SEU Economics E-commerce Presentation

Description

Select an article from the Saudi Digital Library related to the course content You can refer to the course syllabus for help. Read the article and understand the key points Write a summary of the article (250-300 words) Use your own words. Do not copy and paste from the article. Your summary must be a stand-alone piece of work Be clear and up to the point. State the main points of the article. Discuss how they are related to the local Saudi virtual management styles and procedures. Upload it to the assignment link on Black Board Use this template Deliver a brief presentation (5-10m) on the article. Do this in class. Be open to questions from the audience It should be done during weeks 6 & 7

3 attachmentsSlide 1 of 3attachment_1attachment_1attachment_2attachment_2attachment_3attachment_3.slider-slide > img { width: 100%; display: block; }
.slider-slide > img:focus { margin: auto; }

Unformatted Attachment Preview

Saudi Electronic University
College of Administrative and Financial Sciences
E-commerce Department
Student Name:
Student ID:
Course Title: Introduction to EManagement
Course Code: ECOM 201
Academic Year/ Semester: 2021/20222nd Semester
Instructor Name:
CRN:
Student Grade:
Grade Level:
Individual Seminars
In this assignment you need to do the following:
1. Select an article from the Saudi Digital Library related to the course content
a. You can refer to the course syllabus for help.
2. Read the article and understand the key points
3. Write a summary of the article (250-300 words)
a. Use your own words. Do not copy and paste from the article.
b. Your summary must be a stand-alone piece of work
c. Be clear and up to the point.
d. State the main points of the article.
e. Discuss how they are related to the local Saudi virtual management styles and
procedures.
4. Upload it to the assignment link on Black Board
a. Use this template
5. Deliver a brief presentation (5-10m) on the article.
a. Do this in class.
b. Be open to questions from the audience
c. It should be done during weeks 6 & 7
Guidelines for the assignment:
?
Make sure to include the cover page with all information required. One mark will be
deducted if there is no cover page
?
This is an individual assignment.
?
Use font Times New Roman, 12 font sizes
?
Use 1.5 line spacing with adjust to all paragraphs (alignment).
?
Use the footer function to insert page number.
?
Ensure that you follow the APA style in your project and references.
?
The minimum number of required references is 1.
?
Your report length should be between 300 to 350 words in total.
?
You must check the spelling and grammar mistakes before submitting the assignment.
?
Up to 20% of the total grade will be deducted for providing a poor structure of
assignment. Structure includes these elements paper style, free of spelling and grammar
mistakes, referencing and word count.
?
Assignment must be in Word format only NO PDF
?
Your file should be saved as Word doc
[Example]: [Your Name] [CRN] ECOM201 – Assignment 1.doc
Answer:
Article name:
Author(s):
Journal:
Year:
Link:
Article Summary (250-300 words):
Reference (APA):
VIRTUAL ACTION LEARNING FOR VIRTUAL
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Lalaine Byrd
Virtual organizations are challenged not only to develop the right skills for effective virtual leaders but to
develop those skills among a geographically distributed workforce. This article explores a recent
development in learning and development: virtual action learning (VAL). Specifically, this article
discusses the compatibility of VAL with a dialogic/network application of path-goal leadership theory
and how the combination of these frameworks represents a potential learning-design approach to
effectively foster successful virtual leaders.
AS COMPANIES CONTINUE to globalize, seek, and retain top talent internationally, more organizations are relying on virtual teams to drive business results. A skillstraining and consulting firm conducted a study that revealed that virtual work has increased by more than 86%
within the past 20 years (Slade, 2015). As much as 50%
of the U.S. workforce could be working virtually by 2020
(Wright, 2015).
Virtual team members may be spread across numerous
geographical locations, time zones, and even cultures. Virtual teams rely on various information and communication technologies, such as telephone, videoconferencing,
text messaging, or email to stay connected with their peers,
leadership, and organization. The nature of virtual interaction, characterized by lack of physical cues and body
language, fewer informal opportunities to collaborate with
peers, and increased risk of isolation, warrants an in-depth
understanding of effective strategies for virtual leadership.
This article discusses a recent innovation in virtual leadership development—specifically, virtual action learning
(VAL) and how it is supported by dialogic/network application of path-goal leadership theory along with opportunities for further research and development.
