The earliest virtual teams were formed to facilitate innovation among top experts around the world who didn’t have time to travel. Today teams of physically dispersed employees are more often just a necessity of doing business.
Creating and Leading an Effective Virtual Team
There’s a lot of advice out there, but research concludes that there are four must-haves: the right team, the right leadership, the right touchpoints, and the right technology.
The Right Team
- People – Hire the right people who are suited for remote work. Good communication skills, high emotional intelligence (EQ), the ability to work independently and the resilience to recover from negative situations are all important things to possess. Also important is awareness and sensitivity to other cultures.
- Size – The most effective virtual teams are small ones…fewer than 10 people. Beware of “social loafing” which is when team members reduce effort when they feel less responsible for output. It takes only 10 conversations for every person on a team of five to touch base with everyone else, but that number rises to 78 for a team of 13.
- Roles – When projects require the efforts of multiple people from various departments, create relevant and appropriate sub-teams. Our approach is similar to the MIT professor Deborah Ancona advocates an X-team strategy which defines three tiers of team members: core, operational, and outer. The core consists of executives responsible for strategy. The operational group leads and makes decisions about day-to-day work but doesn’t tackle the larger issues handled by the core. And the outer network consists of temporary or part-time members who are brought in for a particular stage of the project because of their specialized expertise.
The Right Leadership
The best predictor of success for managers leading dispersed teams is experience doing it before. Novices can excel by practicing some key behaviors that, while also critical in face-to-face settings, must be amplified in virtual ones: Fostering trust, Encouraging open dialogue, Clarifying goals and guidelines.
- Observable Candor = Push members to be frank with one another. Model “caring criticism”
- Official Advocate for Candor-Noticing = A tactic for conference calls is to designate one team member to act as the official advocate for candor-noticing and speaking up when something is being left unsaid and calling out criticism that’s not constructive. On the flip side, you should also occasionally recognize people for practices that improve team communication and collaboration.
- Establish a Common Purpose or Vision = The importance of establishing a common purpose or vision is paramount, while also framing the work in terms of team members’ individual needs and ambitions. Explain to everyone why you are coming together and what benefits will result, and then keep reiterating the message.
- Establish a few Rules = Rules reduce uncertainty and enhance trust in social groups, thereby improving productivity. Agree on how quickly team members should respond to queries and requests from one another, and outline follow-up steps if someone is slow to act. Insist that requests be specific. Make it clear that multitasking is NOT OK.
The Right Touchpoints
Virtual teams should come together in person at certain times. The stages at which it’s most critical are Kickoff, Onboarding, Milestones.
- Kickoff = An initial meeting, face-to-face if possible and using video if not, will go a long way toward introducing teammates, setting expectations for trust and candor, and clarifying team goals and behavioral guidelines.
- Onboarding = Fly new team members into headquarters. Pair newcomers with a mentor.
- Milestones = Get people together to celebrate the achievement of short-term goals or to crack tough problems.
The Right Technology
Even top-notch virtual teams—those with the most- talented workers, the finest leadership, and frequent touchpoints—can be felled by poor technology. We recommend using team communication platforms that integrate all types of key components such as: Conference calling, Direct calling, Discussion forums, Easy recording, etc.
Virtual teams are hard to get right but the appeal of forming virtual teams is clear. Employees can manage their work and personal lives more flexibly, and they have the opportunity to interact with colleagues around the world. Companies can use the best and lowest-cost global talent and significantly reduce their real estate costs.
The good news is that research now indicates that well-managed dispersed teams can actually outperform those that share office space. So if you lead a virtual team or are a member of one, realize there are methods and tactics you can use to give your team the best chance of success.
Additional Resource:
From McKinsey.com: Revisiting Agile Teams after an Abrupt Shift to Remote
Agile teams traditionally excel when their members are co-located. Here’s a great article by McKinsey on how to ensure they’re effective after COVID-19 forced them to work remotely.
