Building A Blueprint For Virtual Team Success: Lessons Learned From Wolverine Worldwide

A Global Company’s Secrets to Virtual Team Success

Darleen DeRosa,Managing Partner,OnPoint [email protected]

Featuring:

Toni Freeland, Director, Learning and Development,Wolverine [email protected]

About OnPoint Consulting

● Author of Virtual Team Success: A Practical Guide to Working and Leading From a Distance

● Works with global brands, including Wolverine Worldwide, Merck and Autodesk

Top organizational and leadership development firm

About Wolverine Worldwide

● Founded in 1883, headquartered in Michigan● In more than 200 countries and territories ● 12 global brands, including Sperry, Saucony, Merrell,

Hush Puppies and CAT Footwear

Our mission: To empower, engage and inspire our customers—every step of the way.

Agenda

● The challenges of working in a virtual team● How to budget for, select and implement training● How to measure the success of training ● Best practices for training virtual leaders

Why It MattersIn OnPoint’s Virtual Team Study, 49% of stakeholders reported their virtual team leaders were not performing at a high level.

Virtual team failures lead to inefficiencies, reduced customer satisfaction and ultimately, decreased profits.

The Wolverine Challenge Numerous acquisitions and continued global expansion led to decentralization and challenges communicating and collaborating within virtual teams.

Virtual leaders had difficulty motivating teams and holding them accountable for results.

The Goals1. Raise awareness that managing a virtual team is

different from managing face-to-face2. Equip virtual leaders with the skills and tools they

need to be more effective

Selecting the Right Training● Research-based● Cost-effective● Practical, actionable● Scalable ● Customized to our needs● Easy for busy leaders to adopt

Obstacles to Overcome● Awareness among leaders that virtual leadership

requires different skills than traditional leadership● Getting global participation vs. U.S. only ● Setting a budget● Getting leaders to commit (and actually attend)

Getting Buy-In● Tie training to strategy or a corporate value● Share research, best practices● Share virtual leadership mishaps/consequences● Suggest a pilot program to evaluate value● Conduct a needs analysis with virtual leaders to

understand their challenges

Setting a Budget● Start small: Focus on one cohort first

● Benchmark spending against industry peers

● Use annual turnover statistics and performance evaluation data among virtual leaders to show what is at stake if you do nothing

Getting Leaders to Commit● Ask them what they want to learn

● Use self-assessments and 360 feedback from peers, supervisors and direct reports to identify most pressing needs

● Involve their manager to gain buy-in and support

Getting Leaders to Commit● Offer incentives (certification, social media badge,

free lunch on training days)

● Require registration and have consequences for not attending (such as charging their department)

The Curriculum● No Trust, No Team: Building Trust Virtually

● Conducting Effective V-Meetings

● Influencing Remotely

● Managing Conflict From a Distance

● Managing Accountability and Coaching in a Virtual Environment

● How Great Leaders Inspire Action and Motivate Others From a Distance

The Participants● 45 global participants over two cohorts● Diverse backgrounds and geography● Each leader committed to at least 4 of 5 modules● Attendance was mandatory; departments would

be charged for those who did not attend

The Format● 90-minute webinars; each included pre-work and

post-session action planning● Bi-weekly sessions to space out learning● Convenient time zone for global participation

“Shows how we can be more effective accomplishing the team goals as a leader.”

“I am getting to know my team on a personal level and I have more of a connection to them.”

“I’ve learned how to connect and align with each other to achieve a common goal.”

“Better communication, lots of dialogue, working verbally more now than through email.”

Practical Application● More effective meetings with time spent building

relationships

● Proactive planning for virtual meetings (utilizing virtual meeting platforms)

Practical Application● Stronger interpersonal relationships and more

effective working relationships● More constructive performance reviews● Ability to address conflict more effectively and

tools for how to address it

What’s Next for Wolverine● Planning an additional cohort in 2016 and two

cohorts in 2017● Laid the foundation for new global, online

leadership development curriculum● Launching global team performance survey to

assess health of face-to-face and virtual teams.

Close the Distance Gap:Best Practices

Make Time For Relationships● Meet in person at least once in first 3-6 months● Set aside time at every meeting for small talk● Use informal forms of communication, such as

Google Chat

Set Expectations● Ensure teams and leaders have a shared,

clearly defined purpose ● Make clear what is expected in terms of

frequency and methods of communication ● Outline standard processes in shared

documents

Equip Leaders With TrainingKey skills virtual leaders must master: ● Building trust● Conducting effective meetings● High-impact communication skills● Influencing● Managing accountability● Motivating others

How Are Your Leaders Doing?Put them to the test with our Leading From a

Distance Assessment! Contact us for a consultation.

Questions & Discussion

THANK YOU!If you’d like to learn more about our

assessment and training tools for virtual leaders, feel free to contact us.

www.OnPointConsultingLLC.com | 203.533.5128