managing virtual teams

Managing Virtual Teams

Louisiana Tech Park AcademyJune 2016

Virtual Team?

Comprised of people across space, time, and the organization chart

● Different building, city, and timezone● Includes contractors● Not just for IT workers● Not for everybody● Not mainstream but not niche

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Trends and Themes

● Mobile has altered how, where, and how often we work● Work is a “function”, not a “place”● Workers more in tune to the network effect● Disconnected workers get frustrated and leave● Technology enables virtual teams to work seamlessly● Effective management ensure they deliver value

83% of information workers feel more effective with the right collaboration tools, not location*.

* “Digital, Disparate, And Disengaged Bridging The Technology Gap Between In-Office And Remote Workers “, Forrester Research, 2016 3

Challenge

How to align corporate culture, employee performance, team communication, technology, and evolution of work to achieve company goals?

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Five Principles for Managing Virtual Teams

1. Manage proactively2. Respect and trust all team members3. Manage consistently and with discipline4. Set realistic expectations and hold teams accountable5. Have fun

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Proactive Management

● Same vision, goals, and milestones as before

● Proactive communication is now more important

● Team cohesion and coaching is now more important

TL;DR It’s harder for teams to just figure it out on their own.

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Trust Your Team … and Earn Their Trust

Trust

Communicate directly and frequently

Always follow through or give it a honest shot

Be honest

Be generous with praise

Mistrust

Gossip and speaking poorly of others

Not following through

Having to always be correct

Lying or sugar coating the truth

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Consistent and Disciplined Management

1. Document everything online (the cloud is your friend)2. Establish etiquette, expectations, and protocols for virtual

communications3. Set regular weekly team and 1-1 or small group meetings (and

stick to them)4. Don’t excessively cancel meetings

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Realistic Expectations and Accountability

1. People want expectations and accountability2. Remoteness can make people paranoid about performance3. Technology helps (e.g., Trello)4. Root causes for failure is usually management or technology,

not because the team is virtual5. Measure the right things6. Expect failures and stumbles at first

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Make Remote Work Fun

● Online happy hours ● Expect and foster

camaraderie online during the day (i.e., let people goof off a little)

● Don’t let it get out of hand (online effect)

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Team Communication and Collaboration Plan

● Why?● How often?● Who participates? Who

manages?● Out-of-band meetings?● Technologies?

● Write it down● Share it● Implement it● Update it● Improve it● Stick to it

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What Makes Virtual Meetings Challenging?

Source: “Digital, Disparate, And Disengaged Bridging The Technology Gap Between In-Office And Remote Workers“, Forrester Research, 2016 12

Make Virtual Meetings More Effective

1. Make sure the technology tools work2. Document the important points3. Ensure the meeting has a purpose and a deadline4. Don’t let 1-2 people dominate the discussion5. Give people 2-3 minutes to talk, then engage others6. Never, ever shame people online7. Recap the meeting’s main points and follow-on action items8. Round-robin/stand up meetings are not very effective

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Technology Tools

Points to Consider

● Simplicity > Complexity

● Time for people learn and adapt

● Tools have frictional forces

● Set an expected role for each tool (no silver bullets)

Face to Face

Video Conferencing

Teleconferencing

Online Tools

Email

Text Messaging

InteractionSpectrum

Shared Files/Cloud

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Technology Tools

DisastersTools that worked

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Management is a Team Effort

Managing Down

● Proactive● Trusting● Disciplined● Consistent● Accountability● Expectations● Fun● Communications

Managing Up

● What am I working on?● Is this how I should

spend my time?● Am I contributing?● Where can I improve?● Where can I pitch in and

help?● I plan to be away next

week for a couple of hours.

Managing Out

● Collective responsibility● Not mob rules● People help pick up

slack● Tasks falling behind

don’t become chokepoints

● Everyone wants the team to win

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Miscellaneous Points

● Remember people have a life outside of work● Home workers give you free office space, not indentured servitude● Telecommuters may actually put in more hours● Distractions happen at home● Document everything● Encourage virtual branding (e.g. company/team logos, personal avatars)● Remember remote workers are you employees

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John Zachary

Cognize

john.zachary@cognize.io

@cognizeio