FOR JAPMAN

Section One

Building High-Performing Virtual Teams

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

Chapter One

Why Virtual Teams Fail

‘‘You have no choice but to operate in a world

shaped by globalization and the information

revolution. There are two options: Adapt or die. . . .

You need to plan the way a fire department plans. It

cannot anticipate fires, so it has to shape a flexible

organization that is capable of responding to

unpredictable events.’’

—Andrew S. Grove, Intel Corporation

Virtual teams are more prevalent than ever. It’s not hard to see why. Advances in technology have made it easier to organize and manage dispersed groups of people. And competitive pressures and the needs of today’s global market workforce have made virtual teams a necessity for some organizations.

Many companies are using virtual teams to reach business objectives and to get a leg up on their competition. However, in others, virtual teams are more opportunistic, emerging in response to a particular event or need. For example, joint ventures or acquisitions within the pharmaceutical industry have led to the use of virtual teams because different R&D functions need to collaborate to accomplish shared business goals.

But the fact that virtual teams continue to grow in popularity doesn’t mean they’re always being used and managed properly. Quite the contrary. When OnPoint started working with various organizations that used virtual teams, we noticed that few actually

3

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

4 VIRTUAL TEAM SUCCESS

understood how to set their virtual teams up for success in order to ensure continued quality performance.

We found that many organizations simply recycled the same guidelines and best practices they were using for their co-located teams and hoped for the best. And frankly, that system wasn’t working. It seemed obvious that face-to-face teams and virtual teams were the proverbial ‘‘apples and oranges’’ situation.

To help these organizations maximize their investment in virtual collaboration, we wanted to better understand what virtual teams need in order to consistently meet their performance expectations, and we wanted to uncover the unique obstacles these teams face.

So, in order to identify the specific practices associated with the most successful virtual teams and to better understand why some virtual teams fail, we conducted a study of forty-eight virtual teams across a broad range of industries. Three questions motivated our research:

• Why do many virtual teams fail to meet performance expectations?

• What differentiates the very best virtual teams from those that are less successful?

• What differentiates highly effective virtual team leaders from those that are less effective?

Keep in mind that we weren’t using the study to compare face- to-face teams with virtual teams. Instead, we set out to under- stand what factors differentiate high-performing virtual teams from low-performing ones. We wanted to help so companies can implement specific high-impact strategies to make their virtual teams more productive.

As part of the study, we administered an online survey to 427 team members and leaders of intact virtual teams. (See the Appendix for demographics and study detail.) In addition, we collected third-party data from ninety-nine

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

WHY VIRTUAL TEAMS FAIL 5

stakeholders—individuals who are very familiar with the teams, such as internal customers or the team leaders’ managers—to objectively assess team performance.

And to better understand the common experiences and chal- lenges for virtual team leaders and team members, we conducted more than fifty telephone interviews with virtual team members, team leaders, human resource (HR) professionals, and stakehold- ers. Plus, in a separate study, we administered an online survey to 304 individuals who worked on virtual teams but were not on the same team.

Given the prevalence of virtual teamwork, our research un- covered several factors that were cause for concern:

• In our study of the 304 individuals who worked on virtual teams, 25 percent reported that their teams were not fully effective.

• Third-party stakeholders who were familiar with a given team’s performance were asked to rate its effectiveness. Of forty-eight teams, 27 percent were perceived to be adequate or below adequate in terms of their overall performance.

• When team members and team leaders were asked to assess their effectiveness, 17 percent of the teams rated their own performance as being adequate or below adequate.

The overall performance level of the teams seemed to be up for debate. When we looked at the gap between stakeholders’ and team members’ rating of the teams’ performance levels, we found that there was a significant gap with one-third of the teams. For some of these teams, stakeholders rated team performance higher than team members, and for the remaining teams, stakeholders rated team performance lower than team members. These findings indicate that a significant number of virtual teams are not effective, and perhaps more importantly, that there is a gap in how team effectiveness is perceived that often goes undetected.

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

6 VIRTUAL TEAM SUCCESS

Key Challenges

In short, our research found that, while many virtual teams are successful, a significant number are not reaching their full poten- tial. And based on gaps in the perception of team effectiveness, it also appears that many organizations are not even aware that their virtual teams are performing poorly.

A study discussed in the MIT Sloan Management Review1

reinforces our findings. In that study, only 18 percent of the seventy global business virtual teams assessed were found to be highly successful. That means a whopping 82 percent did not achieve their goals!

But why are so many virtual teams falling into these per- formance traps? In order to answer this question and to better understand the challenges that virtual teams face, we asked hun- dreds of virtual team members and leaders to select the top three challenges that hinder their teams’ performance. Table 1.1 outlines these results.

Perhaps not surprisingly, lack of face-to-face contact was cited as the top challenge. We found that the majority of virtual teams in our study reported meeting in-person only several times per year. However, we did find that lack of face-to-face contact was less of an issue for teams that had an initial face-to-face meeting

Table 1.1 Top Challenges of Virtual Teams

Challenges Percentage of Responses

Lack of face-to-face contact with team members 46%

Lack of resources 37%

Time zone differences hinder our ability to collaborate

29%

Team members are on more than one team and cannot devote enough time to this team

27%

Team members do not share relevant information with one another

21%

Lack of skill training 20%

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

WHY VIRTUAL TEAMS FAIL 7

within the first thirty to ninety days of working virtually together. Overall, these teams were more effective than teams that had never met up-front.

We also examined whether teams had different challenges based on their level of effectiveness. Interestingly, all the teams in our study, regardless of their performance, reported the same top challenges. However, team members on low-performing teams also reported that their team members were on too many different teams, a factor that was unique to this population.

Several additional challenges were consistently mentioned in our interviews and have also been observed in our work with virtual teams. Surprisingly, team members—and in some cases team leaders—frequently lack clarity about who their fellow team members actually are.

