Welcome to our Fall 2006 e-newsletter. Over the past several months, we have been working with virtual teams that are engaged in the challenges of working 24/7 in various time zones. Having heard their feedback, AIM Strategies^® has come up with a team methodology we like to call the ’VIRTUAL ROADMAP’ for leaders to help their teams establish connections and provide a practical blueprint to guide team members in achieving goals. The first section in this series focuses on the SET-UP phase for bringing Reality to Your virtual Team. We will cover the FOLLOW-THROUGH phase in our winter edition and REFRESH just in time for spring! We hope you enjoy this article and appreciate your feedback.

Best Regards,
Yael S. Zofi
Yael Sara. Zofi, Founder and CEO
AIM Strategies^®, Applied Innovative Management^®
Tel: (718) 832-6767 / 6699, Fax: (718) 832-6660
www.aim-strategies.com or email: yael@aim-strategies.com

Techniques to SET-UP, FOLLOW-THROUGH and REFRESH Virtually

Walk into any office today, and you know things are not as they were a decade ago. If you engage employees in conversation, many will say that they are working on some projects with co-workers who are not located in their building, their city, or even in the same country. Ask them if they have met these same teammates, and some may claim to have viewed pictures posted on an intranet, while others may tell you of traveling to a corporate offsite.

Although this virtual work arrangement already exists in some offices, the reality is that by 2008 41 million employees worldwide will spend at least one day a week working ‘virtually’.* The virtual team, or VT for short, is a group of people sharing responsibilities for goals that must be accomplished in the total, or near total, absence of face-to-face contact. Enabled by technology, the VT is a natural solution for solving business issues in our fast-paced global environment. Increasingly, leaders are charged with quickly putting together teams of appropriate skills and abilities to fit a project’s timeline, regardless where the talent is physically located. In such situations, email has usurped voicemail while conference calls have replaced conference rooms as the meeting venue of choice.

*Source: The Gartner Group

As VT arrangements become increasingly popular, leaders will grapple with a profound issue - how to get team members to bond and form the energy so vital to pushing projects forward and achieving results. AIM Strategies^® has created a VIRTUAL ROADMAP for leaders to help their teams establish connections, preparing them for possible scenarios that do not occur in a traditional (otherwise known as “co-located”) team. Our VIRTUAL ROADMAP is a practical blueprint to guide team members in achieving goals in this complex and unpredictable environment. It consists of three phases: SET-UP, FOLLOW-THROUGH, and REFRESH.

In the SET-UP phase the leader explains the TEAM DESTINATION, ensures TEAM SYNTHESIS, creates RULES OF THE ROAD and provides advice on potential ROADBLOCKS that may arise.

FOLLOW-THROUGH is what the leader does to ensure that the team adheres to norms created in the SET-UP phase. Activities include DRIVING ACCOUNTABILITY, PERFORMING MAINTENANCE, and AVOIDING SHARP TURNS as the team moves forward.

Finally, in the REFRESH stage the leader renews the energy in a long-standing team. Tools and techniques include: SHIFTING GEARS; TUNE-UPS and REFUELING.

This Newsletter describes the SET-UP phase. We will continue with the FOLLOW-THROUGH and REFRESH stages in our future newsletters. For more information, please contact Yael at info@aim-strategies.com or call 718-832-6767.

Team Destination – If you were driving a group of passengers somewhere, you would certainly make the destination known before embarking on the journey. Likewise, your team members need to know the project’s goals before assignments are set. Of course, traditional teams share this essential requirement, but its members have the advantage of communicating and working towards a common understanding during face-to-face meetings. VT leaders must ensure that dispersed team members are committed to a project despite their physical distance from each other. There are a number of ways to accomplish this.

Initially, the leader should bring the group together to explain the project’s purpose, preferably at an offsite, or at minimum by phone. Consider covering these elements: communicate the project’s goal(s); explain why each individual was included and assign concrete deadlines to each team member. Make sure that everyone knows the details of a plan to ensure ongoing communication (examples: a networked website, a weekly virtual meeting or phone conferences at appointed times).

