Virtual Team Building

Six Keys to Working Together Effectively in a Virtual Environment

One of our clients is an American Company who has a division in Germany. In a workshop, made up of German and American employees, they described what they called "The Seven Challenges of Transatlantic Teamwork":

1. Distance
2. Time shift
3. Few face-to-face communications
4. Language barriers limit understanding
5. Different cultural backgrounds
6. Vision & Strategy not fully developed/communicated/committed
7. Developing subteams to focus on international problems

This kind of team is referred to as a Virtual Team. Some of the members of this team met for the first time face-to-face in this workshop even though they had worked together for three years. Up to the time they met they were linked by communication technologies. Like any team, this virtual team had to accomplish interdependent tasks that were tied directly to their common purpose.

Our workshop focused on developing virtual team building skills in order to work well together. Their value as a global resource was seen by their international customers as highly significant to their companies efficiency, revenue, and bottom line.

Having worked with virtual teams for many years, here are six keys to working together effectively and having successful outcomes:

• The first key is to develop a team charter. This would include a clear purpose, appropriate expectations, ground rules, processes for resolving conflict, solving problems and making decisions. A good team charter will provide a strong foundation that will avoid future pitfalls common to virtual teams.
• The second key is “Knowing and being known”. The team needs to both know and understand the unique strengths and skills each team member brings to the team. This helps to build mutual respect. A cross-cultural team may also need to understand something of each other’s culture and customs, insofar as they affect their work environment. One team member said, “being recognized by fellow team mates is very powerful and rewarding.
• The third key is about trust. To earn people’s trust is to do what you said you would do, within the time you said you would do it. Each team member needs to develop a track record with their teammates in order to earn their trust.
• The fourth key is for the team to find ways to hold each other accountable. For example: for regular and appropriate communication; for following through on what they said they would do; for dealing quickly with conflict.
• The fifth key is for team members to acknowledge and find ways to communicate authentic appreciation for each other’s contributions and accomplishments – both the little ones and the big ones. Tweeting is one great way to do this. (See chapter 7 of Twitter Power 2.0)
• The sixth key is to develop a set of values from the start that include being proactive, caring, forgiving and tolerant of one another.

Even an experienced team leader will sometimes wrestle with their role as a virtual team leader. If they are honest they would say they need more tools and skills - virtual team building to develop high-quality virtual relationships with their teams. If you’re a virtual team leader here are some questions to consider:

1. Do you believe you’re prepared to lead your teammates in today’s virtual environment?
2. Are you clear about the differences between traditional and virtual leadership?
3. Are you comfortable with leading people in another city? Another country? Do you understand the culture of that country?
4. Do you have tools, knowledge and skills to succeed in the virtual team environment?
5. How well can you communicate “between –the- lines?”
6. How adept are you at on-line coaching?

A great resource is Joel Comm's book
Twitter Power 2.0
It is rated as the best business book on Twitter in the world.
SEE Chapter 7 focuses on Twitter For Virtual Team Leaders.

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We believe that virtual teams can have a significant competitive advantage if they are led by team leaders who have the right tools and skills to help their teams become successful.

Virtual teams connect a company to the world.

Virtual Team Building

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