Virtual, hybrid and distributed teams are now part of everyday organisational life. They support flexible work, cross-location collaboration, communities of practice, project teams and partnerships that are not based in one place.
Managing these teams requires more than choosing the right technology. It involves clear purpose, good communication, trust, coordination, inclusion, shared routines and attention to how people stay connected over time. Distributed teams can work well, but they need deliberate support.
This page brings together resources on managing virtual and distributed teams. It should be used alongside the related pages on Managing virtual meetings and events, Facilitation tools and techniques, Communities of practice, and Cross-sector partnerships and collaborations.
Resources on managing virtual and distributed teams
Challenges to managing virtual teams and how to overcome them
Julie Wilson points out that managing a virtual team requires managers to pay close attention to the fundamentals of good management, including clear goals, effective meetings, clear communication, trust, and the individual and collective strengths of team members. This 2020 Harvard Business Review article provides practical pointers for maintaining communication, trust and productivity in distributed teams.
The distributed collaboration manual
This manual documents the knowledge about distributed collaboration (“remote work”, “telework”) that the Edgeryders OÜ team have developed in their work over recent years. It is useful because the lessons are based in practice and maintained through a wiki. Chapters after the introduction present their guidance as recipes, good practices and patterns, intended to be specific enough to apply, but general enough to be relevant across many organisations.
How to create belonging for remote workers
This 2019 MIT Sloan Management Review article by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West-Duffy focuses on the relational side of remote work. It outlines practical steps managers and colleagues can take to help remote employees feel valued, connected and part of the wider organisational culture.
Leading remotely: Make the most of your distributed workforce
This 2019 MIT Sloan Management Review article by Whitney Johnson highlights both the challenges and benefits of leading remote teams. It points to the need for structures and processes that support communication, project management, talent development, and IT support.
Remote work and distributed teams.
This Agile Alliance page brings together sessions, experience reports, blog posts and other resources on remote work and distributed teams. It is useful for people working in agile, project-based or cross-location teams who want to draw on a range of practice examples.
Five ways to improve communication in virtual teams
This 2018 article highlights research by Sharon Hill and Kathryn Bartol on communication in virtual teams. It identifies five practical areas: matching the technology to the task, making intentions clear, staying in sync, being responsive and supportive, and being open and inclusive.
This resource should be used alongside the related pages – Managing virtual meetings and Facilitation tools and techniques. Other closely related sections in the site include: Communities of practice (COPs) and Cross-sector partnerships and collaborations.
[* Photo: Can Stock Photo / master1305]