Challenges of Virtual Teams

8/6/2019 Challenges of Virtual Teams

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2010RW3LLCAllrightsreserved.

The Challenges

of Working in Virtual Teams

VIRTUAL TEAMS SURVEY REPORT - 2010

55 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10003

Tel. +1.212.691.8900 RW-3.com

[email protected]


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2 TableofContents|

CONTENTS

ExecutiveSummaryandAnalysis..................................................................................................................................3

KeyFindings...............................................................................................................................................................3

KeyRecommendations..............................................................................................................................................3

Background....................................................................................................................................................................5

AboutRW3CultureWizard.........................................................................................................................................5

SurveyPurpose..........................................................................................................................................................5

RespondentProfile........................................................................................................................................................6

LocationofRespondents...........................................................................................................................................6

PercentageofVirtualTeamLocatedOutsidetheHomeCountry.............................................................................6

SizeofRespondingOrganizations..............................................................................................................................7

SurveyParticipationbyIndustrySector....................................................................................................................7

DefinitionofVirtualTeam.........................................................................................................................................8

SurveyResponseData...................................................................................................................................................9

VirtualTeamSuccess.................................................................................................................................................9

DifferencesBetweenVirtualandFacetoFaceTeams............................................................................................10

RatingGeneralChallengesFacedbyVirtualTeams.................................................................................................11

ChallengesYouFacePersonallybyWorkingVirtually.............................................................................................12

MeetingVirtualTeamMembersinPerson..............................................................................................................13

ChallengesYouFaceDuringaVirtualTeammeeting..............................................................................................14

CharacteristicsofaGoodVirtualTeammate...........................................................................................................16

OpenEndedComments..............................................................................................................................................17

GeneralComments..................................................................................................................................................17

OtherImportantDifferencesBetweenVirtualandFacetoFaceTeams................................................................19

ExperiencewithVirtualTeamsOutperformingCoLocatedTeams.........................................................................23

MakingVirtualTeamsMoreSuccessful...................................................................................................................28

Conclusion

...................................................................................................................................................................

31


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2010RW3LLCAllrightsreserved.

EXECUTIVESUMMARYANDANALYSIS

InApril2010,RW3CultureWizardsentout30,000surveyformstorandomlyselectedemployeesofmultinational

corporations.Wereceived600completedsurveys,andthefullresultshavebeenanalyzedintheattachedreport.

Overall,participantsinthesurveyconfirmedthatvirtualteamspresentuniquechallengesthatareculturallybased

and can be counterproductive unlessmanaged effectively.While the hurdles that virtual teams face are not

surprising,wewerestruckbythedepthandbreadthofthechallenges.Sincevirtualteamsareanevergrowing

component of global business, it behooves global organizations to institutionalize some global virtual team

structureandtrainingtoovercomethesepotentialhazards.

Wealsofoundthatvirtualteamsfacemanyofthesamechallengesthatallteamsface,butlanguagedifficulties,

timeanddistancechallenges, theabsenceof facetofacecontact,andaboveall, thebarriersposedbycultural

differences andpersonal communication stylesmakevirtualwork farmore complex.Fortunately,ourbusiness

experienceshowsthatallofthesechallengesarenotinsurmountable,andonceagroupismadeawareofthem,

effectivetrainingandorganizationalstructuringcanamelioratemostofthem.

KEYFINDINGS

80%ofrespondentsreportedthattheywerepartofateamwithpeoplebasedindifferentlocations.

63%ofrespondentsindicatedthatnearlyhalfoftheirteamswerelocatedoutsidethehomecountry.

64%consideredtheirteamtobeanexampleofavirtualteam.

60%reportedthattheirvirtualteamsweresuccessfulorverysuccessful,and40%believedtheirvirtual

teamsweresomewhatsuccessfulornotsuccessful.

Respondents foundvirtual teamsmorechallenging than facetoface teams inmanagingconflict (73%),

makingdecisions (69%),andexpressingopinions (64%).Theyalso stated thatdeliveringqualityoutput

(48%)andgeneratinginnovativeideas(47%)weremorechallenginginavirtualenvironment.

