A leader of a virtual team writes, my employee at a remote satellite
office is acting like a manager even though I've told him to stop.
The manager describes the situation like this.
I think I did pretty well at hiring my first three remote employees.
And one of these people really embodies all the characteristics I was looking for.
We'll call him Rich.
He is MVP of the project and has exceeded all expectations.
But the problem is that Rich thinks he's the leader of the virtual team.
For example, even though the leader is on a video conference call with the team
several times a day,
the second the camera is off, Rich attempts to take over as the boss.
Rich even started using team-lead in his email signature.
However, if Rich leaves, that project might fail.
This manager wonders, how do I stop Rich's aggressive behavior toward his peers
without stifling the aggressive behavior that has kept our project moving forward?
Most of us have had the experience of being on a virtual team or
distance-challenged team.
How can we get our virtual teams off to a good start?
First, let's distinguish three types of teams.
Traditional, hybrid, and virtual teams.
Traditional teams are physically close and spend much time together.
Purely virtual teams are never in the same place at the same time.
They rely heavily on technology to communicate.
Time zones are big challenges for these teams.
Hybrid teams are somewhere in between.
They are sometimes co-located, but they often are spread out across the globe.
Or, some members might be co-located, whereas other team members are not.
These teams face a lot of challenges.
Let's use Tuckman's model of group development to derive some
best practices to optimize your virtual or hybrid team.
According to Tuckman, there are five stages of group development.
Forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.
Adjourning.
Forming.
Did you know that 90% of team members have
disagreeing lists when asked to identify who is on their team?
For this reason, it is important to be clear about the team boundaries.
The smaller the team, the more likely trust will form.
In terms of selection, talent trumps location.
It is better to have the most talented person on the team
than the person who is most convenient.
Storming.
By storming we mean conflict.
People on virtual teams often fall prey to the negativity effect.
The lack of immediate visual feedback changes the signals the brain sends.
Bottom line, this leads to more impulsive,
aggressive behavior in virtual groups as compared to face to face interaction.
For example, people deliver harsher feedback virtually than face to face,
such as in performance reviews.
And people are more likely to make threats when using email than face to face.
People are more likely to interpret a positive message as neutral and
a neutral message as negative.
What are some best practices to manage conflict in virtual teams.
First, humanize members.
I often put pictures of team members in view when communicating electronically.
Second, humanize yourself.
Put a mirror in front of yourself when communicating electronically so
you can check your own body language.
Third, socialize before getting down to business.
In our research, we found that five minutes of casual conversation
sets the stage for future trust and understanding.
Something that we call the schmooze or lose effect.
Finally, don't use email if you can pick up the phone.
One company I know has a strict policy, nothing but
good news is delivered via email.
Anything sensitive, complex, or negative is done face to face or by phone.
Norming.
Establishing norms and rules of engagement is vital for virtual teams.
Start by putting away the technology when meeting face to face.
Taking a call or checking email, or any multitasking while in conversation with
another person leads to a loss of trust and lower perceived professionalism.
Did you know that the mere presence of a cell phone
during a conversation hurts the relationship?
Create a team charter, be clear about the mission.
Appoint a team coach for meeting and relationship management.
Appoint a technology coach to troubleshoot problems.
Performing.
If you have established effective norms, you are ready to perform virtually.
It is vital to check in on a weekly basis.
Shorter, more frequent meetings are more effective in keeping the team on track,
than longer infrequent meetings.
Adjourning.
When the project ends, have a debrief session.
My favorite government agency refers to these meetings as a hot wash.
This is a time to focus on three things.
What worked well?
What did not work so well?
0 Comments