That notion becomes less surprising, however, when you consider that many people reported that members of their teams changed monthly. With this common ‘‘revolving door’’ method for staffing teams, you can hardly blame them for not being able to keep up.

And having team members who are here today and gone tomorrow leads to another big challenge for virtual teams—communication. The frequent change of team members makes it difficult to find the most effective ways to communicate with one another and to build relationships effectively.

Add to that the fact that often people are invited to be on a given team solely because of political reasons, not because they are meant to contribute in a specific way. What you end up with, and what we found many organizations ended up with, are large virtual teams whose members don’t have clear roles and who may not even know who their fellow team members are.

Now it’s one thing not to know who your fellow team members are. Surely, though, if you are on a virtual team, you at least know who your leader is. Right? Wrong, actually. We found that in numerous instances team members were also unclear

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

8 VIRTUAL TEAM SUCCESS

about who their team leader was (despite someone identifying him- or herself as the leader in these cases).

One explanation for these seemingly leaderless virtual teams could be the informal, often opportunistic way in which some virtual teams are formed.

In fact, virtual teams often come together out of nowhere. For example, one of our clients, a global consulting firm, came to the realization that, while the majority of its employees were working on virtual teams, no formal decision had ever been made to move in that direction.

In addition, frequent changes in team membership, a lack of formal on-boarding of new members, members who are simulta- neously participating on different virtual teams, and infrequent meetings (virtual or face-to-face) increases the likelihood that someone would not know who his or her team leader is or who fellow team members are. Although these challenges can be daunting, in later chapters, we will discuss what the most effective virtual teams do to successfully overcome these challenges.

Four Pitfalls to Virtual Team Performance

In addition to the performance challenges virtual teams face, four pitfalls also lead to poor performance and, in some cases, to failure. Are these factors present in your organization’s vir- tual teams?

Lack of Clear Goals, Direction, or Priorities

As with any team, virtual or co-located, a lack of clear goals and priorities will inhibit team performance. And because it is tougher to communicate with team members who are geographically distributed and keep them informed, this can be an even bigger problem for virtual teams.

For example, often, team members are not fully informed about changes in focus, which leads to a lack of clarity and

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

WHY VIRTUAL TEAMS FAIL 9

frustration. One virtual team member in our study stated, ‘‘While our goals are very clear, they change so frequently, which leads to ambiguity.’’ The most effective virtual teams reassess goals as priorities shift over time. Teams that do this effectively are usually those with the best leaders. Virtual team leaders are pri- marily responsible for ensuring goal clarity, resolving conflicting priorities, and ensuring the team is aware of any changes.

When new virtual teams are formed, the most effective teams outline team goals and objectives immediately. Consider two different scenarios: A global engineering team conducted a kick- off meeting to build relationships and outline team goals and responsibilities. During the meeting, the team leader clarified team member roles and established how the team would work together. Once things were underway, the leader used virtual meetings and regularly updated postings on the team’s intranet site to inform team members about any updates and changes over time.

However, in our second scenario, a virtual cross-functional task force from a global investment management company expe- rienced numerous problems with setting expectations and often failed to meet its commitments. One of the virtual team members stated, ‘‘People have no idea what our real goals are, as no one has been very clear about this from the start.’’ The team was eventually disbanded because it had not achieved its objectives. Ironically, the team never knew what they supposed to be or do.

Lack of Clear Roles Among Team Members

In virtual teams, it is especially important for team members to clearly understand their individual roles, specifically who they report to and who reports to them. A poorly designed account- abilities structure can have a huge impact on virtual teams.

For example, if a global product development team is working virtually, it would not be efficient for team members in Asia to have to wait to check on how to proceed on a given initiative

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

10 VIRTUAL TEAM SUCCESS

with team members in New York, who start their business day much later. What would work best is if the team members in Asia have the authority to make decisions based on their own scope of work. Designing an effective accountabilities structure mini- mizes delays and inefficiencies that are common when working virtually.

Given the complexity of some initiatives, role clarity is particularly important in cross-functional virtual teams. High- performing virtual teams establish clear roles up-front and continually reassess and ensure clarity of roles over time.

One global information technology team developed a great way to communicate team member roles. They created a ‘‘team handbook,’’ which provided background on each team member and clearly laid out how each person was to contribute to the team. When questions arose during large, complex projects, team members would consult the handbook to determine which team member to consult with. Many of the less-effective teams in our study did not clarify roles during their launch and often failed to revisit roles as things changed during their projects.

Lack of Cooperation

When a diverse group of individuals is asked to work together to accomplish shared objectives, it takes time to build an atmosphere of collaboration. And because there is a lack of face-to-face contact inherent in virtual teamwork, the process of developing trust and building relationships can be even more arduous.

Conflicts often arise between team members or among fac- tions or cliques. It happens with co-located teams as well and is especially common in large teams where ‘‘subgroups’’ develop. For example, consider a virtual team we worked with that we will call ‘‘TeamInnovate.’’ Two-thirds of the team’s members were located in Philadelphia, and the remaining one-third were scattered in different sites around the world. Naturally, the team members in Philadelphia developed stronger relationships with

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

WHY VIRTUAL TEAMS FAIL 11

one another than they did with the members who worked outside the main ‘‘hub.’’

Unfortunately, this setup led to the formation of subgroups, which began to impede team collaboration. Several team mem- bers routinely worked together on projects and didn’t keep other team members informed, which, over time, led to a lack of trust among team members.

Differences of opinion can also hinder collaboration. The high-performing virtual teams in our study were able to handle conflict better than the low-performing teams. In many situations, team members are simply not equipped with the skills necessary for effectively dealing with conflict, especially when conflicts cannot be resolved through face-to-face interaction.

