Joe Wynne is a versatile Project Manager experienced in delivering medium-scope projects in large organizations that improve workforce performance and business processes. He has a proven track record of delivering effective, technology-savvy solutions in a variety of industries and a unique combination of strengths in both process management and workforce management.
It is very common now for project managers to be responsible for getting results through virtual teams. A virtual team is one with members who are predominately located where face-to-face meetings are routinely impossible. That means work must progress despite team members being in different facility locations, time zones or countries.
On the surface, getting results effectively from virtual teams seems virtually impossible (sorry). Communication may be inconsistent. Transfer of information may become unwieldy. Needed collaboration will be subject to interference. Technology glitches will hold up progress. All this can create an uncontrollable animal that will rear up and bite the unsuspecting project manager.
The truth, however, is that a virtual team is simply a different animal than a team with co-located members. The virtual team must be handled using different techniques. These tips on the care and feeding of a virtual team will help you keep your own team happy and productive--wherever they are.
Nurture the Young Beast
One of the interesting characteristics of a virtual team is that members build rapport quickly and maintain it longer. That means that a successful start will give you a lot of leverage. Practice the main interaction method (conference calls, video, satellite transmissions, etc.) before your initial meeting. The initial meeting must be smooth and controlled. This will build confidence and minimize worry. You must be clear and concise. Practice your introductory welcoming statements. Establish shared goals to build rapport. Volunteer your services in support and coaching. In your own words, state how you are confident of the skills of the team and of their success.
Keep It Running Fast
While the team is progressing on the project, communicate freely and often. If you are in a corporate location, make sure you share what news you get from trustworthy sources. Workers in non-central locations often have an outpost mentality, where rumors affect effectiveness and morale. Make special efforts to ensure that no one is left out of communications accidentally. This could create paranoia.
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Use at least two methods of communicating critical information and deadlines. For example, if you make an announcement by e-mail, repeat it in a printed newsletter. If you have an announcement on the corporate intranet, reinforce it during a conference call. It is also a good strategy to contact directly those people or groups that seem to be often out of the loop.
Keep everyone focused on results. The thing that keeps your virtual team cohesive is shared goals, including intermediate deadlines. Progress toward these goals should be a constant topic of meetings. Give reward and positive reinforcement when goals are met.
Observe how members interact during meetings or communications. Look closely at the language used in e-mails. Ask open-ended questions proactively, such as , "How is the collaboration going between you and Jim?," or "How do you three plan to solve this problem?" If problems are not being solved in an effective, structured way, then you should anticipate missed deadlines without having to wait for any report. If you suspect problems, intervene to maintain performance.
Troubleshoot collaboration problems involving members as directly and as soon as possible. Make a call to the individuals involved. Listen to any emotions being expressed, because this is important to your understanding of the entire situation. Empathize with the situation, and ask if you can support the solution in some way. If appropriate, reiterate the common goals and how the success of every individual is important in reaching the goal. It is usually best to let the problem be solved at the level the problem occurred, but it is important for you to keep an eye on interaction trends that signal trouble in the future.
Don't be surprised if virtual team members blame technology when something is actually an interaction problem. Performance in teams is far more often compromised by interaction issues than technical issues. This: "Oh, she didn't get the file on time? Sorry, it must have been an e-mail glitch," may actually mean this: "She didn't tell me about the technical update until the last minute, so I am not in a hurry to update her."
A virtual team can be superior to a co-located team in idea generation. Use this strength when solving problems as a group. Brainstorm a good list of options then pick one.
Take advantage of the virtual team's ability to routinely document communications. Reliance on e-mail, Lotus Notes databases, etc., means that decisions and critical explanations can be preserved. Members of co-located teams, in contrast, can get sloppy and make "break-room decisions" that are undocumented, potentially unacceptable to other team members and that may eventually be forgotten or misunderstood. Make sure that team members are aware of important documented decisions, agreements and explanations, and that they know to review databases to determine potential impacts to their work.
Open the Cage
Workers need closure to end a phase of their work/life and to start another. Unfortunately virtual team members cannot say their good-byes as easily as can co-located members. Make sure that there is a meeting where members experience an official, positive ending.
The care and feeding of a virtual team is different than that of a co-located team. It is actually easier in some cases. Despite the limitations of managing a project in this way, following good practices will result in a happy and productive team that will perform some amazing tricks to get results.
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"Never look at the trombones, it only encourages them." - Richard Strauss |