Time zones (81%)presented thegreatestgeneralhurdle tovirtual teams, followedby language (64%);

holidays,locallaws,andcustoms(59%);andtechnology(43%).

Thegreatestpersonalchallengesrespondentsfacedwereinabilitytoreadnonverbalcues(94%),absence

of collegiality (85%),difficultyestablishing rapport and trust (81%),difficulty seeing thewhole picture

(77%),relianceonemailandtelephone(68%),andasenseofisolation(66%).

46%ofrespondentsnevermetothervirtualteammembersfacetoface,and30%metonlyonceayear.

The top fivechallenges facedduringvirtual teammeetingswere insufficienttime tobuildrelationships

(90%), speed of decisionmaking (80%), different leadership styles (77%),method of decisionmaking

(76%),andcolleagueswhodonotparticipate(75%).

When

respondents

ranked

the

most

important

characteristics

of

a

good

virtual

teammate,

they

ranked

willingness to share information as first, being proactively engaged second, and the ability to be

collaborativeasthird.

KEYRECOMMENDATIONS

Thesurveyclearlyconfirmsthegrowingimportanceofglobalcollaboration,whichtranslatesintovirtualwork,and

itgoeson topointout thekeyareas inwhichvirtual teams representuniquechallenges to theproductivityof

organizations and individuals. The findings and our experience validate the need to recognize that virtual


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4 ExecutiveSummaryandAnalysis|RW3 LLC

teamworkisdifferentandrequiresspecifictraining,tactics,andsupport.Furthermore,todaysleadershipneedsto

include specific competencies to structure and manage virtual teams that invariably comprise people from

differentculturesandworkstylesandwhocometogethertomeetatdifferenttimesofthe24hourworkcycle.

Virtual teamsneedtoestablishspecificworkrules (i.e.,rules forrespectful interaction)thatareassumed inco

locatedteams.Theyalsoneedtopaygreaterattentiontoteamstructurethancolocatedteamsdo. Inaddition,

virtual teamsmust carefullymonitorandadhere to thework rules theyhavecreated.Finally, theyneed tobe

awareoftheinfluenceofcultureonworkstylesandtodevelopprocedurestoassureinterculturaleffectiveness.


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RW3LLC| 5

BACKGROUND

ABOUTRW3CULTUREWIZARD

RW3 CultureWizard is an intercultural training consultancy that specializes in creating online and eLearning

facilities for itsclientorganizations. In2001, the foundersof thecompany recognized thatcultural trainingwas

neededbytheentirecorporatepopulation,notjustthepeoplewhoweretravelingand living internationally. In

responsetothatrecognizedneed,wecreatedCultureWizard.comtoserveasaculturaleUniversityandprovide

tailored learning platforms to our client companies. As a result of the interests of our clients and general

recognitionofthegrowingimportanceandcomplexityofvirtualwork,wesetabouttocreateanumberofcultural

learning tools.These tools facilitateglobalcollaborationandacknowledge the impactofculture invirtualwork

settings.

SURVEYPURPOSE

The rapidpaceof technological change and growingnumberof collaborative softwareoptionshave facilitated

virtualwork to the pointwhere it is now commonplace for teams of people from around theworld towork

together,sometimeswithoutevermeeting face to face.Theobviousefficiencyof thesevirtualwork teamshas

increased dramatically in recent years.More recently, the reduction in business travel brought about by the

economicdownturnhasmadevirtualteamsmoreusefulthanever.

Whileweallrecognizethebenefitsofaccessingtheintellectualpowerofaglobalworkforce,therehasbeenlittle

focusonthechallenges thatcomewithworkingacross timezonesandcultures.Nonetheless, therehasbeena

growingawarenessoftheneedforeffectivecommunicationskillsamongvirtualteammembers.Thisconcernhas

beenvoicedbyourclientsandcolleagues. Inresponse,RW3CultureWizard isdevelopingaVirtualTeamToolto

help improvecommunicationskillsamongvirtual teammembers.Aspartof thiseffort,weemailedasurvey to

28,034randomlyselectedcorporateemployeesandaskedthemtoparticipateina17questionsurveytoidentify

keyareasforimprovingcommunicationskillsamongvirtualteammembers.RW3analyzedtheresultsandpresents

thefindingsinthisreport.Inparticular,thereportexaminedthefollowingkeyareas:

Differencesbetweenvirtualandfacetofaceteams

Generalandspecificchallengesfacedbymembersofvirtualteams

Informationabouttheuseofvirtualteamsandevaluationsoftheirsuccess

Characteristicsofsuccessfulinteractionamongvirtualteammembers


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6 ExecutiveSummaryandAnalysis|RW3 LLC

RESPONDENTPROFILE

LOCATIONOFRESPONDENTS

The1,592surveyrespondentswerebasedin77countries.

