Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Virtual Learning Teams

In a recent study by Brandon Hall Research, 74 percent of professionals surveyed said their teams work in shared virtual settings. Virtual work teams are now commonplace. Is your organization, or your client’s organization, maximizing the learning and knowledge transfer of these teams?

Dr. Hall shared his findings and recommendations in the May 2008 edition of “Chief Learning Officer” magazine.

First, adopt the principles used by project managers. Regardless of job level or title, “empower everyone, minimize silos, and maximize a collaborative approach.”

Second, use team inventory tools to highlight knowledge and skills available to the team. Make Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and/or DISC results available for team members. List what each member brings to the table: subject matter expertise, interests and hobbies, relationships with various customers and groups, knowledge of particular global regions or countries, etc.

Third, use technology such as “conference bridges, webcast environments, video conferencing, IP phones, document sharing tools, texting, IM and survey building tools.”

Don’t think of virtual teams simply as work teams. Virtual teams should always be considered to be development tool. Once you assess the learning needs of your workers, consider what learning needs can be met through the virtual team.

To learn more about e-learning and other related topics use the Search function on my blog or read my book, “Strategic Organizational Learning” (available at Amazon.com or my website http://www.mikebeitler.com/).

There are also many free resources on the Free Stuff page on my website.