SIKM Leaders CommunityMarch 19, 2013
Leading EffectiveVirtual Teams
2
“Virtual Teams” –•Telecommuters?•Project teams?•Contract workers?•Geographically distributed organizations where all or some work from a distance
Different flavors of “virtual teams”
ABCs of Virtual Leadership3
Essential building blocks of a successful virtual team
• Doesn’t trust what s/he can’t see
• Questions progress - constantly
• Plays favorites with those closest
• Limits communications channels
• Brushes off cultural differences
• Holds untested assumptions
4
Attributes of ineffective virtual team leaders
Attributes of effective virtual team leaders• Great facilitator – communications, knowledge
• Knows what questions to ask, and how to listen
• Understands how collaboration tools are best used
• Knows how to create trust
• Socially-minded
• Energetic, charismatic
• Culturally adaptable
5
Building a strong foundation• Start face-to-face when you can• Optimum blend of skills and styles• Shared goals, principles, norms – all achingly explicit • Let the human dimension shine through, frequently
6
Cultivating trust, virtually
Creating a level playing field
• Minimize power differential• Everyone virtual!• Inform all @ same time• Dole out coveted projects evenly• Shift power, roles from time to time• Accommodate differences
– Cultural, communication styles, functional representation, etc.
8
Building social capital - Constantly
• Ask a simple question• Post photos• Show videos• Check-in group chat• “Breakfast bunch”• Create a place for
serendipitous online gatherings
• Celebrate milestones• Reward, recognize
achievements• Create tangible team
identity
• Consciously create a learning organization– Allocate time and space for cross-pollination, sharing
• Build a sense of community among team members• Identify interdependencies
– Assign tasks deliberately
• Leverage diverse perspectives
10
Creating collaborative relationships
Keeping in touch – routine and “unusual”
11
Make every (real-time) conversation count
12
Design for 80%+
active, 20% passive
Content review,
“think about” in advance
Questions? Comments? Ideas?
13
[email protected] www.guidedinsights.com
978.263.2545/Skype nsmurphy2545/twitter @nsettlemurphy Author of Leading Effective Virtual Teams – new book by CRC Press