A finance team in a global manufacturing company expe- rienced this very challenge first-hand. Two separate factions developed due to different team members working closely to- gether in each of two locations. However, team members in one location didn’t collaborate with team members in the other location, which created conflict. In this particular case, team members who were co-located began having their own meet- ings, and they didn’t include the members in the other location. Eventually, team members began to blame one another for the team’s shortcomings, which, of course, only led to more conflict. Until this problem was addressed with the entire team, the team did not fully meet its objectives and many team members were dissatisfied.

A Lack of Engagement

Many virtual team members in our study reported a lack of engagement that resulted from not feeling challenged, lack- ing role clarity, having ineffective team leaders, and lacking meaningful goals.

A lack of engagement is not uncommon among virtual team members because it can be difficult to assess other team members’

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

12 VIRTUAL TEAM SUCCESS

levels of engagement because they are in different locations and rarely have face-to-face interactions. To avoid this common problem, leaders and team members should proactively look for signs of disengagement.

For example, here are a few assessment questions to ask your- self: Are all team members contributing to conversations and projects? Are they attending and actively participating in team meetings? Are team members motivated to take on new work or are they feeling overwhelmed? Are people working well together or is there frequent and unproductive team conflict?

Looking out for these common red flags can help prevent engagement issues from derailing a team.

Let’s take another look at ‘‘TeamInnovate.’’ Several of the team’s members reported feelings of isolation and a lack of connectivity with others on the team. In a virtual setting, this is very common. People easily become bored and ‘‘check out’’ because there is a lack of dynamic face-to-face interaction and because there are more distractions.

One virtual team member expressed frustration with her team, which was not performing effectively: ‘‘We are all so used to nonproductive meetings so we typically just mute our phones and don’t really pay attention, which isn’t effective.’’ So if you are a virtual team leader, be constantly assessing your team members’ levels of engagement. If you monitor your virtual team’s performance to ensure that the team is always fully engaged, the team’s effectiveness will be much improved.

Conclusion

Given the prevalence of virtual teamwork and its importance in achieving business objectives, we were surprised by how many teams are ineffective. But what was most startling is that many companies either do not realize that their virtual teams are underperforming or, despite their investments in these

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

Chapter Three

Virtual Team Launch Kit

‘‘A lot of organizations create virtual teams with

almost no understanding of the unique implications

of that decision.’’

—Margaret A. Neale, professor,

Stanford Graduate School of Business1

Each year an increasing number of organizations are launching new teams whose members must collaborate and work together from a distance. While many of these teams are successful, others never accomplish their objectives. Why? Because some organizations that decide to use virtual teams do not invest the resources necessary to ensure their productivity and survival.

As a result, we frequently hear stories about missed deadlines, unhappy customers, failed product launches, and other serious costs (both monetary and non-monetary) associated with failed or failing virtual teams.

Why are some organizations and virtual teams more successful than others? The answer is actually quite simple: Organizations with high-performing virtual teams understand that those teams are unique—and thus take the appropriate actions to help them to be successful.

Test Your Virtual Team Launch IQ

Before we discuss the guidelines for effectively launching new virtual teams, let’s assess your current knowledge. The case study below outlines a situation related to launching a new virtual

27

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

Chapter Three

Virtual Team Launch Kit

‘‘A lot of organizations create virtual teams with

almost no understanding of the unique implications

of that decision.’’

—Margaret A. Neale, professor,

Stanford Graduate School of Business1

Each year an increasing number of organizations are launching new teams whose members must collaborate and work together from a distance. While many of these teams are successful, others never accomplish their objectives. Why? Because some organizations that decide to use virtual teams do not invest the resources necessary to ensure their productivity and survival.

As a result, we frequently hear stories about missed deadlines, unhappy customers, failed product launches, and other serious costs (both monetary and non-monetary) associated with failed or failing virtual teams.

Why are some organizations and virtual teams more successful than others? The answer is actually quite simple: Organizations with high-performing virtual teams understand that those teams are unique—and thus take the appropriate actions to help them to be successful.

Test Your Virtual Team Launch IQ

Before we discuss the guidelines for effectively launching new virtual teams, let’s assess your current knowledge. The case study below outlines a situation related to launching a new virtual

27

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

28 VIRTUAL TEAM SUCCESS

team. We invite you to read the case study and think about how you would handle it.

Take notes about what you would do in each situation. After you’ve done so, use the scoring guidelines to evaluate how you did. And once you finish the chapter, consider revisiting the case study to determine what you might do differently.

Case Study: Pharmacorp Pharmacorp is a global research-driven pharmaceutical organi- zation that is committed to science and innovation. Its 45,000 employees are geographically dispersed around the world, with business operations in 120 countries. The majority of its products are in the immunology and cardiovascular space, but the company has recently decided to make a significant R&D investment in oncology products. Peter Frank, the company’s global head of R&D, recently announced that the company would be creating a new global organizational structure for R&D that will better optimize resources to support each of its product lines.

In his announcement, Peter said that one critical component of this initiative will be launching a global task force that would examine the various alternatives to this new organizational structure and that he would be making a recommendation to the Pharmacorp senior team within the next six weeks. The task force is made up of fifteen employees within the R&D organization, who are geographically dispersed around the world. It is made clear that members of the task force will need to dedicate a significant amount of their time to it, while also continuing to focus on their day-to-day responsibilities.

Peter has requested that you lead the task force, as he feels that it will be a good developmental experience for you. Given how important it is that this task force succeed, Peter wants to meet with you tomorrow to discuss how you plan to approach this important role. In order to facilitate your discussion, he has asked that you begin outlining your approach for successfully launching and leading this team. Peter envisions having nominal financial support for this task force and suggests that you minimize team travel and expenses as much as possible.

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

VIRTUAL TEAM LAUNCH KIT 29

How will you approach this challenge? What role will each team member play? How will you engage team members to ensure their commitment? Take some time to write down your ideas and approach. After you do, review the factors below and check the ones you considered as you thought about how you would approach the situation.

