Resources
related to telecommuting, virtual teams and remote management
These resources were not cited in the final paper. Rather, they are
offered here to inform those interested in how remote paid work may be
similar to unpaid (volunteer) work done remotely (virtual volunteering).
- Robert Moskowitz's "Are
You Ready To Telecommute? An Objective Checklist To Determine If
Your Company And/Or You Are Ready For Telecommuting."
- Successful
Management in the Virtual Office
This outstanding, extensive guide, released May 10, 1995 by Bernie
Kelly and Bruce McGraw, is still incredibly relevant. It had the most
influence on the
original Virtual Volunteering Project of any telecommuting
resource.
- Pacific Bell Network Telecommuting Guide. Pacific
Bell's telecommuting program was one of the first in the nation.
Unfortunately, Pac Bell removed this pioneering document from its web
site. But you can still find it by cutting and pasting this URL:
http://www.pacbell.com/products/business/general/telecommuting/tcguide/index.html
Internet
Archive Wayback Machine
- Proposal
to set up a virtual office by Object Services and
Consulting, Inc. This document, written in 1995 and updated in 1996
and 1997, outlines how this consulting organization would be set up as
an entirely virtual office, with all employees working from
home offices - at the time, its nine employees were spread across six
geographic regions of the USA. Excellent model for any organization
wanting to develop a telecommuting strategy.
- Gil
Gordon Associates / Telecommuting, Telework & Alternative
Officing
This is an outstanding set of and links to resources for managers of
telecommuters. This site - operating since May 1995 - consolidates a
wide variety of information from around the world, and from many
different perspectives, on the subjects of telecommuting, teleworking,
the virtual office, and related topics.
- Communication
and Trust in Global Virtual Teams
This is an in-depth academic study by Dr. Sirkka L. Jarvenpaa that
"explores the challenges of creating and maintaining trust in a global
virtual team," particularly those that involve people of different
cultures and interest, and varying degrees of commitment. It's from
June 1998, but let's face it -- technology may change, but the
fundamentals of communication and trust do not. Still an outstanding
resource.
- The Psychology of Effective Business Communications in
Geographically Dispersed Teams
In September 2006, Cisco released this white paper that identifies
rules for communicating that will help virtual teams to work together
successfully. Virtual communication 'best practices' recommended in
the report include agreeing to protocols on response times, and
establishing rules for the selection of media and the frequency of
communications, especially in multi-cultural teams. Encouraging
socializing and ad-hoc chats over a virtual 'coffee machine' by using
spontaneous and richer media for communications can also speed up the
development of trust. Whether you work with online volunteers or with
paid staff in dispersed locations, this is a very interesting and
helpful white paper. One of the things I like about it in particular
is it's focus on the cultural differences that can become exaggerated
within virtual teams and lead to misunderstandings. Great stuff. Read
the press release about this (it's a good list of highlights of
the white paper). You can download
the Executive Summary (PDF 137.10KB).
- Involving
People With Disabilities in Virtual Volunteering Programs
A benefit of online volunteering is that it can allow for greater
participation of people who might find on-site volunteering difficult
or impossible because of a disability. This in turn allows
organizations to benefit from the additional talent and resources of
more volunteers. This resource provides suggestions on how to
accommodate and encourage people with disabilities in online
volunteering programs, and to help agencies develop volunteering
programs and systems flexible enough to meet the needs and preferences
of the broadest range of users of computers and telecommunications
equipment.
- Questions
and Answers About Telecommuting for Persons With Disabilities: A
Guide for Employers
Produced by Dr. James E. Jarrett, Graduate School of Business,
University of Texas at Austin, and the Independent Living Research
Utilization Program at the Institute for Rehabilitation and Research
in Houston, Texas. While this guide is focused on managers working
with paid employees, the advice is easily adaptable to managers
working with online volunteers who may have disabilities.
- Establishing
a Corporate Telecommuting Program
Part of "The HR Manager", an online reference guide to the broad range
of Human Resources topics. It's produced by Auxillium West.
- The
Telework Coalition
"Enabling Virtual, Mobile, and Distributed Work through Education,
Technology, and Legislation." The Telework Coalition brings together a
diverse array of organizations, companies, and individuals with the
common interest of promoting awareness and adoption of existing and
emerging Telework and Telecommuting applications including
telemedicine and distance learning, as well as addressing access to
broadband services that may be needed to support these applications.
- WorkShifting
A site promoting tools and information about telecommuting. From by
Citrix Online.
- Oregon
Department of Energy - Telework/Telecommuting Resources
This site contains loads of information: an introduction and setting
up a telework program, case studies of successful programs, tax
credits for telework equipment, information on videos and brochures
for Oregon-based employers, and more.
We are particularly interested in creating a wiki page very similar to
this one, but focused on
Online
work sites for pay (rather than virtual volunteering sites, for no
pay) - examples and studies
Wiki
Contents
The
Last Virtual Volunteering
Guidebook