What: Inquirer.net article about how to manage virtual teams

Posts to which it is related: Confessions of a Telecommuter, How Do I Begin To Improve The Functioning of my Virtual Team?

Bottom Line: I found this article interesting as it was written based on the advice of three Filipino managers. It was surprising to see that the views about virtual teams from managers from another country were very consistent with what we have been saying on Leading Virtually. This article highlights the fact that virtual teams will come across similar problems no matter where they are located geographically. The author mentions that information systems support is very important for virtual teams and I cannot agree more. This is something I had brought up in my “Confessions of a Telecommuter” post and I am glad to see it being addressed by another author.

What: MedicExchange.com article the use of Second Life as a research platform for modeling efficient health care delivery.

Posts to which it is related: Wonderland: A Tool For Online Collaboration
Time To Think Differently About Collaboration In Virtual Worlds

Bottom Line: Scientists at the University of Arkansas are conducting research using Second Life to address the problem of inefficient health care delivery (i.e., business support, supply chain problems, etc.) to produce “tools” that will help combat rising health costs in the United States. So far, the researches have created a virtual hospital on the University’s island in Second Life, complete with patient rooms, operating suits, bathrooms, and stockrooms. Avatars, such as doctors and nurses, occupy the site. Unlike other Second Life avatars, the avatars in this project have internal organs in preparation for possible future functions of the project. By creating supply chain vignettes using Second Life, the researches can begin to see how the supply chain in an actual hospital works and what can be done to get it to operate more efficiently. This application of Second Life is extremely interesting and unique and shows the versatility of virtual worlds for business use.

What: MarketWatch article about a medical use of virtual collaboration technology.
Posts to which it is related: Emergent Collaboration: The Reason Why Email Should Not Be Used for Collaboration.

Bottom line: This article announces that one of the busiest neuroscience institutes in the US is starting a knowledge-sharing program in the form of a webcast series. Methodist University Hospital plans to broadcast consultations among panels of experts on especially challenging cases of people with brain tumors. Their goal seems to be twofold: first, to share the top level expertise of the panel with others in the field, but also to create a broader dialogue among neuroscientists (assumedly for the purpose of improving brain tumor treatment overall). This highlights an amazing collaborative effort by expert doctors who are using virtual technology to help patients from around the world. This exchange of ideas would not have been possible without the proper technology needed to support such a global meeting.