� Consider the objective and work of the task force and de- termine whether there are clear roles for each of the fifteen members. If there are not, initiate a discussion with Peter and consider reducing the size of the team.

� Evaluate your own strengths and weaknesses as a virtual team leader to identify pitfalls you want to avoid as you take on this development responsibility.

� Schedule a face-to-face kick-off meeting to clarify the purpose and focus of the task force and begin to build relationships.

� Clarify how both individual and team performance will be measured and recognized.

� As the virtual team leader, ensure you have a clear under- standing of your own role and responsibilities; share this with the team.

� Ask the team for their input on how to operate effectively and efficiently.

� Establish in the beginning how progress will be monitored and the best means for communicating progress (weekly or bi-weekly calls, when to communicate progress via the phone, email or video conferencing).

� Because the team members do not report directly to you and are responsible for fulfilling their day-to-day responsibilities in addition to their work on the task force, consider how people will be held accountable and how competing priorities will be handled.

Are You Ready to Launch a Virtual Team? Next, use the guidelines in Table 3.1 to determine how effectively you evaluated the situation.

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

30 VIRTUAL TEAM SUCCESS

Table 3.1 Evaluating Your Responses

Number of Interpretation Items Checked

6 to 8 You have considered the majority of the factors required to successfully launch a virtual team.

5 You have considered most of the factors required to successfully launch a virtual team.

4 You have considered some of the factors required to successfully launch a virtual team.

3 You have considered a few of the factors required to successfully launch a virtual team.

How did you do? Were you surprised by how much you already knew about preparing a virtual team for success? Or did you overlook some of the factors required for virtual success? If you missed some important factors, you’ll find this chapter particularly helpful. And if you scored a 6, 7, or 8, please don’t skip to the next chapter just yet. Read on to find tips and tools to help you continue to improve your process and approach.

Setting Virtual Teams Up for Success

Many organizations quickly assemble virtual teams to address emerging business challenges. For example, one global investment management company would frequently establish new virtual teams to come up with solutions to address customer complaints.

However, when doing so, company leaders often pulled people together who had never worked with one another before and did not provide the necessary resources to ensure these teams would be effective. Many of the teams lacked a clear direction, and members were often too busy to dedicate quality time to the team.

So what should this organization have done differently? We would give them the same advice we’d give anyone launching a virtual team—advice we’ve laid out in the ‘‘roadmap’’ below to help get your teams off to a fast, effective start.

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

VIRTUAL TEAM LAUNCH KIT 31

Before the Launch: Forming a Virtual Team

When we looked at the differences between the most- and least- effective virtual teams, we found that the most effective teams thought through four key questions before they even reached the official launch stage:

1. How many people should be on the team?

2. Do the team leader and team members have the right combination of technical and ‘‘virtual’’ skills to work effectively in a virtual environment?

3. Will the team have access to the technology they need to effectively communicate and share information?

4. How will the team and the individual team members be recognized and rewarded?

Keep Your Virtual Teams at a Manageable Size. As we discussed, our research found that high-performing virtual teams were smaller and more cohesive than low-performing ones. For a team to make decisions effectively and operate efficiently, its ideal size should be five to eight people.

When forming a new virtual team, consider who really needs to be included and make sure each member has a clear role. As more and more people become involved, virtual teams may be more susceptible to common pitfalls such as a lack of clear roles or clear goals. If you have larger virtual teams in your organization, we recommend they be broken into sub-teams responsible for a specific deliverable or a core team with advisory groups so that they can communicate and function effectively in a virtual setting.

While it’s true that team members often participate on virtual teams in addition to their day-to-day responsibilities, participation on multiple virtual teams should be limited so members can dedicate the time required to fulfill their team roles successfully. Organizations need to be thoughtful about

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

32 VIRTUAL TEAM SUCCESS

team membership and ensure that they are not encouraging their employees to over-commit themselves.

Choose Virtual Team Leaders Carefully. The most effective virtual team leaders are able to balance both the execution- oriented practices and the interpersonal, communication, and cultural factors that define virtual teams. Therefore, organiza- tions should select as leaders only people who possess those key characteristics.

Unfortunately, many organizations do not put as much thought as they should into their team leader decisions. In fact, we often hear stories about team leaders who were selected based on availability or simply because they volunteered. Re- member, leading a virtual team is a challenging task and requires a different skill set than leading a traditional co-located team.

When assigning a leader, organizations should take the time to select the individual with the appropriate skills—and not just go with the first person to volunteer or someone who already happens to lead a team. In addition, they should periodically assess their leaders’ effectiveness and provide them with targeted feedback about how they can enhance their performance. Great leaders will be happy to learn what they can do to keep improving.

Make Sure Teams Have the Right Mix of ‘‘Virtual’’ and Technical Skills. Organizations should also ensure that their virtual team members have the skills necessary to effectively collaborate from a distance. People who are motivated and able to work in a self-directed manner, have a tolerance for ambiguity, are strong communicators, and are collaborative will be more effective on virtual teams.

A recent BusinessWeek article2 presented findings on what personality traits make for good virtual workers. While one might assume that introverted people would be more likely to thrive in a virtual setting, the study found that it was actually extroverts who fared best. It was discovered that extroverted employees were

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

VIRTUAL TEAM LAUNCH KIT 33

more adept at finding ways to stay connected to others, no matter their location. The study also showed that being structured and organized is essential for successfully working virtually, and that disorganized employees were less successful.

Organizations generally need to make sure team members have the appropriate skills for tackling particular tasks. Laszlo Bock of Google says, ‘‘It is important to compose the team differently based on the problem the team needs to solve or address.’’ For example, the people chosen to help solve a detailed financial problem would most likely not be selected for a virtual team that’s created to tackle a customer satisfaction issue.

However, in some situations organizations benefit from the use of cross-functional teams, in which they bring together people with different areas of expertise to address a problem. Bottom line: It is important to consider the scope of the problem to determine the criteria for virtual team membership.

