwidth and sensemaking to creation and management of virtual teams
· Manage generational differences in virtual teams
· Apply proven strategies to managing teams that cross borders
Discussions (for DL) / · Multi-cultural communication techniques for project X
· Examples of effective cross-border and multi-cultural team leadership
Readings / · Required: Nemiro at al, Chapters 3, 4, 5, 11, 16, 27
Assignments / Assessments/
Self-Assessments / · Homework 1 is due on 2/18
Week 5 / 2/19 – 2/25
Objectives / Virtual Team Leadership
At the end of week 5, students will have an understanding of:
· Exploration of Emerging Leadership in Virtual Teams
· Transformational Leadership Attributes for Virtual Team Leaders
· Virtual Team Change Leadership
· Leading Virtual Teams: Potential Problems and Simple Solutions
Outcomes / At the end of week 5, students will be able to:
· Explore emerging leadership qualities in virtual team members and successfully setup the leadership structure for virtual teams
· Apply leadership techniques, such as transformational leadership and change leadership to leading virtual teams
· Incorporate proven strategies for leadership problem solving to leading virtual teams
Discussions (for DL) / · Leadership considerations for project X
· Leadership problem solving
Readings / · Required: Nemiro at al, Chapters 7, 8, 9
· Recommended: Gibson, Cohen, Chapter 8
Assignments / Assessments/
Self-Assessments / Homework 2 assigned: Virtual Team Project 2
Week 6 / 2/26 – 3/4
Objectives / Virtual Team Collaboration Tools and Assessments
At the end of week 6, students will have an understanding of:
· Decision-Making Problem Correction through Effective Collaboration
· Tools for Effective Virtual Team Start-Ups