Building Trust in Virtual and Dispersed Teams Korrine Jones OD Consulting
May 26, 2015
Building Trust in Virtual and Dispersed Teams
Korrine JonesOD Consulting
Research
• Micro-businesses to multinationals
• IT, banking, mining, logistics, sales, retail, public sector, consulting firms, e-learning providers
Real life lessons
• Work past swift trust• Clear vision, values, roles and processes• Face to face if possible• Manage by outcomes• Focus on building relationships• Explicit about needs and expectations• Meet regularly – virtually• Ground rules and protocols• Agree on how to communicate
• Clearly articulated vision, goals and plans
• Clear roles
Values and ground rules
• Leadership• Model corporate vision and values and these team values
• Responsibility and integrity• Do what you say you’re going to do
• Respect• Acknowledge electronic communication within agreed timeframes
• Teamwork• Connect with other team members regularly
• Creativity• Think outside the square
(Source: RW3 LLC, 2012)
Face to face……if possible
• Speeds up trust building• Develop shared vision, values and plans• Include social interaction
Manage by outcomes
Build one on one relationships
• Very deliberately contact each team member frequently
• Focus on those most remote
• Have purely social conversations
• If possible, face to face time with new starters
Needs and expectations
Trust
Expectations• Regular meetings• Holidays• Fun workplace
Needs• Financial
security• Respect• Belonging
“Trust is fragile – we need to be explicit in our needs, expectations and promises.”
(Source: Hall, V., 2013.)
Replicate water cooler conversations
Meet often - virtually
Rituals, symbols, celebrations
Ensure effective communication• Agree on how to communicate
• Choose and use tools wisely• Communication and virtual meeting protocols
Additional Resources
For whitepapers, blogs and more information
www.odconsulting.com.au
OD Consulting
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