You can start by establishing criteria for selecting team members. For example, a global IT virtual team in our study outlined the skill set necessary for success and then selected team members accordingly. While technical expertise in various IT areas was deemed important, the leader wanted to involve people who would work well autonomously yet who could also successfully collaborate with the rest of the team when needed.

According to our interviews and study data, the most im- portant characteristics for virtual team members include strong communication and interpersonal skills, initiative, and flexibil- ity. Consider who needs to be on your virtual teams to ensure that high-quality decisions are made and across-the-board buy-in is achieved.

Understanding the characteristics necessary for succeeding in a virtual environment is very important. While these character- istics may vary depending on a virtual team’s goals, the checklist provided in Table 3.2 can be used to help organizations select virtual team members and leaders.

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

34 VIRTUAL TEAM SUCCESS

Table 3.2 Checklist for Virtual Team Leader and Team Member Selection

A Good Virtual Team Leader A Good Virtual Team Member

� Delegates work and responsibilities effectively; trusts others to achieve goals

� Demonstrates a high level of motivation

� Implements processes to effectively monitor work (checks in without micromanaging, has strong project management skills)

� Effectively communicates with others (reaches out to others for help and proactively shares information with others)

� Effectively manages conflict � Effectively collaborates with others

� Is comfortable working in an unstructured environment

� Is comfortable working in an unstructured environment

� Demonstrates strong communication and management skills (provides clear direction and is responsive)

� Is able to operate autonomously to achieve goals/objectives

� Inspires people to achieve results

� Is self-disciplined

� Effectively recognizes and rewards others

� Is proficient with technology

� Provides coaching and feedback to others; supports others

� Efficiently uses time and resources to carry out objectives

� Appropriately consults and engages others when making decisions

� Resolves work-related problems quickly

� Holds others accountable for meeting commitments

� Takes full accountability for decisions, actions, and performance

Select the Right Communication Technologies. Even more than other members of the organization, virtual team members need a way to communicate effectively, share information, raise concerns, ask for help, obtain answers to questions, and brain- storm. It’s also important for them to be able to leverage tools

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

VIRTUAL TEAM LAUNCH KIT 35

that help compensate for the lack of face-to-face interaction in a virtual setting.

In order for virtual collaboration to be truly successful, the right technologies must be available. There are many ways to implement effective communication such as team v-meetings, emailing, videoconferencing, instant messaging, collaborative group technologies, blogs, wikis, and web-based bulletin boards.

We find that it’s best to use a mix of communication methods. For example, to help increase engagement and social interaction, some organizations have created team websites or use collabora- tive tools that function as ‘‘virtual water coolers’’ to encourage informal team communication.

Other virtual teams have created shared spaces using social networking–based tools such as Facebook to help team members get to know one another and strengthen interpersonal relation- ships. These tools allow team members to learn about one another despite the lack of face-to-face contact.

Access to instant messaging tools also allows team members to interact in a more immediate and spontaneous manner that is similar to how they would communicate if they were co-located. And conducting meetings via a videoconference is another great way to overcome the lack of face-to-face interaction.

The team should determine at the outset how it will com- municate, and at that time members should have any necessary training needed to successfully and easily use the communication technologies. If you’d like to learn more about this, we discuss criteria for matching the technology to the task in Chapter Seven.

Determine How Performance Will Be Recognized and Rewarded. When virtual team members are consistently rec- ognized and rewarded for their achievements, their commitment to the team and to the organization is reinforced and they stay motivated. A lack of engagement, one of the pitfalls we discussed

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

36 VIRTUAL TEAM SUCCESS

in Chapter One, is common when virtual team members receive little recognition.

When a new virtual team is established at your organization, consider the best ways to recognize its individual members, the team as a whole, and its leader. As the team’s work gets underway and progresses, make sure members are consistently recognized for their achievements. This is particularly important when people join virtual teams on a voluntary basis.

It’s important that organizations and virtual team leaders develop strategies to reward and recognize virtual teams and their members. For example, find opportunities to ‘‘spotlight’’ team members and to virtually celebrate successes as a team. Some leaders use e-certificates, e-newsletters, and other online mechanisms to recognize team members.

It’s also important to communicate successes to virtual team members’ managers, as they may not be aware of their employees’ achievements. Sahota at Schering-Plough explained that the company’s recognition system is designed to allow team leaders to include the team members’ managers on recognition emails and other communication for this very reason.

For consistency’s sake, virtual team reward systems should be aligned with any existing organizational performance man- agement systems. And traditional organizational incentives and systems may need to be adapted for use in a virtual environment. For example, recognition ceremonies that might normally be done at a face-to-face team meeting or dinner would now need to be done during a phone call or video conference. And trophies and plaques recognizing special contributions would have to be mailed after they’re awarded rather than handed out at the time of the announcement.

It’s also important to ensure that the reward and recognition systems promote collaboration among team members.

Consider an organization that bases virtual team mem- bers’ incentives on how each person performs relative to the other members of the team (versus relative to their individual performance goals). Although this approach certainly motivates

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

VIRTUAL TEAM LAUNCH KIT 37

each individual to reach higher levels of productivity, it also has an unintended consequence: It does not encourage teamwork and cooperation.

Virtual team members start to think, Why should I help my co-worker when enhancing her performance may negatively impact my level of recognition and reward? This is a valid point. While it is beneficial to implement some system to inspire virtual team members and reward their performance, it’s also important to ensure that these systems help unite rather than divide team members.

Group celebrations and bonuses shared by all team members might be effective rewards for some virtual teams. Whenever possible involve the team’s senior sponsors and stakeholders in the recognition process in formal and informal ways. Doing so will help further motivate team members because they’ll see that their work is appreciated from the top down.

