Description
One of our more recent offers, this web-based course is designed especially for diversity-rich CGIAR research teams whose members are distributed around the globe. Its purpose is to build virtual teaming skills for scientific and development tasks, including practice with online technologies and analysis of each team's diversity dynamics. It is conducted over a three-week period, with up to three different teams per course, requiring one hour of each participant's time per day (at any time of day or night). Famed e-guru, Nancy White, and diversity experts Phil Merry, Sue Canney Davison and Vicki Wilde facilitate the course. Special sessions for e-facilitators-in-training are included.
Estimated cost
US$6,000 per team of 10-12 members, plus US$300 per e-facilitator-in-training.
Related outcomes/benefits
- Increases clarity about the purpose and tasks of each team, and the role of each of its members.
- Increases awareness of the emerging knowledge concerning the best uses of online tools, and the behavioral factors that are key to successful performance in virtual teams.
- Raises awareness of multiple communication technologies that can help solve problems over geographical, temporal and cultural differences.
Assists team members to work more effectively in distributed, multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary teams, including processes and tools for online collaboration, online decision-making and online leadership. - Increases the visibility and value of diverse contributions within partnerships among different organizations.
- Increases research excellence and impact due to greater ability of diverse teams to leverage their internal creativity and problem solving capability and better relate to diverse external clients/partners; minimize disruptive conflict in teams, etc.
- Builds internal capacity to facilitate online events.
G&D Resources
• G&D course materials for Gender and Diversity in Virtual Teams.
Working with Diversity in Collaborations: Tips and Tools. G&D Working Paper No 39 (PDFs in Arabic [2.71 MB], English [633 KB] and Spanish [1.06 MB]).
• Creating Connection Online: Behind the Scenes at the Diversity in Action E-conference. G&D Working Paper No 34 (PDF 2,678 KB).
• Working with Diversity: A Framework for Action. G&D Working Paper No 24 (PDF 994 KB).
G&D's Cybrary of Best Links on Virtual Teams.
PDF Brief on Online Research Teams (74 KB)
