Leading Virtual Teams

In the Leading Virtual Teams article, Malhotra, Majchrzak, and Rosen define specific challenges and opportunities with regard to virtual teams. It is believed that in order for a virtual team to be most successful, management must exercise the following six best practices:
1. Establish and maintain trust through the use of communication technology
2. Ensure diversity in the team in understood, appreciated, and leveraged
3. Manage virtual work-cycle and meetings
4. Monitor team progress through the use of technology
5. Enhance external visibility of the team and its members, and
6. Ensure individuals benefit from participating in virtual teams

What would you say is a virtual team? Virtual teams are groups of members or individuals who work in geographically dispersed locations that communicate and complete their work through electronic means such as the web, e-mail, and phone – communication technology. Teleworking is one example of being a part of a virtual team. However, Teleworking is not the only mean of virtual teams. In most cases, virtual teams consist of cross functional members with complementary knowledge, skills, abilities and commitment to work towards common goals yet present unique leadership challenges. Those challenges are briefly mentioned above (1-6) but they can be easily overcome by scheduling weekly phone or video conferences (even in person meetings); focusing on quality of work and outcomes rather then presence in the office; developing meaningful assignments to leverage and maximize everyone’s capabilities and interaction; and finally, recognize members for outstanding achievements despite being away from the office.

“Synchronizing the efforts of a geographically, culturally, and technically diverse virtual team does not happen magically…first priority is to build the kinds of working relationships where team members will freely share knowledge, leverage members’ collective expertise, anticipate each others’ actions, and feel confident that all team members are making a full-fledged contribution to the team’s success.”

Most recently, in one of my previous jobs, I was given the opportunity to occasionally telework. While the opportunity existed to telework more frequently, I was limited to only one day per week. Often, I wondered what the reason might be because it clearly wasn’t due to lack of time or work management, interaction with my supervisor, or work quality. Other members in the department remained puzzled too, but soon we realized that it was due to the lack of trust; supervisor’s discomfort to use communication technology; inability to establish performance goals and manage clear expectations. Today, I wonder how effective those members would have been had the teleworked more than just one day had there been more trust, effective use of technology for communication, or clearer expectations…