Working well with power in the virtual space

ABSTRACT This paper draws upon recent research into leadership and the use of power in the virtual space and also upon the author's nineteen years as a facilitator of Virtual Action Learning (VAL) and Virtual Leadership (VL) training. This paper briefly surveys various developments in the last twenty years which have nudged us as people and organisations into more virtual ways of working and learning. The author's belief is that VAL, and virtual collaboration generally, constitute a different paradigm of interaction with its own idiosyncrasies and is therefore different in many ways from what we have learned from face-to-face experience. This account of practice combines some key findings from the author's latest research with the learning from her practice over these years. Five main lessons emerge for facilitators of VAL and virtual leadership including the effects of using cameras and different channels of communication on power dynamics and the importance of voice and silence in the virtual space.