Percent Country23% UnitedStates18% UnitedKingdom7% France,India5% Germany4% Canada3% Brazil2% Australia,China,Ireland,Italy,Switzerland1% Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico,

Netherlands,Poland,Romania,Singapore,SouthAfrica,Spain,Thailand,Turkey

Other countries

represented Algeria, Armenia, Aruba,Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Barbados, Bosia and Herzegovina, Brunei,Bulgaria,Cameroon,Colombia,CostRica,Cuba,Denmark,Egypt,ElSalvador,Finland,Gabon,Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iran, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon,

Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Morocco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama,

Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Sri Lanka, Sweden,

Taiwan,Uzbekistan,Venezuela,Zimbabwe

PERCENTAGEOFVIRTUALTEAMLOCATEDOUTSIDETHEHOMECOUNTRY

Sixtythreepercent(63%)ofrespondentsindicatedthat41%ormoreoftheirvirtualteamswerelocatedoutsideof

thehomecountry.Thisunderscorestheglobalaspectofvirtualteamdeployment.


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RW3LLC|RespondentProfile 7

SIZEOFRESPONDINGORGANIZATIONS

The largestgroupof respondents (55%) representedorganizationswithmore than50,000employees.Thenext

largestgroup(21%)wasfromorganizationswithlessthan5,000employees.Together,theyconstituted76%ofthe

survey participants. Representatives of midsized companies (5,000 to 50,000 employees) constituted the

remaining24%ofrespondents.

SURVEYPARTICIPATION BYINDUSTRYSECTOR

Morethanhalfofthesurveyparticipants(52%)werefromthefinance,insurance,legal,andaccounting industry

sector.Thiswas followedbyparticipants fromthe informationtechnologysector (28%). Inaddition, therewere

participants from themanufacturing and aerospace sector; thepharmaceutical andhealthcare sector; and the

servicesandhospitalitysector.


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8 RespondentProfile|RW3LLC

DEFINITIONOFVIRTUALTEAM

Toestablishashareddefinitionofwhatitmeanstobeonavirtualteam,weaskedparticipantsiftheywerepartof

ateamwithpeoplebasedindifferentlocations.Eightypercent(80%)ofrespondentsindicatedthattheywere,but

20%ofthemdidnot.Sixtyfourpercent(64%)ofrespondentsconsideredtheirteamtobeanexampleofavirtual

team.Consequently,mostrespondentsappeared toagreethata teamofpeoplebased indifferent locations is,

indeed,avirtualteam.Weweresurprisedthat36%ofthesurveyedpopulationdidnotthinktheirteamwasvirtual

sincetherecognizeddefinitionofavirtualteamisateamofpeoplewhoareindifferentlocationsanddonotmeet

facetofacebutworkonprojectsonaregularbasisbyphone,email,andvideoconference.

80%

20%

PartofaTeamwithPeopleinDifferentLocations

Yes

No

64%

36%

TeamIsConsideredVirtual

Yes

No


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RW3LLC| 9

SURVEYRESPONSEDATA

VIRTUALTEAMSUCCESS

Whenaskedaboutthesuccessoftheirvirtualteams,60%ofrespondentsreportedthattheyweresuccessfulor

verysuccessful(combined).Whilethisinformationconfirmsthevalueofvirtualteams,38%stillreportedthatthey

wereonlysomewhatsuccessful,and2% reportedthat theywerenotsuccessfulatall.Clearlythere is room for

improvement, andtheseresultsindicatethereisarealneedfortraininginthisarea.