VIRTUAL LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES
Hertel, Geister, and Konradt describe virtual leadership
as “the management of distributed work teams whose
20
Performance Improvement, vol. 58, no. 8–9, September/October 2019
© 2019 International Society for Performance Improvement
Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) • DOI: 10.1002/pfi.21894
members predominantly communicate and coordinate
their work via electronic media” (as cited in Kerfoot, 2010,
p. 114). Virtual leadership requires a unique skill set that
first and foremost acknowledges the differences between
leadership in a traditional, non-virtual environment and
leadership in which team members are not co-located
(Maduka, Edwards, Greenwood, Osborne, & Babatunde,
2018). The challenge of developing leaders who are effective in a virtual organization is two-fold, as reflected in
the following questions:
1. Which specific skills are necessary to be successful in
managing a virtual team?
2. How does an organization enable the growth of those
skills among employees who are not based in a traditional office environment?
VIRTUAL LEADERSHIP SKILLS
Many organizations acknowledge the need to address the
challenges of virtual-leadership development. An Association for Talent Development (ATD) report surveyed
505 learning professionals across various companies to
determine their individual organization’s perspective
on virtual work and leadership (Mandzuk, 2014). The
report revealed that although almost all the organizations
offered opportunities for virtual work, only 20% of the
respondents stated that their organizations provided
The nature of virtual
interaction, characterized by
lack of physical cues and body
language, fewer informal
opportunities to collaborate
with peers, and increased risk
for isolation, warrants an
in-depth understanding of
effective strategies for virtual
leadership.
training to support virtual leadership (Mandzuk, 2014).
In addition, the report also found that 76% of respondents
agree that it would be highly valuable to the organization
for managers to be educated on how to function as an
effective virtual leader (Mandzuk, 2014).
A brief review of the literature reveals that much attention has been given to the components of an effective
virtual-leadership skill set. For example, Kerfoot emphasizes the need to build upon traditional leadership skills
such as goal-setting and visioning; virtual leaders also
need to leverage technology whenever possible to overcome the lack of visual cues, to know how to promote a
vibrant sense of community for their team members, to
invest in adequate preparation for effective communications, and to coach their team members to drive peak performance (2010). Maduka et al. (2018) presented a lengthy
list of virtual-leadership competencies, including the ability to build trust; the ability to build team orientation; possession of advanced communication skills; and the ability to assess team dynamics, conflict resolution, and many
other issues.
Despite the strong acknowledgment and agreement
that there is a need for virtual leadership development,
the existing literature focuses primarily on the “which”
of virtual leadership (i.e., which skills are necessary for
a successful virtual leader) with scarce attention devoted
to the “how” of fostering the identified skills, especially
among employees who may be geographically distributed
across the country or the world. Employees of virtual
organizations may not have access to traditional training
facilities or even their corporate headquarters to participate in face-to-face learning events. Accordingly, the
mode, instructional method, and learning architecture,
which are the key components of any learning experience
and critical for successful learning transfer (Clark, 2008),
should be thoroughly considered for virtual-leader audiences. The remainder of this article discusses progress in
the virtual-leadership development arena, specifically in
the area of virtual action learning from the perspective of
a dialogic-networked application of path-goal theory.
Dialogic/Networked Application of Path-Goal
Theory for Leadership
Bickle (2017) presents a framework for developing specific leadership capacities using path-goal theory. The
foundation of the framework is the idea that leadership is developed through either independent or
interdependent activities, and the acquisition of the leadership skills is either emergent or planned (Bickle, 2017).
Independent development of leadership skills can be described as either autonomous or acquisitive (Bickle, 2017).
Autonomous development of leadership is accomplished
through personal motivations, whereby the individual
“owns” his development. For example, an employee is
proactive about identifying weaknesses in his or her performance and takes action to improve—for example,when
presenting information an employee may make note of areas where he or she has faltered and strategizes how to
improve for the next time. Acquisitive development, on
the other hand, is driven by structured resources (e.g.,
formal education or an organization’s internal learning
resources).
In contrast, leadership skills may also be developed interdependently (Bickle, 2017)—that is, through dialogic or
networked development. Dialogic development is driven
through feedback received from others in the organization (e.g., getting informal peer feedback on personal performance when giving a presentation and proactively taking steps to improve for the next opportunity). Networked
development is similar to dialogic but is more “planned
and purposeful” (Bickle, 2017, p. 34). Skills are developed
through organized and collaborative activities.
