AIM Newsletter - Winter 2007

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Welcome to 2007 and our Winter e-newsletter. We hope your holidays were filled with all good things and that the New Year offers wonderful personal and professional opportunities. As we stated in the Fall e-newsletter, AIM has distilled its findings about virtual teams into a team methodology we call the 'VIRTUAL ROADMAP', a practical blueprint for leaders to establish connections within the team so that members can achieve business goals. Section One, published in the fall, focused on the SET-UP phase for BRINGING REALITY TO YOUR VIRTUAL TEAM. In this e-newsletter we cover the FOLLOW-THROUGH phase, and, we will publish REFRESH in our next edition, just in time for spring!

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.

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 FOLLOW-THROUGH phase. We will continue with the REFRESH stage in our next newsletter. For more information, please contact Yael at info@aim-strategies.com or call 718-832-6767.

Once a VT is up and running, the journey has begun. Now the leader must ensure that the team travels the course as planned. FOLLOW-THROUGH is especially critical because once the SET-UP is complete, members often return to their home offices and fall back into familiar routines. Without the supportive face-to-face contact with their new co-workers, they may find themselves struggling to maintain team cohesiveness. Therefore, in this stage of a VT's life cycle, the leader needs to DRIVE ACCOUNTABILITY, PERFORM MAINTANENCE, and AVOID SHARP TURNS to keep the journey on track.

Driving Accountability – Members should be held accountable for adhering to norms created in the SET-UP phase (for example, answering emails within a specified timeframe and providing expertise during critical moments). What's promised should be delivered. In a virtual environment actions speak much louder than words; only when crucial deliverables are completed can cohesion develop.

What is the best way to engender trust? Simply, by having members conduct themselves in a predictable way. In a traditional team, trust grows through frequent face-to-face interactions where members learn what kinds of etiquette and responses are expected. Since virtual world relationships precludes face-to-face interactions, extra effort must be taken to adhere to the ‘rules'. If the team agrees that emails should be responded to within 24 hours, or that team members should notify each other when planning long absences away from their workstations, then these commitments should be the norm.

Another common obstacle faced by VTs is lack of accountability. When daily contact is not possible, members often forget that people in various locations depend on them for information and service. A leader can ‘check-in' and remind less responsive participants about jointly agreed upon norms. Additionally, s/he can establish a timeline and reprioritize deliverables in order to meet deadlines. Such supervision can also help to alleviate feelings of suspicion regarding a member's contribution (or lack thereof) to a project.

Performing Maintenance – During this phase, leaders should counsel team members to engage in frequent phone and/or email communication with each other. It may be necessary to repeatedly remind the team to keep the lines of communication open in unusual situations, such as exceptionally hectic workdays, systems failures, or family emergencies. A quick email or voicemail clears up potential misunderstandings and also alleviates feelings of frustrations when someone is not responding to an urgent request. It may be necessary to divulge details (if time permits) that would be unnecessary to share if co-workers sat close by. Understandably, if teammates don't know why someone is communicating less (or not at all), they may assume that s/he is neglecting his/her responsibilities.

Avoiding Sharp Turns – You can be sure that even when teammates are trustworthy and engage in effective communication conflicts will occur along any VT's journey. We call this SHARP TURNS. The challenge here is to spot these disagreements before they grow out of hand. While it is possible for a leader to pick up trouble brewing by reading emails, s/he may falsely assume that eventually the problem will work itself out, given teammates' different email styles. What steps can a leader take to avoid missing signals? First, proactively monitor any discrepancies or perceived confusion between member communications. For example, if a leader is apprised of emails that contain seemingly contradictory information, s/he should step-in and clarify the assignment or inquire about these discrepancies. In addition, ‘flaming' or overly rude emails between members should be immediately addressed. Taking these easy actions will save the team from missing deadlines or producing poor quality output. Caution: SHARP TURNS to avoid include PROCESS CONFLICT, IDENTITY CRISIS and INFORMATION OVERLOAD, discussed below.

Process Conflict – PROCESS CONFLICT occurs around ‘how' and ‘by whom' tasks will get accomplished. This involves resource delegation, such as who does what and how a specific resource is apportioned. In addition, three distinct types of PROCESS CONFLICT exist – (1) work method or approach, (2) scheduling or timing issues, and (3) member contribution or workload distribution. Roles, schedules, timelines, method and work distribution need to be defined and often redefined.

To keep conflict at a minimum, the leader should distribute the tasks as equally as possible among teammates. This does not mean that the total number of tasks is equally divided among everyone. First, identify which tasks are easier to complete and which ones are more time consuming. Recognizing that two easy tasks may equal one difficult assignment, divide responsibilities according to this possibility. This avoids a situation in which one person feels overwhelmed, even though each team member is handling an equal number of tasks.

Identity Crisis – Often, employees serve as members of both VTs and traditional teams in their home office - which means balancing work responsibilities to both. At times, multiple priorities can seem overwhelming, especially when one team requires an excessive amount of time on a particular project. Another complication that could occur is the reluctance of some teammates to share sensitive information with someone who may have divided loyalties.

To avoid employee burnout, a VT leader should remain cognizant of the team's various levels of responsibilities and divide tasks accordingly. S/he can also advocate a mentoring program that provides additional support, where members can vent their frustrations about belonging to multiple project teams with those that have had similar experiences. This program can offer networking opportunities for those who may feel isolated from the larger organization.

Information Overload – Members of VTs not only process a constant stream of emails that contain important bits of information, but also monitor group files and websites, sometimes in multiple versions. With so much information, it is easy to become overwhelmed. The team leader must ensure that an easy virtual filing system is created, with new revisions clearly marked as such. The team, however, should be held accountable for maintaining the storage procedure and utilizing the system correctly. We recommend periodic team discussions to assess the state of the virtual filing cabinet to ensure that protocol is being followed or to fine tune storage techniques, if necessary.

With these clear, easy to follow procedures in place, your team has a head start to handle the complexities of working in the VT environment.

AIM offers training modules to help your virtual teamers write effective emails and FOLLOW-THROUGH their VIRTUAL ROADMAP. For more information, please contact AIM Strategies^®.

Written by Yael Sara Zofi and Caroline Jamry

Research: Caroline Jamry
Editing: Susan Victor

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!