In part four of the Cadence Podcast Series, "Virtual Team Communication", Connie Plowman illustrates the challenges in working with virtual teams when there are cultural differences that can impact work relationships. "I educate myself. If I'm working with a team member from Japan, I want to make sure I understand the Japanese culture," explains Plowman. "You really need to educate yourself as a project team leader on the customs and values of your team members, respect those values, and educate others of those values, customs, and cultures as well." Plowman outlines the key components to establishing a solid relationship with virtual team members, from making the effort to learn elements of team member languages to finding translation services for key project meetings, all in an effort to build respect and camaraderie on cross-cultural project teams. In this episode, Plowman makes reference to the book "Kiss, Bow, and Shake Hands: The best-selling guide to doing business in more than 60 countries". Click here to view this book at Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Kiss-Bow-Shake-Hands-Bestselling/dp/1593373686/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-6194279-4667967?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190075491&sr=8-1

In part three of the Cadence Podcast Series, "Virtual Team Communication", Connie Plowman discusses the real and tangible problems when working with team members across different time zones. "It's something that's there, we can't change it," explains Plowman. "Unfortunately it's something we have to work with as a virtual team. We'll rarely have everyone in the same time zone, even in the same country." Plowman outlines the key components to establishing a solid relationship with virtual team members across time zones, from dealing with complicated daily scheduling constraints to recognizing when it's worth the effort -- and the expense -- to bring all team members across time zones for face to face meetings to accelerate project results.

In part two of the Cadence Podcast Series, "Virtual Team Communication", Connie Plowman illustrates the challenges in working with virtual teams when there becomes a disconnect between project manager and team member. "I can't really see what they're working on, they may be feeling that they're all alone," explains Plowman. "I want to make sure that we stay connected." Plowman outlines the key components to establishing a solid relationship with virtual team members, from showing appreciation for their efforts, to clearly defining responsibilities in communication. Most importantly, she addresses the key question: how to you manage effectively, without micromanaging in a virtual team environment.

In today's project environment, skill in working in virtual teams is becoming increasingly important in delivering project results. In this week's podcast, Cadence Vice President, Connie Plowman, introduces us to a few key characteristics of the virtual team environment. "It's not just about technology," says Plowman. "It's about techniques, relationships, building trust ... it's about working together effectively." In this discussion, Plowman outlines the ideal profile of virtual project team members -- and virtual project managers -- as well as the top six key challenges in working with virtual teams. The first challenge: Poor interaction between team members. "Maybe we're not working in the same language, maybe team members are working in sidebar conversations ... it's critical to define communication groundrules at the beginning," says Plowman. This week, learn how to define groundrules and expectations to increase productivity in your virtual teams.