The Foreign Service Journal, September 2009

20 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 9 collaboration. “Gotomeeting,” instant messaging, blog spaces, virtual bulletin boards and other online shared spaces can offer managers new and creative tools for overcoming communication barriers and can create spaces to share ideas, brainstorm and build stronger cross-team relationships. Foreign Service spouses and part- ners, like many workers in need of flex- ible work arrangements, are learning more and more about the new frontier of virtual business. Inmany cases, their successes hinge on their ability, and their employer’s, to leave behind old as- sumptions and adapt to new tools and practices. Those who are bold enough to utilize the virtual workspace are find- ing not only that it is rewarding profes- sionally and personally, but that it makes good business sense for U.S.-based companies in a global economy. ■ Katherine Jacobs, a Foreign Service spouse, is vice president and chief operating officer of Nonprofit Profes- sionals Advisory Group, an executive search and consulting firm dedicated to building the capacity of the nonprofit, public and academic sectors through a highly tailored, innovative and strategic approach to acquiring and retaining tal- ent. She was a Fulbright Scholar in Austria. Carolyn Ho, a Foreign Service spouse, is a managing associate with NPAG. She holds a master of education degree in student development admin- istration from Seattle University and is the former executive director of a non- profit organization affiliated with the University of Washington. The two authors met during their families’ first assignments in Moscow. For more information about NPAG, please go to: www.nonprofitprofession als.com. F S K N O W - H O W