Team Synthesis – If you were driving a group of passengers on a long journey, you would also want them to be at ease with each other. Similarly, as the leader ultimately responsible for results, you need to ensure that members of the group are similarly comfortable. Traditional teams have many opportunities for face-to-face contact - at the water cooler, in the hallway, or at their own work desks, enabling members to establish common ground and develop a common identity.

In order to build a VT’s identity, the leader must engage in team conversations that help bring everyone closer together - at the same time VT members must make an effort to discover commonalities. In these team conversations members get to know one another by sharing basic information about themselves. Suggestion: the leader can pick a topic critical to the team’s operation (for example, communication practices) and use everyone’s input to make decisions. TEAM SYNTHESIS becomes the cornerstone of a VT’s success and helps to build the group’s identity.

VT Rules of the Road – Once synthesis is complete and members are comfortable with each other, it helps to create norms which become central to the workflow. These norms are a VT’S RULES OF THE ROAD and help steer members’ interactions. We recommend creating a TEAM CODE, which utilizes a common language, through the use of specific phrases, or acronyms for standard processes and procedures.

Next, clarify how each member will contribute to this ‘journey’ by assigning ROLES. Members take on several roles, in addition to their special expertise, that are unique to a virtual team, such as ownership, process, and client contact roles. Without a manager overseeing activities at close range, self-management becomes essential. Ideally, each individual should take on a leadership role for his/her part of the project. Given the different schedules and multiple responsibilities of Virtual Teamers, we often recommend assigning one person as the point of contact for schedule changes and another to collect and communicate client-related issues. Spreading these roles among teammates distributes accountability, just as drivers are rotated on long road trips.

Overcoming Roadblocks – On every journey, roadblocks appear. Of course, being aware of potential issues before they rise up makes one better prepared to deal with them. We recommend that leaders educate members about cultural differences, anticipate technology glitches and clarify potential differences in email styles.

Cultural differences stand out as significant barriers to VT effectiveness because they permeate most aspects of a person’s behavior. Individuals from Western and Eastern cultures not only differ in degrees of assertiveness (which affects interactions) but also may differ in reward expectations. When teammates are aware of these differences they may find it easier to approach those who act differently.

As the main communication vehicle for VTs, technology brings a variety of issues, from technical difficulties to unfamiliarity with use. To prevent feelings of frustration the leader needs to make comprehensive training available to those who need it. In addition, a point of contact should be put in place in case of problems.

Not surprisingly, a frequent roadblock in a VT occurs when an email’s tone and content are misunderstood. Some people prefer to write highly detailed emails, wanting the reader to understand how their assumptions were made and conclusions reached. Others opt for short, to the point emails, sacrificing details for brevity. Miscommunications can arise when someone impatiently skims a lengthy email or, at the other extreme, feels that a brief note is not informative. In addition, an overly brief email can be interpreted as rude or disrespectful. To avoid this situation members should be aware of the different ways that people express their ideas. Hint: write emails in the style that you believe your reader prefers.

AIM offers training modules to help your virtual teamers write effective emails and SET-UP their VIRTUAL ROADMAP. For more information, please contact AIM Strategies^®. Look to our Winter Newsletter for details about the next phase: FOLLOW-THROUGH .

Written by Yael Sara Zofi and Caroline Jamry

Research: Caroline Jamry
Editing: Susan Victor

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AIM's services are related to transformational change, including practical consulting, innovative training and hands-on coaching. Find out how AIM Strategies^® can support you (call 718-832-6767 / 6699 or e-mail info@aim-strategies.com). See www.aim-strategies.com for more information about how AIM offers a personal, no-nonsense approach through the proprietary experiential learning methods (5D's™ Consulting/Training Methodology and the ACT™ Coaching Process). In upcoming issues of this newsletter, we'll update you on tips and techniques related to raising your innovative management IQ. Please forward this newsletter to your associates!