The concept of teamwork is not a new one to business units. Most jobs require multi-disciplinary teams to solve complex problems that touch on various aspects of an organization. However, what if the members of a team are geographically dispersed? What then? How do these virtual teams function? How can these people implement solutions? How can you lead this team?
Team Types
Executive Teams are made up of managers who are on the team because of their position in the organization. These teams are usually semi-permanent teams with responsibility for specific divisions or functions in the organization.
Project Teams are created around a specific task. Members of the team are selected based on their role and expertise in relation to that task. These teams are created for the life of the project.
Community of Practice Teams support people who are working on common tasks or in the same professional field and who can benefit from sharing experience. Membership on these teams is voluntary. These teams don't usually have specific deliverables but instead are focused on learning.
Rules of the Game
Define Working Parameters
Groups in any situation need some ground rules to respect. These are important to the overall functionality of the group as it progresses through the stages of (Forming, Norming, Storming, Performing, and Adjourning). One easy facilitative method for this is to get everyone to write down 4 things they value in the group, then compare with someone else in the group, then compare with 2 other people and so on – in the end creating a set of ‘rules’ that everyone has discussed and agreed on. This will get the group off on the right foot and ensure that each member is accountable.
Use Appropriate Software
Since you will be working in a virtual group, what tools are going to best suit your needs? Does everyone have a video camera for interactive VOIP conference calls? Should you use online project management meeting software where people have access to white boards during the conversation? Do you have a place where updated documentation is available to all group members? There are many free and low cost alternatives for the group – you need to define what those are and how you are going to utilize them.
Communicate
No one likes to be left in the dark! This is as true for virtual teams as anyone. If a decision is made at the ‘head office’ does the team know about it? If there are external issues to the project in an office in China, does the team know about it? Unforeseen complications arise out of the most unlikely places. One easy way to avoid this is to start every meeting with group members updating others about external projects happening around them; for example someone might bring up the fact that in their location 2 departments are merging. This allows the group to be aware of possible hurdles and ensures that if that group member is unavailable they have a pretty good idea why.
Recognize Individuals
Group work is as much about the overall team as it is about the individual. It is up to the group leader to ensure that he/she takes the time to recognize outstanding work of an individual that is contributing to the overall success of the group. This communication can be done privately or publically (depending on the culture) – but is essential for the commitment of the group members.
Coach Your Team
The idea of coaching within business is not a new one, but it is something that takes a bit of practice to get right. It is natural to offer solutions to people – but when you coach them, you are guiding and asking questions. I would recommend for any group leader to undergo coaching training to ensure that they are getting the best out of their group.
F2F Time
Face to Face interaction is exceptionally important. When you are working together and are able to put a face to a voice or email, it helps with interpreting interactions and reactions. This is especially helpful in tense situations when you are more likely to interpret an email negatively. If you have a personality to attach to that email – you might think about ‘how’ that person is and ‘how’ they approach things before taking something the wrong way. F2F time can be done in many ways but is most important at the beginning when you are forming the group and at the end when you are celebrating success!
Lessons Learned = Organizational Learning
One thing that is not very well done in most organizations is communicating the lessons learned on a project. How are others supposed to learn and grow when knowledge is not captured to benefit the organization? One suggestion on this is to lead a facilitated session with the group and use their experiences and what they would want to know if they were going into a similar project. The information gleaned from this exercise then needs to be communicated in a digestible format for the organization. One thought – use a “common craft video”. http://www.commoncraft.com/
Personal Experience
My best experience with virtual teams was through my MBA at Royal Roads University. Each student participated in both in-person and online modules as a team. Throughout this process I found that progressively we got better at working together as a unit and subsequently our process was faster and the product was more comprehensive. Although overall the experience was good, the one thing I would change about this model is the ability to shift people in and out of a group if the dynamic was not working, creating a more flexible group model. This is the one hurdle that a few groups faced when one group member was not a good ‘fit’ with the group and the way it was working.
Overall, virtual teams are a wonderful format to use even when you have a group in the same city, just in different offices. It allows for flexibility and a new way of working together that is efficient and effective.
Helpful Resources
http://www.seanet.com/~daveg/ltv.htm
http://www.groupjazz.com/pdf/vteams-toronto.pdf
http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2009/02/10-tips-on-how-to-lead-global-virtual.html
http://www.trg-inc.com/resources/LVTeams1.pdf
