These challenges are not daunting to the effective virtual manager – they provoke innovation. The conditions that spark innovation arise from connecting the right people with the right ideas in the right environment at the right time. In a business environment of great uncertainty and rapid change, organizational capability fuels an organization’s strategic options. By organizational capacity we mean the quality of its people resources, the flexibility of its infrastructure, and the openness of its culture, all of which form the basis for success in the Age of Connection.

For over a decade, Yael Zofi has believed the role of the global leader is less about controlling and managing and more about creating and enabling connection. Instead of the ‘Agent of Change,’ responsible for managing change and transition, the new role of the 21st Century leader is about connection; hence the ‘Agent of Connection’ – connecting the team members to you and to each other.

Here’s Yael talking about her view regarding this key role of virtual managers:

Recently, Yael was interviewed by WatchIT TV about key techniques for working with and managing virtual teams.  She shares the elements that every high performing team must master, and offers the cliff notes version of what every colleague needs to know, including the four most critical elements: Context Communication; Trust and Accountability; Conflict Mediation and Deliverable Management.  Every chapter of her book is touched on in this informative talk, including Team Setup, Cross Cultural Communications and the Future of Virtual Teams.

To begin, here’s Yael talking about the passion behind her interest in this subject and a short glimpse of the process that resulted in A Manager’s Guide to Virtual Teams.

Welcome to the final installment of the Five Myths and Realities of Virtual Teams. This week we explore Myth #5.

Myth #5: Virtual teams can be left alone and will function appropriately.

Reality: Virtual teams need to establish ground rules around how and what is communicated, how minor conflicts are managed before they derail team efforts and what processes are in place to deliver results.  For example, leaders should make clear that he, or she, expects regular updates around key milestones  This may present a challenge if you work in Stockholm and your team is located across continents, but high performing teams have planned for this type of situation.

Advice: One interviewee, a Virtual Manager at a Pharmaceutical Company, told me,

“Having people in different locations is hard because you have no direct control. You need to be on top of it – push sometimes and be proactive, reach out, touch base with team on a regular basis. You must be very proactive.  You can’t sit back and expect people to do things because virtual teams allow them to slack off because ‘out of sight, out of mind.”

Here’s another suggestion from a Virtual Manager at a Global Humanitarian Organization:

“Although things might be slower on virtual teams because you can’t walk down the hall and have a chat, people need to build allowances for their planning because they are virtual and they still have a team that needs to function.  So don’t leave them alone! It is important to have a PURPOSE and DELIVER OUTCOMES.”

We hope you enjoyed the Five Myths and Realities of Virtual Teams!

When bringing reality to your virtual team, remember, the following are all myths:

Myth #1: Virtual teams are similar to onsite teams with people located in different places.

Myth #2: Virtual teams will work if they have the best people.

Myth #3: Technology on virtual teams is most important.

Myth #4: When you don’t see someone regularly, it is difficult to manage their career progression.

Myth #5: Virtual teams can be left alone and will function appropriately.

This past Friday Yael Zofi spoke at the 21st Annual SHRM-LI Conference. Her topic, Virtual Teams: Now and In The Future, drew in quite the crowd and was well received by over 300 attendees during both sessions.

After kicking off the presentation with a video created by one of our AIM team members, Yael asked the audience to discuss the biggest challenges they face regarding virtual teams. Many answers included technology and communication. She then introduced the eight characteristics of high performing virtual teams and ended the session by giving attendees a Roadmap for Context Communication.

Copies of A Manager’s Guide to Virtual Teams and Communicating Through a Global Lens were available for purchase at both sessions and a copy of her latest book on virtual teams was raffled off during lunch.

The conference was a great success and provided wonderful networking opportunities as well as many laughs thanks to the surprise keynote speaker at lunch!

Check out our gallery section for some pictures!
 

This Friday, April 27^th, Yael is speaking at the 21^st Annual SHRM-LI Conference, and since this topic is so significant 800+ attendees will join her. Because of the large number of attendees, we will run two workshops, which will allow attendees to choose the more convenient time for them either 9:45am or 11:15am.

Yael’s sessions include interactive discussions and exercises that engage attendees with practical knowledge for managing virtual teams.

Here’s our workshop description:

The face of Virtual Teams is increasingly common today, due to the rise of technology and globalization. As they reshape the way we do business they are no longer a phenomenon. But how to create and manage these teams is a skill that many managers need to develop more fully.

This workshop will examine the unique communication issues faced by teams that no longer sit in the same building or the same city and discuss how to achieve the all important context communication in the virtual workplace. Common challenges like keeping team members engaged, bringing ‘lost riders’ into the fold and avoiding excessive multitasking will be addressed. In addition, attendees will hear about AIM’s research findings, learn practical tips, and take away tools and techniques from “A Manager’s Guide to Virtual Teams” book.

