Telecommuting & Virtual Teams
08:28, 7 April 2009
.. Posted in Workplace, Working.. Link
Just as volunteers are never free -- it takes time and resources to engage them effectively -- telecommuting, or online collaboration among staff or volunteers, doesn't just magically happen when everyone has Internet access. Instead, it takes a lot of preparation and clearly-defined expectations in order for it to be successful, e.g., for work to be completed in the time frame needed, in the way that's needed, for staff to be supported in completing assignments, for staff to interact frequently with each other, for staff -- including supervisors -- to be satisfied with the experience, etc.
When I started researching to write materials for the Virtual Volunteering Project back in 1996, I used two sources: traditional volunteer management resources and telecommuting manuals. The former had all the proven quality standards needed by any program to involve volunteers, regardless of where the volunteers were performing their service. The latter had suggested practices for working with remote staff and dispersed teams. Together, they formed the basis for the information on the Virtual Volunteering Project, at a time when it was hard to find large numbers of organizations involving online volunteers (my, how times have changed!).
I've kept an eye on resources related to telecommuting and virtual teams in the for-profit world, both to continue to mine resources for virtual volunteering, and also for my own professional work telecommuting and in virtual teams, two things I am required to do regularly. I list these resources here, and update them regularly. There are also tips on this page regarding how to introduce telecommuting to your organization (whether you are at a nonprofit or for-profit).