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10 SurveyResponseData|RW3LLC[Typethecompanyname]

DIFFERENCESBETWEENVIRTUALANDFACETOFACETEAMS

Virtual teamsdifferedmost from facetoface teams in three areas:managing conflict (73%),makingdecisions

(69%),andexpressingopinions (64%).Respondentscitedallthreeoftheseareasasmorechallenging forvirtual

teams, and difficulty expressing opinions under these circumstances, in particular, is characteristic of indirect

cultures.Intheabsenceofanabilitytoexpressopinionsormanageconflictsamongmembers,itisnotsurprising

thatvirtualteamsfinditchallengingtomakedecisions.

Respondentsalsoreportedthatdeliveringqualityoutputandgeneratinginnovativeideasweremorechallengingin

a virtual environment than face to face. These challenges, serious as they are, arenot surprising inasmuch as

virtual teams facehurdlesof language, time zonedifferences, and culture as they try to complete theirwork.

Thesehurdlesareexacerbatedbythe lackofvisualandtactile interaction.Nevertheless, it issatisfyingtoknow

thatresearchindicatesthattheeventualoutputofsuccessfulinterculturalvirtualteamsismoreinnovativeandof

higher quality.However, this benefit does not come easily, and it highlights the need for observing rules for

respectfulinteractionamongvirtualteammembers.


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RW3LLC|SurveyResponseData 11

RATINGGENERALCHALLENGESFACEDBYVIRTUALTEAMS

Timezonespresented thegreatestgeneralchallenge tovirtual teams.Thiswas followedby language;holidays,

local laws,andcustoms;and finallyby technology.We found it interesting that technology representedonlya

smallchallengetovirtualteams,especiallycomparedtotheotherchallenges.Timezones,however,wereanissue

to81%oftherespondentswhofounditverychallenging(15%),challenging(27%),orsomewhatchallenging(39%).

Sixtyfourpercent (64%) found languageat leastsomewhatchallenging,andtheopenendedcommentselicited

greaterdetailabouthowandwhen languagerelatedchallengescame intoplay.Finally,59%ofrespondentshad

somechallengeswithholidays,locallaws,andcustoms.

The challenges addressed in this section of the survey are difficult to manage with anything other than

compromise.Forexample,itisagoodideatoequallydistributethehardshipofschedulingmeetingsonaglobal

clocksothatthetimezoneissueisnotbornebyoneculturealone.Successfulglobalteamsalsodistributeholiday

schedules toeachother inadvance,and theyaddress languagedifficultiesby followingupphoneconversations

withwrittencommunications.


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CHALLENGESYOUFACEPERSONALLYBYWORKINGVIRTUALLY

Respondents indicated that thegreatestvirtualchallenge they facedwas inability to readnonverbalcues.This

wasfollowedbyabsenceofcollegiality,difficultyestablishingrapportandbuildingtrust,difficultyseeingthewhole

picture, relianceonemail and telephone,anda senseof isolation.Not surprisingly,our studies and anecdotal

evidence indicatedthatthe inabilitytoreadbody language(whichaccordingtosomestudiesrepresents70%of

themessage)ledtothebiggestchallengesthatvirtualteamsface.Inthissurvey,theinabilitytoreadnonverbal

cueswasachallengeofvaryingdegreeto94%ofallteammembers.Furthermore, itiscloselylinkedtothelackof

facetofacemeetings:wefoundthat46%ofvirtualteammembersnevermeetinperson.


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The absence of collegiality (85%) and the difficulty of establishing rapport and trust (81%) alsomade itmore

difficultforteammemberstobeproductive.Takentogether,thesefindingsaboutvirtualchallengesindicatethe

importancetovirtualteamsofestablishingclearlydefinedstructures,procedures,andprocesses.

Wehavefoundthatwhereverpossible,itisvaluableforvirtualteamstohaveperiodicfacetofacemeetings,but

evenwhen suchmeetingsarepartofa team structure, it isstill important for team leaders tobecognizantof

thesechallengesandtoleavetimeduringmeetingsforbuildingrapportandcollegiality,whichhaveasignificant

impact on team trust. Furthermore on the subject of trust, there are severalways that the absence of trust

manifestsitself.Itcanbealackoftrustintheperceivedcompetenceofteammembersoralackoftrustintheir

dedicationandcommitmenttotheteam.Bothoftheseaspectsareoftenrootedinculturalbehaviorsandcanbe

addressedeffectivelybyproperlystructuringcommunicationsandbysettingasidetimefordialog.