Registration for this conference is still available. We hope to see you there on Friday!

Welcome back to Five Myths and Realities of Virtual Teams. This week we explore :

MYTH 4: WHEN YOU DON’T SEE SOMEONE REGULARLY, IT IS DIFFICULT TO MANAGE THEIR CAREER PROGRESSION.

Reality: Virtual managers can actively assist their employees in career development and help them keep visible track of their contributions as well as actively communicate their accomplishments. It is important for virtual managers to have competence in training and coaching new members. They can advocate for their virtual team members and avoid giving preference to those who are closer geographically.

Advice: One interesting finding from AIM Strategies®/Yael Zofi’s interviewees study was the fact that many virtual managers saw no major difference exists around virtual career development and performance management. In fact, many said that both protocols are handled similarly, with communication via the telephone rather than in-person. Successful virtual managers maximized ‘virtuality’ by assigning a local manager to serve as the ‘host’ and help provide feedback observations locally. Of course the ‘host’ should be trained on how to give and receive feedback and the direct manager needs to provide performance feedback about the employee.

Other best practices identified mechanisms to ensure there was a process for ongoing conversations around succession planning, development and continuous communication. Several high-performing virtual managers conduct these conversations during their bi-weekly one-on-one calls while others may set a separate time to talk about development on a quarterly basis.

Here are some examples:

“We have a Governance document and as part of our routine we actually have a one-on-one succession plan and career discussion conducted quarterly.” Virtual Leader, Bottling Company.

“Virtual career management is harder because leaders have to be doubly skilled in two areas: (1) know where the job skill is headed, and (2) understand whoever is working on it and what options exist. Because it is virtual, I pay more attention to making sure I stay in contact with my employees and make it a point of being available to them.” Virtual Manager, Insurance Company.

Stay tuned for the final and 5th myth next week!

Welcome to Five Myths and Realities of Virtual Teams. This week we explore Myth #3.

Myth #3: TECHNOLOGY ON VIRTUAL TEAMS IS MOST IMPORTANT.

Reality: Technology is the enabler, the tool, the means to an end. But it is not the most important factor. The human elements of getting people to collaborate are. Technology plays a major role in how virtual teams operate, but success comes from relationship building and team development.

Advice: A Virtual Manager at an Aircrafts Parts and Equipment Company provides an example of technology and the human connection:

“I was surprised at how long it took to get my virtual team to work. I needed to think about the interaction and team dynamics a lot more than the technology connections. Working virtually is not the same because there are no informal interactions (before, after the meeting, at the water cooler) and it takes more time to enable the people factor. Even though we had the best technology available, the team needed more touch. As a virtual manager, you need to build it (the human connection) and there is more effort and time required. It was cool when it worked.”

Stay tuned for Virtual Teams Myth #4 next week!

Last week we introduced the Five Myths and Realities of Virtual Teams and explored the first myth of this series.

This week we are moving to:

MYTH 2: VIRTUAL TEAMS WILL WORK IF THEY HAVE THE BEST PEOPLE.

Reality: No team is guaranteed success, even when it has the best virtual players. Teams fail for various reasons, including setting unrealistic expectations, falling short of deliverables, not engaging in conversations.  Don’t underestimate the important planning element that needs to go into setting the virtual team up and making it work across different cultures and countries.

Advice: One client, a Manager at a Computer Systems Company, summarizes it best:

“It really helps during the non-virtual times to address issues that come up and set up the team for success later on. You must address how we work together, what we will do to call each other on it (permission to be honest with each other when things are not as they should be), how we will engage and stay virtually committed to each other, and how we as a team get things done.  Having clear charter and team norms about what we do and how we do it really accelerates relationships.” Manager, Computer Systems.

Look out for Virtual Teams Myth #3 next week!

Let’s get started!

MYTH 1: VIRTUAL TEAMS ARE SIMILAR TO TRADITIONAL TEAMS WITH PEOPLE LOCATED IN DIFFERENT PLACES.

The Reality: This has some truth but virtual teams are not the same as onsite teams. They present different challenges and team dynamics.  Don’t make the mistake of simply transferring what you know about teams to virtual situations.  These teams are a lot more involved. While all teams need to have goals and operating principles, virtual teams face the greater task of building agreement with a group of people who work across time zones and may never meet.

Advice: While interviewing virtual team members and managers in preparation for this book,  a virtual team manager at a business communications organization gave the following advice:

“Treat virtual teams differently. Don’t assume they are the same. You need to be more upfront and more open about challenges and about contracting with your virtual staff. Remote employees, multiple time zones, communication mechanisms and accountability continue to be the top issues for virtual teams.”

Stay tuned. We will be exploring more myths in the upcoming weeks.

Below is a short video of the book launch party, created by one of our talented team members. Enjoy watching it!