Virtual teams, whose members may be freaged in interdependent tasks while geographically dispersed, are highly prevalent workgroups within organizations today. Because these global virtual teams must rely on technology to fulfill team goals across time and space, they may warrant unique meeting styles and structure. This chapter reviews the literature on virtual team meetings, providing evidence regarding the factors that may aid in the facilitation of such meetings based on existing research, and offers practitioners and professionals guidelines for successfully facilitating virtual team meetings. Drawing on previous meeting and global virtual team research, we make the following recommendations: select a facilitator, select appropriate information and communication technology, set meeting norms, set and reinforce team roles, acknowledge time zone and cultural differences, and follow up with action items.
My supervisor has just stopped by to remind everyone to meet upstairs in 10 minutes. Today is Friday – team meeting day. I finish preparing my weekly summaries, lock the company desktop, and head to the conference room with my notes. When I arrive, I join my team at the table and face the black teleconferencing system in the center of it. Our team is geographically dispersed across several states within the United States, with the slight majority of teammates being collocated at my location. I collaborate mainly with a woman from New York who will be dialing into today's meeting from home. My supervisor adjusts the volume on the sound system, and I now recognize the voice of another co-worker speaking to us from the black box; she is met with enthusiasm and thanked by all present for her well-done work this week. We wait for the others to dial in while my supervisor reminds those of us in the room to call up the electronic agenda he e-mailed us yesterday. Side chatter and small talk happen among those of us in the room. When the others join the meeting, we greet them, my supervisor goes over the agenda, and the meeting begins with each member updating the team on his or her current role and how his or her work is affecting the team's goals. Time flies quickly in our meetings.
