Virtual Executive Leadership: Leading in a Changed World

Nearly two decades ago, Dr. Bill Bersing set out to explore a then-nascent concept: virtual executive leadership. His work culminated in a 2009 dissertation that asked leaders critical questions about building trust, fostering collaboration, and achieving success in virtual environments. At the time, remote leadership was still emerging, and his insights offered a fresh perspective on managing global teams in the multinational engineering service industry.

Fast forward almost 20 years, and the world has changed dramatically. With rapid technological advances and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual work has become the norm. In this episode, Dr. Bersing revisits the same questions, exploring how leadership practices have evolved. He also shares his plans to expand the scope of these questions to leaders across industries for future episodes, aiming to uncover fresh insights for a new era of work.

Join us as we dive into Dr. Bersing’s reflections, hear his responses to the very questions he created, and learn how he’s using this research to spark a broader conversation about the future of leadership. This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating the challenges and opportunities of leading virtually across the world.

Timestamps:
1:37 Introduction - The Study: Revisiting Virtual Executive Leadership
10:11 How do you and your organization use communication tools to create and preserve trust in the virtual team setting?
18:24 How do you ensure virtual member diversity is accepted and clear?
25:41 How do you properly manage meetings and work-life cycle in the virtual work setting?
31:15 How do you or your organization use technology to observe virtual team performance?
37:25 How do you evaluate virtual team progress?
39:15 How do you allow for virtual team members to gain something from being on the team?
41:18 What makes an outstanding virtual team leader or project manager?
43:34 What differences, if any, do you see in organizing new virtual teams versus organizing teams face-to-face?
47:36 What project success factors are different when working on virtual teams versus face-to-face teams?
55:47 How has technology changed your approach in developing effective virtual managers within the last 10 years?
59:25 Do you see new emerging technologies in the next 5 or 10 years which you feel may change the industry or customer base?
1:03:07 Are you or your organization working on new ways to improve virtual team performance, organization, or knowledge management?
1:07:14 Closing Thoughts: Virtual Teams and Executive Leadership After COVID

Resources from this episode:
NVivo: NVivo is the most powerful and most cited software for qualitative data analysis.

General Resources:

📚🔗🤖 AI Resources:

1. Co-Pilot
2. Lucidchart
3. Visio
4. Primavera P6
5. Acumen
6. Microsoft Access
7. FileMaker Pro
8. eBuilder
9. Aconex (Oracle)
10. Grammarly
11. Cardanit
12. Kiteworks (We have an agreement with Kiteworks. Check their services out on our website and if you decide this is something you like Dr. Bill Bersing would be happy to get on a call with you to talk to you more about it.)

🔗 Other Links:
To find out more about Dr. Bill and iPrograms go to iPrograms.com
To join the conversation click here to find us on LinkedIn

📚 Other Resources:
Project Management https://pmi.org
Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)
Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling by Harold Kerzner
Project Management - Dennis Lock