The second piece of Bickle’s framework is based on
path-goal theory. Path-goal theory is an approach that
identifies the leadership style that is best suited to lead an
employee to achieve a specific goal (Anderson, 2016). It is
an approach in which the leader considers the employee
and the task of focus when selecting the best manner in
which to motivate employees to accomplish their goals.
There are four leadership styles in the path-goal model:
directive, supportive, participative, and achievementoriented (Anderson, 2016; Bickle, 2017). These leadership
styles are described as follows (Bickle, 2017):
Performance Improvement • Volume 58 • Number 8–9 • DOI: 10.1002/pfi
21
? Directive: In this style, the leader gives clear guidance
regarding team-member expectations, including how
tasks should be performed. This style is considered especially effective for complex and ambiguous tasks.
? Supportive: For tasks that are mundane or for team
members who are unmotivated or dissatisfied, the supportive leadership style is recommended to offer support for the team member’s psychological well-being.
? Participative: This style offers team members greater
autonomy in decision making and task execution. Participative leaders create a collaborative environment for
the team members.
? Achievement-oriented: For team members who
are driven by the need to succeed and excel, the
achievement-oriented leader offers continual and
challenging goals and sets high expectations.
Combining path-goal theory with the concepts of dialogic and networked development of leadership skills,
Bickle (2017) specifies a framework for building such
skills as customer service, critical thinking, communication, coaching, and conflict resolution. The method recommends particular leadership styles depending on the
leadership skill being fostered in the employee. For example, a participative leadership style is best suited to develop
communication skills in an employee; types of activities to
accomplish this include teams scheduling practice training sessions to role-play communication methods (networked development). By taking into account the appropriate leadership style, the leadership skill to be developed,
and the manner of development, Bickle (2017) presents a
well-rounded framework for potential approaches for virtual leadership development.
INNOVATIONS IN VIRTUAL-LEADERSHIP
SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
A recent innovation aimed at developing virtualleadership skills is virtual action learning (VAL). VAL
is described as a variant of action learning (AL), which
“promotes experiential learning through the addressing of
difficult organizational problems” (Dickenson, Burgoyne,
& Pedler, 2010, p.59). Effective AL requires the learners
and their peers to take an active part in their learning
process, while the facilitator or instructor’s role is deemphasized (Curtin, 2016). Participants present specific
problems or challenges they are facing in their organizations, and team members offer support, constructive feedback, and inquiry intended to trigger perspective-altering
reflection. In addition, action-learning participants must
make a commitment to take action on their presented
22 www.ispi.org • DOI: 10.1002/pfi • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
challenge (Curtin, 2016). When AL is applied virtually,
additional considerations are made to accommodate the
lack of contextual and verbal cues during peer discussions. Communication methods in VAL also differ from
those in traditional AL in that peers may interact through
phone conferencing, text messages, or emails. Finally,
AL participants also keep a learning journal to facilitate
increased self-reflection throughout the learning process.
Development of leadership skills through VAL enables
participants to reflect on specific leadership challenges
within their own professional lives and gather input from
others who may have faced similar experiences. In addition, VAL participants are held accountable for taking action to resolve the identified issue and to create
a stronger sense of self-awareness of their own leadership strengths and weaknesses. Since VAL participants are
working through the context of their own organizations
and strategic challenges, the potential for successful learning transfer of leadership skills is maximized (Radcliff,
2017).
The use of VAL as a learning design for virtualleadership skills development is still relatively new, with
only a few examples becoming available from a selective
literature review. Therefore, there is great opportunity to
continue to enhance and refine its application to meet the
demand for innovative learning approaches focused on
growing virtual leaders.
ADVANTAGES OF VAL FOR VIRTUAL
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
When considering the dialogic/network application of
path-goal leadership framework, the VAL design offers
several features that facilitate effective learning transfer
for such leadership skills as communication, conflict
resolution, quality decision making, and team-member
coaching. More importantly, VAL provides a feasible
and accessible option for virtual employees to grow
their leadership capabilities without requiring traditional
face-to-face sessions.
