A host of myths accompany the idea of virtual teams, many of which have been dispelled by University of North Carolina Information and Technology Management Professor Arvind Malhotra. According to Malhotra, the study of 54 global virtual teams from 31 companies has found these teams “make decisions faster with more input from others and develop policies that are implemented worldwide with fewer problems than conventional teams.”

Among the findings was this nugget, dispensing with the myth that far-flung teams require hands-off leadership: “These teams require communication-intensive leaders. These team leaders check in on each of their members frequently, mentor them, and establish and communicate team norms.”

FastCompany’s blog has the story.