MEETINGVIRTUALTEAMMEMBERSINPERSON

Theinfrequencyofmeetingsamongvirtualteammembersunderscoredtheirvirtualnature.Nearlyhalf(46%)of

respondentsnevermettheirothervirtualteammembers,and30%metonlyonceeachyear.Twentyfourpercent

(24%)ofrespondentsmettwoormoretimeseachyear.Theopenendedquestionselicitedevenmoreinformation

aboutthisaspectofvirtualteams.Againandagain,respondentsvoicedadesire formore facetofacemeetings

amongvirtualteammembers.


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CHALLENGESYOUFACEDURINGAVIRTUALTEAMMEETING

The accompanying graph lists virtualteammeeting challenges by the severity of the challenge. The top five

challengeswereinsufficienttimetobuildrelationships(90%hadsomedegreeofchallenge),speedofdecision


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making (80%),different leadership styles (77%),methodofdecisionmaking (76%),andcolleagueswhodidnot

participateintheprocess(75%).


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Whiletheremainingteammeetingchallengesweresomewhatlesschallengingforrespondents,between60%and

65%ofrespondentshadsomedegreeofchallengewithallthehurdlesidentifiedinthesurveywiththeexception

ofadheringtoagendas,whichwaschallengingto48%ofrespondents.Fromtheseresponses,itisclearthatvirtual

teams need structures and defined processes. Introducing them will not only enhance the comfort level of

participantsbutwillhaveamarkedimpactonperformance.

CHARACTERISTICS OFAGOODVIRTUALTEAMMATE

Whenweaskedaboutthecharacteristicsthatmadegoodvirtualteammates,respondentsindicatedthatthemost

important characteristicwas awillingness to share information (18%), followed by being proactively engaged

(17%),collaborative(17%),organized(14%),havinggoodsocialskills(13%),providingusefulfeedback(11%),and

offeringassistancetoteammates(10%)

It isclearthatmanyofthebehaviorsofagood teammateareculturally rooted.Forexample, insomecultures,

sharinginformation(18%)isbothamanifestationofpowerandawayofbuildingrelationships.Insomecultures

thebulkof informationsharing takesplace inoffline settings,whicharehampered in thevirtualenvironment.

Furthermore, directcommunicators (whoarealso lowcontext) focuson sharingjust the facts,whichwill leave

highcontextcommunicatorsfeelingunderinformed.Globalteamleaderswouldbewelladvisedtodevelopplans

tosharethisinformationwiththeirteammembers.


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RW3LLC| 17

OPENENDEDCOMMENTS

GENERALCOMMENTS

When we asked survey participants to add any other comments, they responded with statements that

encompassed the following topics: communication and language; coordination, technology, and a sense of

collaboration; management,goals,andaccountability;culturalbias,andbetterteamselection.

COMMUNICATION ANDLANGUAGE

Allteamsarevirtual,whetheryourcolleague isthreedesksawayor3,000

miles away.In professional relationships, nonverbal, nonwritten

communicationsareoffrecordandthereforeirrelevant.

Inabilitytounderstandpeopleduetothickaccentsisvery,veryfrustrating.

emails areOK to solve 80% ofproblemsphone calls help solve 10% of

remainingproblemsthen adding videoconferences helps solve 5% of the

remaining problemsfor the remaining 5% of problems, a facetoface

meeting will help solve easily half of the remaining problemsthose

remaining after that are real essentialproblemspotentially impacting the

essenceoftheprojectandneeddeepnegotiation.

COORDINATION,TECHNOLOGY,ANDASENSEOFCOLLABORATION

We have created a virtual lunch once a month that coworkers can

voluntarilyattend.Thishashelpedinbuildingrapportwithcoworkers.

Virtualteamsrequireagoodinfrastructuretoovercomethelackofpersonal

interaction. We use chats, videoconferencing, and audioconferencing

constantlyinadditiontooneononeconversationsandemail.