Though the virtual nature of VAL may at first seem to
be a significant challenge for effective learning transfer,
it may actually promote even stronger leadership-skills
development. As Pedler (2014) notes, since virtual leadership at its core focuses on managing relationships, VAL
may “promote better leadership behaviours than the f2f
[face-to-face] situation, because …the leader learns to
put much of her effort into building and maintaining
relationships” (pp. 93–94). Kerfoot (2010) notes that since
the majority of communication in virtual organizations
occurs through technology, “listening to see” (p. 115) is
a critical skill for virtual leaders. She recommends that
Not only do effective virtual
leaders require additional
skills on top of the traditional
leadership skill set, the nature
of a virtual organization
introduces the additional
obstacle of providing growth
opportunities to employees
who are spread out
geographically.
virtual leaders become skilled at effectively listening without visual cues and focusing on the content of the message;
VAL provides opportunities for learners to become adept
at this skill with each problem-inquiry session.
VAL resides in the dialogic-network area of the
leadership-development typology. In VAL, the team
members serve as the catalyst for skills development.
As each member offers up his or her own individual
problem of focus, the peer group provides the feedback
and inquiry necessary for the problem presenter to see
the challenge from a new perspective. In an evaluation
of a 12-month pilot VAL program intended to develop
leadership capacities, “the problem presenters benefited
from reflecting …sharing …and building the resilience to
tackle them [their work issues] through defined actions”
(Radcliff, 2017, p. 76). As noted by Dickenson et al. (2010),
VAL provides a dialogical approach that is “underpinned
by problem-based, exploratory, collaborative and critically reflected practice based on communities of students
and draws on understandings of situated learning and the
character of practice” (p. 61).
VAL is also compatible with the path-goal theory of
leadership. In another pilot program, students participated in a leadership-capability development course in a
virtual higher-education setting. Students were instructed
both to identify a specific problem to present to their
peers and to lead two other people in applying path-goal
theory approaches to leadership (Curtin, 2016). Learners
maintained a journal for self-reflection throughout the
course and administered a leadership questionnaire to
the people they were leading (Curtin, 2016). Feedback regarding their own application of the path-goal leadership
approaches, in addition to their own internal assessment
through self-reflection, provided learners a well-rounded
understanding of their practice of the various leadership
styles.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUTURE EXPLORATION
Though the VAL design presents several advantages for
virtual-leadership skill development, the application of
the learning methodology in this specific context is still
in its preliminary and exploratory stages, and accordingly
there are opportunities for additional exploration and
refinement.
One key question is whether an initial face-to-face
interaction is necessary for successful VAL sessions.
Dickenson et al. (2010) conducted an extensive review
of varieties of VAL in practice. The authors found that
meeting face to face first is not a requisite for effective
subsequent VAL discussion and collaboration (Dickenson
et al., 2010). According to their review and assessment,
the instances where a face-to-face interaction did not
occur at the kick-off (or elsewhere in the program) reported an equal amount of success as those practices that
did supplement with at least one face-to-face meeting.
Admittedly, the sample size for their analysis was small,
and the authors agree that further exploration is needed
in this respect.
Another area ripe for further exploration is the prescriptive application of path-goal theory within the
context of VAL for virtual-leadership development. Under Bickle’s (2017) framework, he recommends specific
leadership styles for developing certain leadership capacities. Though the six-week leadership course described by
Curtin (2016) did instruct learners to practice application
of path-goal theory approaches throughout the program,
it did not go so far as to recommend any particular leadership style for a given circumstance. Guiding learners
through the framework outlined by Bickle (2017) may
potentially strengthen the development of various leadership skills such as team coaching, conflict resolution, and
effective communication. One potential variant of VAL
may be to introduce Bickle’s framework at the beginning
of a VAL program to provide participants with some
guidance on possible approaches to address the issues and
problems the VAL group will discuss in their learning.
Finally, it is critical to thoroughly consider the role of
an effective facilitator in VAL programs and sessions. As
observed by Aspinwall, Pedler, and Radcliff (2018), the facilitator must strike a balance between ensuring that the
problem inquiry and discussion sessions serve their intended purpose (i.e., enabling transformative learning for
the participants and allowing the learners to individually
work and struggle, if necessary, through the process of
Performance Improvement • Volume 58 • Number 8–9 • DOI: 10.1002/pfi
23
that transformation). The successful VAL facilitator must
leverage a unique set of skills to provide structure for the
sessions, to assist in the creation of a collaborative community, and to overcome the general challenges posed by
the nature of virtual work (Aspinwall et al., 2018; Dickenson et al., 2010).
