Lexington, KY - Phil didn't like the status report. "So let me see if I've got this straight. Andy, your team is going to miss Tuesday's milestone because your group in Asia is behind again. Brad, you guys are on track, including the deliverables from Europe and India. Well, Andy, maybe you need to look at what Brad's team is doing. I know these virtual teams take a greater effort to manage, but we've shown that when they work, we end up saving a lot of money."
Virtual teams are those with members who are physically distant from each other or who work at different times, either in the same location or at a different location. They can provide many benefits such as reduced cost, ability to hire geographically dispersed but high quality individuals, and the ability to work literally around the clock across many time zones. However, for virtual teams to succeed they require highly skilled, top notch leaders with good project management discipline and interpersonal skills.
What we lose
When a team does not meet face to face it is difficult to bond and create a good rapport. This can make it difficult to understand each individual's social context as well as discern visual and audible cues. Negotiation and conflict resolution are more difficult since communication is slower and emotion is difficult to sense.
Research has shown that it is difficult to build trust in virtual teams using computer-mediated communication (CMC). While communication tools are essential to virtual team success, they cannot substitute for physical face to face meetings. After all, we are mammals and respond to the human touch, voice, and personal interaction.
Strong leadership
As the opening story shows, virtual teams can be successful or miserable failures. One of the key elements for development teams is to set up frequent milestones to measure progress. This allows for quick recovery when problems arise. Clear goals and roles are also vital since the rate of communication is slower. When face to face interactions are the norm, quick and frequent interchanges to provide clarity are simple. Distant or time shifted interchanges may take one or two days for full clarification.
The leader of a virtual team must ensure that an abundance and smooth flow of communication is taking place. Think of this communication as the oil or water acting as a lubricant to keep your team running smoothly. Resolve conflict quickly to avoid flaming e-mails with lengthy periods of unproductive activity.
Jay Pease, Manager of EMEA Marketing at HP Exstream in Lexington views open communication as key to the function of his team. "Each member of my team is located in a different city in Europe. Our weekly calls keep us on track toward our common goals. We review open issues, update each other, and agree on action items for the coming week and beyond. In addition, our collaborative software is vital to ensure we all understand what each of us is doing and to track our progress."
While it is known that an individual's job satisfaction and organizational commitment is related to the relationship they have with their supervisor, research has shown that this relationship is intensified when working virtually. A recent study showed wide swings in both satisfaction and commitment when working virtually, thus highlighting the need for superior leadership and rapport with workers on virtual teams.
Social exchange
Depending on the type of team, face to face meetings can be critical to success. This social exchange provides an opportunity to build trust, understand each member's background, education, strengths, weaknesses, and interests. Similarly, ongoing social exchanges should be encouraged provided that they do not hamper productivity. Respecting cultural diversity is also important. This will raise job satisfaction for the team members, reducing turnover and absenteeism.
Face-to-face meetings and occasional social interactions build trust between members. Studies have provided a clear link between trust, job satisfaction, better cooperation, better decisions, and higher performance.
Tools
Collaborative tools are vital to the success of virtual teams. Different types of tools are needed depending on the type of team involved. At a minimum, tools for information storage, collaborative document development, e-mail, and forums for interaction are required.
Studies have shown that users of CMC are less inhibited and will more frequently swear and call each other names. This behavior is consistent with with so-called "mob" psychology where individuals become less inhibited when they sense that they may remain anonymous and not be held responsible for their actions. This is where you, as the leader, must set firm ground rules of respect for each team member.
Key elements
As we return to our opening story, what ingredients for success might Brad be using that Andy is not? Research shows very clearly that if you want to be successful with virtual teams you need to kick your leadership skills up a notch. At an absolute minimum, ensure you have the following: disciplined leadership, communication, social exchange, collaborative tools, clear goals and roles, frequent milestones, and an appreciation for cultural differences.
Joel DiGirolamo heads the firm Turbocharged Leadership. You can contact Joel at joel@jdigirolamo.com.