Chapter 7: Talent Development of Global Virtual Team Leaders: Challenges and Strategies

In the era of globalization, workplaces around the world have become larger, more diverse, and more complicated (Briscoe, Schuler, & Claus, 2009). The advancement of technology has changed the way of working and the need for organizations to manage their workforces in a global context. Many employees have started to work internationally in virtual teams where they rely on the use of online technology tools. Virtual teams help business in many organizations by cutting costs (e.g., reduced office space and equipment), broadening the net of availability, and cooperating with qualified talent from all over the world. The ways that virtual teams provide and enhance the use of resources has been recognized in multinational companies for some time. Because of the economic, knowledge and technology gap between developing countries and economically advanced ones (Zhouying, 2005), virtual teams may provide a tool of special value for their smaller organizations.