CONCLUSION
The number of employees working virtually will continue to increase as more and more companies globalize
and offer remote work opportunities as a recruitmentand-retainment strategy. To continue to drive optimal
business performance, organizations will need to address
the challenges that accompany virtual organizations,
especially issues related to the development of effective
virtual leaders. Not only do effective virtual leaders require additional skills on top of the traditional leadership
skill set, the nature of a virtual organization introduces
the additional obstacle of providing growth opportunities
to employees spread geographically. Fortunately, there
seems to be increased awareness of these challenges.
A leadership-development consultancy firm recently expanded its training programs to include virtual-leadership
development components with the intent to “meet demand for virtual development programs that accelerate
the speed and impact of scalable learning” (PR Newswire,
2018, p.1). The combination of VAL with a dialogicnetworked application of path-goal theory represents a
potential opportunity to further target the needs of virtual
leaders. Through the transformative learning design of
VAL and the prescribed approach of path-goal leadership
theory, the blended-learning model could provide organizations with an effective way to successfully foster the
development of virtual leadership skills.
References
Anderson, P. (2016, June 29). What is path-goal theory? [Blog
post]. Retrieved from https://sites.psu.edu/leadership/2016/
06/29/what-is-path-goal-theory/
Aspinwall, K., Pedler, M., & Radcliff, P. (2018). Leadership
development through virtual action learning: An evaluation.
Action Learning: Research and Practice, 15(1), 40–51.
https://doi.org/10.1080/14767333.2017.1414103
24 www.ispi.org • DOI: 10.1002/pfi • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
Bickle, J.T. (2017). Developing remote training consultants as
leaders—Dialogic/network application of path-goal leadership
theory in leadership development. Performance Improvement,
56(9), 32–39. https://doi.org10.1002/pfi.2173
Clark, R.C. (2008). Building expertise: Cognitive methods for
training and performance improvement (3rd ed.). San Francisco,
CA: Pfeiffer.
Curtin, J. (2016). Action learning in virtual higher education:
Applying leadership theory. Action Learning: Research and
Practice, 13(2), 151–159. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767333.
2016.1170975
Dickenson, M., Burgoyne, J., & Pedler, M. (2010). Virtual
action learning: Practices and challenges. Action Learning:
Research and Practice, 7(1), 59–72. https://doi.org/
10.1080/14767330903576978
Kerfoot, K.M. (2010). Listening to see: The key to virtual
leadership. Nursing Economics, 28(2), 114–118.
Maduka, N.S., Edwards, H., Greenwood, D., Osborne, A., &
Babatunde, S.O. (2018). Analysis of competencies for effective
virtual team leadership in building successful organizations.
Benchmarking: An International Journal, 25(2), 696–712.
https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-08-2016-0124
Mandzuk, C. (2014). Challenges of leading a virtual team: More
than meets the eye. T+D, 68(1), 20–20.
Pedler, M., Hauser, B., & Caulat, G. (2014). Reflections on
working with virtual action learning. Action Learning: Research
and Practice, 11(1), 88–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767333.
2013.874776
PR Newswire. (2018). ADVISA expands to include virtual
leadership development. Retrieved from https://www.
prnewswire.com/news-releases/advisa-expands-to-includevirtual-leadership-development-300623181.html
Radcliff, P. (2017). Virtual action learning: A pilot in building
leadership capacity. Action Learning: Research and Practice,
14(1), 72–82. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767333.2017.12862636
Slade, A. (2015). The psychology of virtual leadership. TD:
Talent Development, 69(3), 12–12.
Wright, C. (2015). Are virtual companies our future? Retrieved
from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/are-virtualcompanies-our-future_us_59104cb3e4b046ea176aed10
LALAINE BYRD is an experienced organizational performance and learning leader, specializing in a unique
blend of human factors engineering and instructional design expertise. She is skilled in producing innovative, engaging, and data-driven solutions to facilitate organizational-performance improvement. She
leverages her communication and relationship-building skills to foster successful collaboration among stakeholders of all levels. Her educational background includes a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering
with a specialization in Human Factors Engineering from Purdue University (West Lafayette, Indiana) and
a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in mathematics from the University of Illinois
(Urbana-Champaign, Illinois). She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Organizational Performance
and Workplace Learning from Boise State University (Boise, Idaho). She is an organizational effectiveness
consultant with Slalom, LLC based in Houston, Texas. She may be reached at lalainebyrd@gmail.com
Performance Improvement • Volume 58 • Number 8–9 • DOI: 10.1002/pfi
25
Copyright of Performance Improvement is the property of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and its
content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the
copyright holder’s express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email
articles for individual use.