Ifyoucanseeaprofileofthepeopleyouareworkingwith,howtheyfitinto

theoverallorganization,whatistheirexpertise,etc.,helpsthevirtualteams

to be successful. I also think having good tools to share screens and

collaborateondocumentsorprojectsandsharevisibilitytoactionitems(not

gettinglostinemails)helpstomakevirtualteamssuccessful.


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18 OpenEndedComments|RW3LLC

MANAGEMENT,GOALS,ANDACCOUNTABILITY

Virtual team building is a balanced act and requires a good skill set and

talent management and selection criteria. Virtual teams require more

managementtimeandadditionaltimetoadjusttotimezonedifferences.

Virtualteamscanbesuccessful iftheexpectationsand leadershipareclear

and themembersarewilling,able, and committed tomaking the timefor

meetings.

Ensuringaccountabilityisthekeytosuccess.

Leadershipplaysabigpartestablishingcleargoalsforeveryone,notjust

the project, takes effort. Getting commitment by agreeing to project

objectivesthatfitwitheachindividualsperformanceobjectivesalsohelps.

CULTURALBIAS

Somenationalities Ifinddifficult toworkwith,every time, irrespectiveof

theindividuals.Definitelysomebigculturalchallenges!

Akeytosuccessinvirtualteamsistherespectthathastoexistbetweenthe

teammembersindifferentcountries.Onecountrycannotfeelitisbetterthan

theothers.There isnothingmoredisruptivethanhavingonecountryacting

asifitknowsitallandtheothersareignorant.

Political agenda of different nationalities, geographic entities, and

departmentsisamajorhindrancetotheconceptofvirtualteam.Weneedto

understand that though we are globalizing, we still have asymmetrical

power, economic well being, and ethnocentricity among different

geographicalunits.

BETTERTEAMSELECTION

Somepeopleperformbetteronvirtualmeetings,somearebetteronfaceto

facemeetings.

Theteammembersarewhatmakeavirtualorcolocatedteamwork. Iam

fortunatethateveryoneinmyteamhasmanyyearsofexperienceandisable

toworkwellinavirtualteam.

Critical toperformance,whether the team is virtual or colocated, is the

compositionof the team.A blendof driven, strong individual contributors,

whowill complement each other andfunction seamlessly, unhampered by

timeandlocation,makesforahighperformingteam.


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RW3LLC|OpenEndedComments 19

OTHERIMPORTANTDIFFERENCESBETWEENVIRTUALANDFACETOFACETEAMS

Whenweaskedparticipantstoidentifyotherimportantdifferencesbetweenvirtualandfacetofaceteams,they

respondedwithsuggestions.Weselectedseveralanddividedthem intothe followingsevencategories: faceto

face contact and relationships, communication, language andmisunderstandings, time and distance, level of

participationindiscussions,decisionmaking,andpositiveobservations.

FACETOFACECONTACTANDRELATIONSHIPS

Respondentsexpressedaneedtohavefacetofaceinteractionswithteammembers.Ononehand,theneedfor

personal interaction related to taskcentered activities. These included informal brainstorming, spontaneous

discussions,sharing ideasaround thewatercoolerorwhilepassing in thehallway,orunscheduledvisitswhere

oneteammemberdropsintodiscussanexcitingidea.Examplesincludedthefollowingstatements:

Lessopportunityforwatercoolermoments,whenyoumakebreakthroughs

inideas,orunblockingroadblocksbyinterpersonalreaction.

Youneed toconnectwithpeople.There isnoway toconnectwithpeople

virtually.Itisinefficientwhenconflictsariseortobrainstorm.Byexperience,

wehavedoneintwodaysoffacetofacemeetingwhatwecouldnotachieve

intwomonths.

On theother hand, theneed for direct interaction and relationshipbuilding involved thepersonal sideof the

equation.Respondentsexpressedaneed tobuild trust,gauge the strengthsandweaknessesof teammates,or

assesswhereonesteammatesstoodwithrespecttoanissue.Insomecases,thisinvolvedadesiretopersonally

witnessasenseofcommitmenttotheprojectortopersonallyexperiencethesharedsenseofacommongoalor

teamspirit.Examplesincludedthefollowingstatements:

Lack of facetoface contact makes it take longer to build the team

relationshipsandtrust.

