Managing Virtual Teams: Practical Techniques for ... (ISBN 0890069131)

Great Management Perspective:
I have really looked a long time to find a book that has a practical management perspective. Most of the books I've read on virtual teams either focus on bits and bytes (which I don't need since I'm an IT Director) or high level organizational theory. This book had some really practical suggestions that I could implement to improve communication and control for my team.

Highly recommended:
I recently reviewed a number of books on distance work for a current project at a research center (...)and found Haywood's to be the best in its class. Haywood does a great job of describing the problems of distance work from different perspectives (manager, employee), and she gives sound advice on how to address these problems. Her prescribed solutions are balanced, and include some new technologies (e.g. personal web pages), but mostly she gives good advice on raising awareness of problems and setting reasonable policies for use of communications. Haywood's book has more analysis and fewer case studies than others in this genre, which is what I was looking for. She does include plenty of vignettes, but they are short and to the point.

Very practical and useful:
If you are managing geographically distributed teams this is a "save your life" kind of book. Short and to the point with techniques based on actual research instead of myths or stories. I found the 4 key principles for effective distance communication very helpful. I saw immediate improvement in my team's communications once we began using the ideas.

Skimpy, pedantic and superficial:
I rarely write reviews, and as an author myself I'm loath to criticize another's work. But this one I couldn't let go by... At 147 pages (main text) there was nowhere near enough "meat" to justify ...(the price tag.) The writing style was boring and pedantic. Most of the chapters just skimmed the surface and lacked substance; the topics are covered much more thoroughly by other authors. Chapter 6, Networking Technology, at 12 pages, was much too "thin" and already out of date; less than 2 full pages were devoted to the 'section' on securing the network -- a major concern these days.

Haywood is my hero!:
This highly organized, "how-to" book is best in class. From its pragmatic examples to its in depth understanding of "real" work processes, this book examines all of the aspects of v-teams and is fairly objective in its recommendations. While not giving "deification" to I.T., it DOES break down the elements of IT necessary for success. GREAT BOOK for managers of projects which span geographies