VIRTUAL ACTION LEARNING FOR VIRTUAL
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Lalaine Byrd
Virtual organizations are challenged not only to develop the right skills for effective virtual leaders but to
develop those skills among a geographically distributed workforce. This article explores a recent
development in learning and development: virtual action learning (VAL). Specifically, this article
discusses the compatibility of VAL with a dialogic/network application of path-goal leadership theory
and how the combination of these frameworks represents a potential learning-design approach to
effectively foster successful virtual leaders.
AS COMPANIES CONTINUE to globalize, seek, and retain top talent internationally, more organizations are relying on virtual teams to drive business results. A skillstraining and consulting firm conducted a study that revealed that virtual work has increased by more than 86%
within the past 20 years (Slade, 2015). As much as 50%
of the U.S. workforce could be working virtually by 2020
(Wright, 2015).
Virtual team members may be spread across numerous
geographical locations, time zones, and even cultures. Virtual teams rely on various information and communication technologies, such as telephone, videoconferencing,
text messaging, or email to stay connected with their peers,
leadership, and organization. The nature of virtual interaction, characterized by lack of physical cues and body
language, fewer informal opportunities to collaborate with
peers, and increased risk of isolation, warrants an in-depth
understanding of effective strategies for virtual leadership.
This article discusses a recent innovation in virtual leadership development—specifically, virtual action learning
(VAL) and how it is supported by dialogic/network application of path-goal leadership theory along with opportunities for further research and development.
VIRTUAL LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES
Hertel, Geister, and Konradt describe virtual leadership
as “the management of distributed work teams whose
20
Performance Improvement, vol. 58, no. 8–9, September/October 2019
© 2019 International Society for Performance Improvement
Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) • DOI: 10.1002/pfi.21894
members predominantly communicate and coordinate
their work via electronic media” (as cited in Kerfoot, 2010,
p. 114). Virtual leadership requires a unique skill set that
first and foremost acknowledges the differences between
leadership in a traditional, non-virtual environment and
leadership in which team members are not co-located
(Maduka, Edwards, Greenwood, Osborne, & Babatunde,
2018). The challenge of developing leaders who are effective in a virtual organization is two-fold, as reflected in
the following questions:
1. Which specific skills are necessary to be successful in
managing a virtual team?
2. How does an organization enable the growth of those
skills among employees who are not based in a traditional office environment?
VIRTUAL LEADERSHIP SKILLS
Many organizations acknowledge the need to address the
challenges of virtual-leadership development. An Association for Talent Development (ATD) report surveyed
505 learning professionals across various companies to
determine their individual organization’s perspective
on virtual work and leadership (Mandzuk, 2014). The
report revealed that although almost all the organizations
offered opportunities for virtual work, only 20% of the
respondents stated that their organizations provided
The nature of virtual
interaction, characterized by
lack of physical cues and body
language, fewer informal
opportunities to collaborate
with peers, and increased risk
for isolation, warrants an
in-depth understanding of
effective strategies for virtual
leadership.
training to support virtual leadership (Mandzuk, 2014).
In addition, the report also found that 76% of respondents
agree that it would be highly valuable to the organization
for managers to be educated on how to function as an
effective virtual leader (Mandzuk, 2014).
A brief review of the literature reveals that much attention has been given to the components of an effective
virtual-leadership skill set. For example, Kerfoot emphasizes the need to build upon traditional leadership skills
such as goal-setting and visioning; virtual leaders also
need to leverage technology whenever possible to overcome the lack of visual cues, to know how to promote a
vibrant sense of community for their team members, to
invest in adequate preparation for effective communications, and to coach their team members to drive peak performance (2010). Maduka et al. (2018) presented a lengthy
list of virtual-leadership competencies, including the ability to build trust; the ability to build team orientation; possession of advanced communication skills; and the ability to assess team dynamics, conflict resolution, and many
other issues.
Despite the strong acknowledgment and agreement
that there is a need for virtual leadership development,
the existing literature focuses primarily on the “which”
of virtual leadership (i.e., which skills are necessary for
a successful virtual leader) with scarce attention devoted
to the “how” of fostering the identified skills, especially
among employees who may be geographically distributed
across the country or the world. Employees of virtual
organizations may not have access to traditional training
facilities or even their corporate headquarters to participate in face-to-face learning events. Accordingly, the
mode, instructional method, and learning architecture,
which are the key components of any learning experience
and critical for successful learning tra