Norealteamfeeling.Inevermetoneteammemberpersonally.

ItshardtotrustsomeoneIneverseeandhavetroubleunderstanding.

COMMUNICATION

Asinthecaseoffacetofacecontact,uncertaintiesabouttheeffectivenessofcommunicationamongvirtualteam

memberscoalescedaroundspecifictasksononehandandamorepersonaldimensionontheother.Taskrelated

concerns includeddoubtsaboutcommunicatingeffectivelywithoutvisualaids. Insuchcases,respondentswere

concernedthatteammatescouldnotvisualizeorabsorbinformation.Examplesincludedthefollowingstatements:

Ifeelthatitishardtogetyourpointacrosswhenyoucannotseeor[usea]

whiteboard[toconvey]somedesigns.

Thelackofvisualizationandcontact.


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Ontheotherhand,respondentswereconcernedabouttheirinabilitytoobservethebodylanguageofteammates.

Theywereconcernedaboutwhetherotherteammembersagreedwithorevenunderstoodtheircommunications.

Assent, comprehension, and a sense of being on the same page were important. Examples included the

followingstatements:

Overallcommunicationisdifferentasnobodylanguagecanbeused.Lacksa

dimensioninthatregard.

Difficulttoensurethateveryoneactuallyhasagreedtothesamething.Not

seeingbodylanguagecanalsomeanthatitisdifficulttounderstandexactly

whatsomeoneisfeelingandifthisdiffersfromwhattheyaresayingsothat

youcanmanagetheirexpectationsbetter.

LANGUAGEANDMISUNDERSTANDINGS

Some respondentscited languageproblemsanda fearofbeingmisunderstood.While thesecanbeconsidered

part of the general communication challenge, they were cited frequently enough to merit independent

consideration.Ononehand,theseconcernswereexpressed intermsofthetaskoriented,technicalmeaningof

communicationsandthepreciseterminologyused.Examplesincludedthefollowingstatements:

Mustbemoreawareof terminologyused invirtual teams. Itsmore likely

thatthingsaremisunderstood.Virtualteamsseemlesslikelytospeakupand

say Idontknow that termorassume itmeansone thing,but the term is

beingusedinadifferentcontext.

Itsmucheasier tomisinterpretwhat issaidwhenyoucantseefacesand

bodylanguage.

Ontheotherhand,concernaboutmisunderstandingwasbasedonthepossibilitythatculturalcuesandlanguage

differenceswouldleadtopersonalfriction.Examplesincludedthefollowingstatements:

Cultural,linguisticdifferences.

Communication issues arise when people come from different countries.

Misunderstandingsaremultiplied.


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TIMEANDDISTANCE

Comments about working with team members located in different time zones included concerns about

inefficiency,establishingmutuallyagreeablemeeting times, timezonebaseddelays inobtaining responses,and

theavailabilityofteammembersallleadingtodelays.Examplesincludedthefollowingstatements:

Findingmutuallyagreeablemeetingtimes.

Locationscancrosstimezones,sothereturnoffeedbackoranswerscanbe

delayed.ApersonwhohasaquestionontheWestCoastsendsitat4p.m.to

a teammateon theEastCoast. It is then7p.m.on theEastCoast, so they

havetowaituntilthenextdayforaresponse.

Ontheotherhand,timeanddistanceconcernsincludeduncertaintyaboutthepersonalcommitmentoftheother

teammembers. Respondents also suspected that remote teammembersmight have other local priorities.

Examplesincludedthefollowingstatements:

Thelevelofengagementdiffersbecauseoftimezonedifferences.Someare

justwakingup(5to6a.m.)whileothersareendingtheirday(9to10p.m.).

Theydontcontributeasmuchateitherend.

Localprioritiestakeprecedenceoveroverallgoals.

LEVELOFPARTICIPATIONINDISCUSSIONS

Respondents were concerned that people did not speak up or were unmotivated to participate. They also

wondered if team members were paying attention during long discussions suspecting that they were

multitaskingandansweringemailswhileadiscussionwasunderway.Theybelievedthat thequalityofthework

waslowerasaresult.Examplesincludedthefollowingstatements:

someoneisalwaysonmuteanddoingtheiremails!

