Virtual Organizations and Teams

Engaging Management of Virtual Project Teams

Lars Sudmannmail@lars-sudmann.com@LarsSudmann

More than 100 million people work in remote teams

Source: Manpower

www.flickr.com/seabamirum/

Flickr/thms.nl

Virtual teams can outperform co-located teams

Source: Siebdrat, Hoegl, Ernst 2009

…but…

…but…

How does it

feel to work like this?

Like this?

Flickr/jerrybunkers

Or more like this?

90% of virtual team members complain about insufficient possibility to build relationships and trust*

*Source: e.g. RW3 study reporthttp://rw-3.com/VTSReportv7.pdf

Foundations

‘Remote Mindset’

‘Technology in place’

Issues to make it work

Tech overload

Under-utilized

Full virtual power

Audiences

1

1: Virtual Management

2: Virtual Meetings

# 1 Proactive

Interaction

Virtual Coffees

#2Reflect on Your Virtual Image

“Alright, let me send this email”

“Now the phone call…”

“I will just update the micro-blog of the

company”

“Let’s do a video conference with my new

team”

“Ok…that is done…work went well today”

“He was typing all the time while on the phone

– he does not care!”

“’Do that!’ as email text

How rude of him!”

“Did you see that funny picture in the background? Was he

in his kid’s room?”

“How banal - here surely is somebody who cannot blog… and even spelling

mistakes….hahaha”

E-Mail Phone

Video Blog

…

Johari-Window for a Virtual Image check

Blind Spots

Known to others

Not known to others

Known to self

Not known to self

Johari-Window in Virtual Interaction

Based on: Luft / Ingham "The Johari window”

#3Over-share with

your team

Share the way you work

Regularly share tips on optimal

use of technology

#4Performance Management

“Wow, what a week”

“The full re-work of the model is done”

“Then I also developed the training program for all

employees”

“Then the coordination and execution of the meeting here on site”

“Argue”

“Argue…”

“Argue”

“Not to mention the site team building event

that I organized”

“Now the last thing for the week – my call with my

boss”

“Boy, it’s busy here…”

“…I didn’t hear from you all week, I wish I had also such a calm job!”

…

#5Do virtual

teambuilding

Teambuilding

Games

Insights

Getting to know

Fun

Play

Non-workHuman

Relax

Work/LifeStoriesbond

Piano Drum

Violin Flute

1 Virtual Management

#1 Proactive Interaction

#2 Virtual Image

#3 Over-Share

#4 Performance & Exposure

#5 Virtual Teambuilding

1: Virtual Management

2: Virtual Meetings

Google Powerpoint Karaoke

Foundation

Do you remember your last phone conference?

Mute all

Foundation

Know Your Technology by Heart

#1Over-Visualize

Topic Time Who? Next Step Until when?

#2Make Mini-Movies

TV

Change

Change

#3Speak like a

Radio DJ

Radio

#4Interact

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Who cares?

No

Yes

#5Co-Create

Advantages Disadvantages

Best practices No No’s

Work from home

24/7 project work in global teams

Communication issues

Not so personal

Proactive reaching outInteractive

meetings

Making assumptions in emails

Expecting that ‘they will notice it’

1 Virtual Management

2 Virtual Meetings

#1 Proactive Interaction

#2 Virtual Image

#3 Over-Share

#4 Performance & Exposure

#5 Virtual Teambuilding

#1 Over-Visualize

#2 Make Mini-Movies

#3 Radio-DJ

#4 Interact

#5 Co-Create

Happy Birthday Robert

Engaging Management of Virtual Project Teams

Lars Sudmannmail@lars-sudmann.com@LarsSudmann