The Launch Stage: Hold a Great Kick-Off Meeting

As we mentioned earlier, face time counts. While meeting in person requires time and costs money, our research shows that virtual teams that have an initial kick-off meeting perform better than those that do not. To facilitate team performance, we recommend that companies invest the time and money to bring members together within the first thirty days of the team’s inception.

Kick-off meetings help get everyone on the same page. Virtual team members learn about the scope of the work or project, get to know the people who are on their team, and come to a consensus on team structure and processes. These sessions also allow time for members to develop a team plan and to build interpersonal relationships.

The synergies and significant long-term payoff gained from working face-to-face on setting team norms, processes, and rela- tionship building appear to outweigh the expense of travel. Laszlo Bock agrees that in-person kick-off meetings for teams at Google

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

38 VIRTUAL TEAM SUCCESS

are critical. He says, ‘‘The single biggest challenge is building trust. Unless you build it up-front, you start seeing politics or people disengaging, which results in negative behavior. We try to have face-to-face kick-off meetings, which completely changes the nature of the team. If you do it early on, it has a huge impact versus doing it later when you are repairing things.’’

An effective kick-off meeting will accomplish the following goals:

Create a Sense of Purpose. Having a sense of purpose and a clear understanding of how the virtual team contributes to the organization’s overall goals helps build a sense of unity and provides direction and motivation for team members. These matters should be communicated early and often while a team is working together.

The ‘‘Purpose Pyramid’’3 in Figure 3.1 describes the four building blocks required to create a sense of purpose for your virtual team. One factor that contributes to a team feeling that it

Figure 3.1 The Purpose Pyramid

The Organization

- Its Higher Purpose - The Future Vision - Distinct Culture

Relationship to the Organization

- I Make a Difference - Opportunity for Innovation/Improvement - Understand How I Connect to the Big Picture - Personal Identification with the Organization

Self

- Pursuit of Values - Positive Challenge - Learning and Development - Sense of Achievement

Relationship to Others

- Personal Relationships - Involvement - Sense of Community - Serving/Helping Internal/External Customers

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

VIRTUAL TEAM LAUNCH KIT 39

has a sense of purpose is based on team members’ understanding of the organization’s purpose and vision and how the team is connected to ‘‘big picture.’’

Although it is not realistic to expect to build a strong sense of purpose at a one- or two-day kick-off meeting, you can expect to build a solid foundation. A portion of the meeting can be focused on how the virtual team’s deliverables are aligned with the organization’s purpose and vision and the impact they have on customers. For example, when a global pharmaceutical R&D team understands how the drug they are developing will help patients with the disease and its work relates to the strategy of their organization (that is, why we are in this business), it clearly emphasizes the individual and team contribution in a very concrete way.

The last element that impacts sense of purpose, the quality of relationships with other members of the team, is also important to begin working on during the kick-off meeting. The majority of the agenda items should be directed toward helping team members get to know each other better, building a sense of community/team, and clarifying when collaboration is needed and what it looks like when it is. As you will see later in this chapter, a variety of experiential and real-world activities can help teams accomplish this objective.

The checklist in Exhibit 3.1 below outlines the actions that help create a sense of team purpose.

Exhibit 3.1. Monitor Your Sense of Purpose

Using the scale below, assess what you feel you currently do well and where you will need some improvement. This can also be used as a checklist to monitor and assess your ongoing efforts to create a sense of purpose.

1 = I rarely do this

2 = I do this some of the time

3 = I do this frequently

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

40 VIRTUAL TEAM SUCCESS

1. The Organization

Help my virtual team have an explicitly clear understanding of our organizational purpose—as a company and as a team.

Communicate a very clear vision of where we need to go in the future; give my team members something to strive for—as a company and as a team.

Communicate, live by, and reinforce a distinct set of values—as a company and as a team.

2. Relationship to the Organization

Help each member of my virtual team feel like he/she makes a difference.

Encourage continuous improvement and innovation.

Keep virtual team members connected to the ‘‘big picture.’’

3. Self

Create a workplace in which team members can pursue their personal values.

Give team members challenges that are motivating and realistic.

Create, support, and reinforce employee learning and development.

Ensure team members have what they need to achieve their goals.

4. Relationship to Others

Build a sense of community within the virtual team

Champion collaboration, helping others, and cooperation

Keep a constant focus on the customer

Seek to involve team members to create a sense of ownership

Clarify the Team’s Goals. It’s critical to discuss the team’s overriding goals and plans for achieving these goals. As part of this, we also recommend discussing how the team will assess its performance and how it will establish key milestones and performance metrics. Where possible, involve team members in

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

VIRTUAL TEAM LAUNCH KIT 41

discussions about setting or prioritizing goals to increase their buy-in. Also, it’s important to put a process in place to set and reset priorities over time.

A simple and familiar tool that will ensure the team’s goal statements are unambiguous, measurable, and realistic is the SMART criteria:

• Specific: The goal should be expressed in terms of a specific outcome or result for which the team will be held accountable. This outcome should be linked to a specific business objective.

• Measurable: The goal should be expressed in terms of an outcome that can be measured or otherwise verified.

• Aligned: The goal should be challenging but realistic given the current environment, available resources, and the team’s experience and skill level.

• Realistic: The goal should be consistent with the organization’s/team’s strategic objectives.

• Time-bound: The goal should include a target date or deadline by which it will be met.

Clarify Team Members’ Roles. Ensure that each team mem- ber understands his or her role and responsibilities, as well as the roles of his or her fellow members. Lack of clear roles and respon- sibilities results in conflicts among team members or departments and can lead to situations in which key tasks fall through the cracks because no one believes they are responsible for them. This is even more prevalent in a virtual environment, where it can be more difficult to monitor others’ work and hold one another accountable. Team members’ level of cooperation is generally higher when everyone involved agrees on when collaboration is needed or not and what collaboration looks like in these situa- tions. When we know what to expect from other people, we are more willing to trust them and cooperate with them.

