Virtual teams training simulation

There is growing discussion of virtual or remote teams and it is widely accepted that individuals must learn new approaches to be successful with these new forms. Numerous authors (Fisher 2001, Kirkman et al, 2002, Kostner 2001, 1994, Mowshowitz, 2002) have suggested benefits and offered advice on how to address problems encountered in developing such teams and managing their projects. The Virtual Teams simulation was developed with a client that is a leading technology company operating in 120 countries with more than 100,000 employees. They recognized a need for training that addressed collaboration, project management, and team building for their geographically dispersed teams. They believe organizational culture and individual's attitudes are strong influences on the success virtual teams. They wanted these issues to be included in a new training package that presented best practices in selected domains. The author interviewed about 100 employees to learn about their experiences and attitudes relating to collaboration and remote teams. Research on the effectiveness of simulations to promote attitude change dates from the 1970s (Lee and O'Leary 1971). Simulations have been used in corporate training programs for directing organizational cultural change (Schumacher 1992). The systemic nature of simulations and their ability to provide participants practice in a secure environment made simulation an attractive choice for the training program format. We undertook development of the Virtual Teams simulation in 2002. This paper discusses several aspects of the simulation design.