DARLEEN DEROSA, PH.D., is a managing partner at OnPoint Consulting. She brings ten years of management consulting experience, with expertise in the areas of talent/succession management, executive assessment, virtual teams, and organizational assessment. Darleen has authored numerous articles on virtual teams.

RICHARD LEPSINGER is president of OnPoint Consulting and has a twenty-year track record of success as a human resource consultant and executive. He is the coauthor of four books on leadership including Closing the Execution Gap: How Great Leaders and Their Companies Get Results, Flexible Leadership: Creating Value by Balancing Multiple Challenges and Choices, The Art and Science of 360 Feedback, and The Art and Science of Competency Models, all from Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer.

List of Tables, Case Studies, Figures, and Exhibits.

Acknowledgments.

Foreword.

Introduction.

SECTION ONE: Building High-Performing Virtual Teams.

Chapter One: Why Virtual Teams Fail.

Key Challenges.

Four Pitfalls to Virtual Team Performance.

Conclusion.

Chapter Two: Profiles of Virtual Team Success--What Good Looks Like.

Team Composition.

Communication and Training.

Leadership.

Conclusion.

Chapter Three: Virtual Team Launch Kit.

Test Your Virtual Team Launch IQ.

Setting Virtual Teams Up for Success.

Is Your Organization Prepared to Support Virtual Team Work?

Conclusion.

Chapter Four: What Differentiates Great Virtual Teams--How to RAMP Up Your Team's Performance.

What Differentiates Top Virtual Teams?

The ShingleSeal Standstill: How Would You Handle It?

RAMP Up Virtual Team Performance.

Conclusion.

SECTION TWO: Leading Virtual Teams.

Chapter Five: How to Lead Virtual Teams--Tips, Techniques, and Best Practices for High Performance.

Challenges Virtual Team Leaders Face.

Raygen Company Slump: How Would You Handle It?

Virtual Team Leadership Self-Assessment.

What Makes an Effective Virtual Team Leader?

Obstacles at a Glance: A Quick Reference Guide.

Conclusion.

Chapter Six: What Factors Really Accelerate Virtual Team. Performance--The Four Top Performance Boosters.

Taking Virtual Team Performance to the Next Level.

Conclusion.

Chapter Seven: Facilitating High-Impact Virtual Meetings--Techniques. That Really Work.

The Facilitator's Role.

V-Meeting Checklist.

Building a V-Meeting Agenda.

Keeping Virtual Meetings on Track.

Dealing with Other Common Challenges.

Conclusion.

Conclusion: Six Lessons for Successful Virtual Teams.

Lesson 1: Focus on People Issues.

Lesson 2: No Trust, No Team.

Lesson 3: "Soft" Skills are Essential.

Lesson 4: Watch Out For Performance Peaks.

Lesson 5: Create a "High-Touch" Environment.

Lesson 6: Virtual Team Leadership Matters.

Closing Thoughts.

Appendix: OnPoint's Global Virtual Team Study.

Notes.

About the Authors.

Index.