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

42 VIRTUAL TEAM SUCCESS

A practical tool to help clarify roles and responsibilities, shown in Exhibit 3.2, is commonly referred to as the RACIN model, which stands for five levels of authority and involve- ment—Responsible, Approve, Consult, Inform, and Not Involved—and enables individuals and teams to describe what cooperation and collaboration looks like for the most important decisions and activities for which they are responsible.

During the kick-off meeting, the team starts by listing the critical decisions and activities for which they are accountable and then discusses and reaches agreement on who has which role. This takes time but is well worth the investment. Over time, most teams will eventually come to some agreement about when and how to cooperate. However, that journey can be long and arduous and frequently leads to damaged relationships and broken trust. Bottom line: Working out roles at the early stage of a virtual team’s life cycle helps accelerate productivity and helps team members avoid conflict down the road.

Exhibit 3.2. The RACIN Model

Responsible If a group or person is ‘‘responsible’’ for a decision or activity, then he or she is charged with ‘‘making it happen.’’ The ‘‘R’s’’ have the lead role in bringing all the necessary resources (people, time, funding) together to ensure that the decision or activity is carried out successfully. In many cases, an ‘‘R’’ is the project manager and carries out the planning; identifies who needs to be involved; communicates with other team members (that is, interfaces with the ‘‘A’s,’’ ‘‘C’s,’’ and ‘‘I’s’’), influences others to attain the necessary help, resources, and information; and coordinates the work.

Approve If a group or person has the responsibility to ‘‘approve’’ a decision or activity, then he or she has a ‘‘go or no-go’’ say in carrying out the decision or activity. For example, while the ‘‘R’s’’ may propose how to carry out the decision and how to do the work, the ‘‘A’s’’ ultimately decide whether the plan will go forward. Therefore, the ‘‘A’’ in this case also stands for

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

VIRTUAL TEAM LAUNCH KIT 43

‘‘accountable.’’ The ‘‘A’s’’ are ultimately accountable for the outcome of their decisions and the success of the work.

It’s important that ‘‘R’s’’ engage ‘‘A’s’’ early and often in their project planning to ensure their plans are on track. Likewise, ‘‘A’s’’ should frequently check in with ‘‘R’s’’ to monitor progress and ensure they have the information they need to make informed approvals or disapprovals. The relationship between ‘‘R’s’’ and ‘‘A’s’’ should be one of constant communication and partnership.

Consult If a person or group has this level of authority for an important decision or activity, then they should be consulted prior to making decisions. This suggests that the ‘‘C’s’’ work is significantly affected by ‘‘R’s’’ work and ‘‘A’s’’ final decisions. If the ‘‘R’’ neglects to involve the ‘‘C’’ early, this can lead to a lack of ‘‘buy-in’’ for the critical decision or activity that the ‘‘R’’ is trying to implement. Typically, the ‘‘R’s’’ should consult with the ‘‘C’s’’ prior to asking for the ‘‘A’s’’ approval because the ‘‘C’s’’ input may affect how the ‘‘R’s’’ are viewing the work/project and the primary decisions/approvals needed.

Inform A group or person with this level of authority should be informed of the decision and other pertinent information that may affect him or her. The ‘‘R’’ would typically be the one to inform the ‘‘I’’ once the ‘‘A’’ has approved the final decision or plan. The information may modestly affect what the ‘‘I’’ is trying to accomplish, but it would not have nearly the impact that it does on the ‘‘C.’’

Not Involved These groups or individuals do not need to be involved and will not be affected at all by the decision or activity.

Develop Team Norms. Clarify expectations regarding ac- ceptable and unacceptable behaviors for team members, such as:

• Team meeting etiquette (including expectations for participating in team meetings and v-meetings)

• Expectations for collaboration, communication, and dealing with conflicts

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

44 VIRTUAL TEAM SUCCESS

• Process and time frame for responding to emails and telephone messages

• Review and approval process for team members’ tasks

Develop a Plan for Communicating Among Team Members. Agree on the types of technology members will use to communi- cate and how the team’s progress will be shared with stakeholders and management figures. Be sure to:

• Illustrate the connection between team activities and technological infrastructure

• Clarify communication needs and desires of team members

• Identify when face-to-face meetings should be used

• Train team members on communication technologies

During the kick-off meeting, new virtual teams will benefit from discussing how and when team members will use the available technologies. For example, how will the team share documents and update one another? Is email the best tool for this or is there another preferred mechanism?

What communication technology will be best for conflict resolution? How about for brainstorming solutions to problems? What decisions are best for teleconferences or other collaborative e-tools?

Are any key technologies not available for the team? Will this lack of availability create problems for the team? If so, what accommodations need to be made and how will the team minimize the impact?

The Virtual Team Technology Assessment in Table 3.3 is a resource to help new virtual teams think through their use of different technologies.

Hold Team Development Activities. Virtual team members often have a hard time establishing trust with one another because they don’t have the advantage of frequent in-person

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

VIRTUAL TEAM LAUNCH KIT 45

interactions. They also struggle because they cannot see one another’s body language, which makes it difficult to gain a sense for team members’ personalities and intentions.

Table 3.3 Virtual Team Technology Assessment

Technology When/How the Team Will Use It

Videoconferencing/TelePresence

Collaborative Groupware/ Web-Based Tools

Telephone Conferencing

Team Website (e.g., on intranet)

Email

Instant Messaging

Blogs/Wikis

Other

We highly recommend using team development activities during the kick-off meeting to build trust and camaraderie among team members. Many of the most successful teams in the study had skill-development training during their initial kick-off meeting and subsequent training over time.

In our work with virtual teams, we found that three activities during the launch meeting help team members get to know each other, build confidence in each other’s ability, and provide a platform for teamwork and communication back on the job. They are (1) personal introductions including background and experience, (2) review of individual style and how it affects teamwork and communication, and (3) an experiential exercise or team project.

