"This international and interdisciplinary book presents research from a wide range of disciplines (business, communication, education, governance, law, marketing, microbiology, mining, music, nursing, pharmacy, philosophy, psychology and sociology) utilizing varied technologies to achieve high quality, practical and successful communication"--Provided by publisher.

"This book provides exploration of the opportunities, benefits and costs associated with virtual work, addressing several communicative, relational and practical issues associated with virtual work"--Provided by publisher.

A Washington Post Bestseller Your manual for remote and virtual work. Communicating virtually is cool, useful, and now even more ubiquitous and necessary than ever. But we're often reminded that the quality of human connection we experience in many forms of virtual communication is awful. We've all felt disconnected in a video conference, frustrated that we're not getting through on the phone, upset when our email is badly misinterpreted, or anxious that we're being misunderstood. How can we fix this? In this powerful, practical book, communication expert Nick Morgan outlines five big problems with communication in the virtual world--lack of feedback, lack of empathy, lack of control, lack of emotion, and lack of connection and commitment--and shows how to overcome them as we shift to working remotely more and more. Morgan argues that while virtual communication will never be as rich or intuitive as a face-to-face meeting, recent research suggests that we need to learn is to consciously deliver a whole set of cues, both verbal and nonverbal, that we used to deliver unconsciously in the pre-virtual era. He guides us through this important process, providing rules for virtual feedback, an empathy assessment and virtual temperature check, tips for creating trust in a virtual context, and advice for specific digital channels such as email and text, the conference call, Skype, and more. Whether you're an entrepreneur, an independent professional, or a manager in an organization that has more than one office or customers who aren't nearby, Can You Hear Me? is your essential communications manual for twenty-first-century work.

This volume addresses virtual reality (VR) -- a tantalizing communication medium whose essence challenges our most deeply held notions of what communication is or can be. The editors have gathered an expert team of engineers, social scientists, and cultural theorists for the first extensive treatment of human communication in this exciting medium. The first part introduces the reader to VR's state-of-the-art as well as future trends. In the next section, leading research scientists discuss how knowledge of communication can be used to build more effective and exciting communication applications of virtual reality. Looking ahead, the authors explore pioneering approaches to VR narratives, interpersonal communication, the use of 3D sound, and the building of VR entertainment complexes. In the final section, the authors zoom out to view the big picture -- the psychological, social, and cultural implications of virtual reality. Thought-provoking discussions consider important communication issues such as: * How will virtual reality influence perception of reality? * What are the legal issues defining communication in virtual reality? * What kind of cultural trends will this technology encourage?

Teams are the key to smart, flexible, and cost-effective organizations for the 21st century. However, advances in communication technologies have dramatically changed the nature of teamwork. Traditional, collocated teams are now giving way to distributed cross-boundary virtual groups linked through relationships and technology, reaching across space, time, and organizational boundaries. In their fifth book, Virtual Teams, Jessica Lipnack and Jeffrey Stamps, leading experts in networked organizations, take you beyond teams into the new world of work-at-a-distance, showing you how to effectively start, implement, and maintain virtual teams in your own organization. Today, virtual teams are an established feature of multisite and global companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, Bank of Boston, and Steelcase. Made possible by technologies like the Internet, intranets, and groupware, these teams are invaluable tools for organizations that need to bring together specialized groups of people to work on projects or comprise a spread-out business unit. The principles outlined in Virtual Teams provide an antidote to the high failure rate of teams. At the same time, as the authors warn, "It is harder for virtual teams to be successful than for traditional face-to-face teams. Misunderstandings are more likely to arise and more things are likely to go wrong." In this straightforward guide, Lipnack and Stamps provide a comprehensive framework that makes virtual teams accessible and practical. Beginning with a brief overview of exactly what virtual teams are and how they work, the authors show how they can be integrated into your business structure. Featuring insightful case studies from Eastman Chemical Company, NCR, Tetra Pak, and Sun Microsystems, this stimulating and hands-on reference offers essential information on: The basic virtual team principles: people, purpose, links The skills and technologies necessary for creating a successful virtual team Supporting the dynamics of the cross-boundary team and enhancing personal communications electronically Virtual team applications of the Internet's newest offspring, intranets Providing an in-depth look at an increasingly important teamwork tool, Virtual Teams gives you the materials you need to create and build a winning virtual team for your own organization. "If you want to see where organizational communications are going in the future, heed what these pioneers have written today." —Howard Rheingold, Author of The Virtual Community and Founder of Electric Mind "Lipnack and Stamps have written an important book for the 21st century corporation." —Regis McKenna, The McKenna Group, author of Relationship Marketing "This book provides a long overdue perspective on how to apply the discipline of real teams in the fast moving, increasingly dispersed information age of the future." —Jon R. Katzenbach, Author, The Wisdom of Teams "For those who want to lead the movement, catch up with it, or simply know where it is going, this book is packed with useful information and interesting stories." —Dee W. Hock, Founder and Chairman Emeritus, VISA "Virtual Teams provides valuable insights into global teamwork and management through network technologies now available to all companies, large or small." —Jim Lynch, Director, Corporate Quality, Sun Microsystems, Inc.

In today’s complex organizations it is not uncommon to have as many as 50 percent of employees working on virtual teams. As the “virtual revolution” continues to spread, how can companies ensure that virtual team collaboration is producing the desired results? Highly practical and easy to navigate, Virtual Team Success leverages the authors’ robust global research study and hands-on experience to provide an immediately usable resource for virtual team members and team leaders. This groundbreaking book is a hands-on, practical toolkit filled with down-to-earth examples and insights that can enhance the virtual team experience for everyone involved. The authors’ research study is one of the most comprehensive applied studies ever conducted on virtual teams, and all of the recommendations outlined are based on these findings as well as the authors’ years of experience helping virtual teams and virtual team leaders effectively lead and collaborate from a distance. To help organizations and leaders enhance virtual team performance, the book includes: Why Virtual Teams Fail—outlines the four pitfalls that frequently derail virtual teams Profile of High Performing Teams—addresses the characteristics of the most effective virtual teams and what makes them successful Virtual Team Launch Kit—provides practical guidelines and tools for successfully launching virtual teams How to RAMP Up Your Team’s Effectiveness—introduces a practical research-based model of virtual team effectiveness to improve team performance Profile of Top Performing Virtual Team Leaders—identifies the practices of the most successful virtual team leaders Facilitating High-Impact Virtual Meetings—includes tips and techniques to effectively lead “v-meetings” Virtual Team Success also includes practical resources for virtual team leaders, quick reference guides for diagnosing virtual team problems, and six lessons for virtual team success.