Get to Know Each Other. It wouldn’t be unusual for a group of people who do not know each other very well to have pre- conceived notions about one another or to make assumptions about one another based on stereotypes or something they’ve

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

46 VIRTUAL TEAM SUCCESS

heard from a third party. A great way to dispel incorrect assump- tions and help team members build relationships is an icebreaker exercise that gives team members a chance to learn more about each other.

For example, ask team members to meet in pairs and ask one another the following questions: What is your work and educational experience? Describe your greatest accomplishments at work and any special projects in which you’ve participated. What articles, papers, and/or books have you published? Do you have any patents? What are your hobbies and interests?

After that, have one member of the pair introduce the other person and then continue the process until everyone has a turn. Exercises like this one can be a fun way to build relationships and engage people.

Clarify Your Team Player Style. In order to enhance collabo- ration, many virtual teams benefit from understanding the styles of other team members. Self-assessment questionnaires are great tools teams can use to evaluate their individual and collective work styles.

For example, Parker’s4 Team Player Style self-assessment helps team members increase their individual effectiveness, assess team dynamics, and understand one another’s contribution to team effectiveness. Exhibit 3.3 provides a high level description of Parker’s four styles. The results from the self-assessment help team members understand the advantages and potential down- sides of each style and what they need to do to enhance team performance.

Exhibit 3.3. Parker’s Team Player Styles

The Contributor Task-oriented, data provider. Pushes the team to make efficient, effective progress. Wants the team to stay on track. Shares openly, delivers on his or her promises and expects others to do the same.

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

VIRTUAL TEAM LAUNCH KIT 47

The Collaborator Very goal-directed and a ‘‘big-picture’’ thinker. Willing to move outside of his or her defined role if it helps the team to achieve its goals. Pitches in—offers help and is relatively flexible.

The Communicator Process-oriented, highly effective listener and facilitator of total participation. Good problem ‘‘namer’’ and solver, this role focuses a lot of energy on the quality of team relationships.

The Challenger Critique-oriented, openly questioning goals, methods, or even the results. Highly ethical and willing to take risks, this role pushes the team to think from different or diverse perspectives. Adapted from Parker, 1996.

Do Something Together. Giving the group a project to com- plete while they are together at the kick-off meeting is a very effective way to promote teamwork and to give people a chance to get to know each other better. The project can be either an ex- periential team-problem-solving exercise or based on a problem the team is actually facing.

The experiential exercise usually challenges the team to either build something (like a tower or a space module) or to solve a problem (such as surviving in the desert or developing a new product for a fictitious company). In either case they must work together to successfully accomplish their objective. As a result, team members better understand each other’s work styles, preferences, and values.

Using a real-world team issue or problem accomplishes the same objective with, of course, the additional advantage of getting real work done. As the team works together to tackle these problems, the members begin to see and believe in each other’s abilities.

While these steps represent an up-front investment of time and resources, the efforts pay off. Mark Gasta of Vail Resorts

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

48 VIRTUAL TEAM SUCCESS

asserts, ‘‘It goes back to making an early investment to get people aligned from the start. It is critically important to build trust, establish norms, and clarify roles. Too often, you run the risk of these things becoming disconnected. It is inherently more difficult to apply these practices in virtual teams, but the end product is much more successful.’’

After the initial kick-off meeting, distribute agreements and outline any agreed-on next steps. And remember that, while these steps will set your virtual teams up for success, many challenges will emerge as team members get to know one another and begin to work together. That’s why it’s also important to continuously monitor team progress.

After the Launch: Monitor and Assess Team Performance

Organizations need to have a system in place that helps them regularly review virtual team processes to assess what’s working well and what needs to be improved. For example, organizations should consider how effectively their teams are collaborating, making decisions, and solving problems.

Organizations should also continually monitor, assess, and improve communication, as it’s the top skill-development need reported by team members and the top characteristic needed to lead from a distance.

And most importantly, they must periodically examine how well the team is performing. Performance levels can be assessed by collecting feedback from various stakeholders through online surveys such as the one used in our global study or through periodic interviews to discuss the team’s effectiveness.

It’s evident from our study findings and our consulting work that many organizations are surprised to find that their virtual teams are not fully performing. That’s why it’s critical to have processes in place to identify barriers to high performance and steps that can be taken to overcome them.

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06

VIRTUAL TEAM LAUNCH KIT 49

Is Your Organization Prepared to Support Virtual Team Work?

Although preparation before the launch and a well-designed face-to-face kick-off meeting are essential to virtual team success, they won’t have the expected payoff if the overall organization isn’t prepared to support virtual teamwork. Organizations that proactively plan how to best structure their virtual teams and take steps to set them up for success will see a better return on their investment than those that do not. Exhibit 3.4 provides an organizational checklist that outlines the key factors necessary for virtual teamwork.

Exhibit 3.4. Checklist for Virtual Teamwork

√ Systems and Processes � Our technology supports virtual teamwork. � We have adequate resources to support virtual teams. � Our performance management system is set up to measure team

and individual team member performance. � We have reward/recognition systems that can be used for virtual

teams. � We have systems and metrics to assess virtual team/leader

performance. √

People � Team leaders and team members have the skills necessary to work

from a distance. � We have practices in place that help us select virtual team leaders

and members based on the situation. � We have skills-based training for virtual teams. � We have technology-based training for virtual teams. � Senior leaders support virtual teamwork.

© L

ep si

ng er

, R ic

ha rd

; D eR

os a,

D ar

le en

, S ep

0 9,

2 01

0, V

ir tu

al T

ea m

S uc

ce ss

: A

P ra

ct ic

al G

ui de

f or

W or

ki ng

a nd

L ea

di ng

f ro

m a

D is

ta nc

e C

en te

r fo

r C

re at

iv e

L ea

de rs

hi p,

H ob

ok en

, I SB

N : 9

78 04

70 87

24 06