Ifeel thatmanypeople try tomultitask during conference calls,which

means that they do not pay full attention to the task at hand. This

subsequentlymeans thatwe repeat issues/statements quite often because

someonemissessomething.

Somerespondentsbelieved itwaseasytobecomeinvisibleanddisappearduringdiscussionswithvirtualteam

members.Sometimestheyappliedtheseconcernstothemselvesandexpressedasenseofpersonalisolation.They

feltleftout,faraway,andunwillingtospeakup.Examplesincludedthefollowingstatements:

Inconferencecallsinparticular,peoplearemorereluctanttospeakupand

offeropinionsthantheyareinfacetofacediscussions.


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Generalfeelingofisolation(orbeingleftout)ofcertaindiscussions.

DECISIONMAKING

Theabsenceofclear leadershipand inability tomakedecisionswereconcernsamongsome respondents.They

believedthatmoreattentionhadtobedevotedtomanagingtheprogressofvirtualteamsandplanningaheadto

achieveadesirableresult.Examplesincludedthefollowingstatements:

Leadership, governance, effective planning, and virtualmeeting

managementbytheteamleaderandhisassistantplayacrucialrole.

Effectiveleadershipdemonstrateswhatitlooksliketoremoveisolationand

confusionwhilebuildingvirtualtrust.Regrettably,someplacedinleadership

roles opt only to manage their teams, which fuels a repetitive cycle of

challengeafterchallenge,resultinginmediocrityandlossoftalent.

Resolving differences also was considered a key obstacle. Respondents expressed concern that in a virtual

environment,therewasnoclearwaytomoveontothenexttopic.Thesedifficultiesrevealedaneedforeffective

leadership.Examplesincludedthefollowingstatement:

Ivehadtototallychangemyworkprocessandammuchmoredirectwhen

askingpeoplehowtheyarefeelingoractingwhenIsensehesitationorlack

ofcommitment.IhavetotranslatewhatIpickupfrombodylanguagethe

silent lackofverbalagreement isdeafeningwillyoueachtellmehowyou

arefeelingabout this changeat thismoment? It isverydirectandcanbe

somewhatinyourfacewithnewfolks.

POSITIVEOBSERVATIONS

Somerespondentsclaimeditwaseasiertoworkwithavirtualteamthaninafacetofaceenvironment.Theyfelt

thatawiderrangeofopinionsandmoretimeweremadeavailable.Examplesincludedthefollowingstatements:

Ifindthatremoteworkinghasmoreplusesthanminuses.Focus isontasks

anddeliverables,notonofficepolitics.

Onapositivenote,youhavealotofdiverseideas.Also,youcanutilizemore

hoursintheworkday(dayandnight).


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Inaddition,somerespondentsclaimedthatstrongteammembersandappropriateuseoftechnologiesmadefor

successfulvirtualteamwork.Examplesincludedthefollowingstatements:

Ifthemanagerhasstrongemployeesonavirtualteam, it isjustaseasy, if

notbetter,thanfacetoface[meetings].

Ihavefoundthatyouhavetousethetoolsyouhaveandnotrelyonperson

toperson contact.Idomorecontacton thephone regardingperformance

thanIdoinperson.Ialsoprovidedocumentsonlinetostaff(versusinperson

arrangements).TheonlythingImissisbodyandfaciallanguage.However,

thisisthenatureofworkingremotelyandindifferentlocations.Youhaveto

findwaystodetermine ifpeopleareworking [and]areavailable.Onceyou

findthatandarecomfortablewithit,itworksquitewell.

EXPERIENCEWITHVIRTUALTEAMSOUTPERFORMINGCOLOCATEDTEAMS

We mentioned research showing that virtual teams outperformed colocated teams, and we asked survey

participants to describe their experiences with both types of teams. While some respondents had good

experienceswithbothtypesofteamsorhadcriticismsofbothtypes,theresponseswereoftenpolarizedoneach

side of the question. In this section we present a sampling of the strengths and weaknesses identified by

supportersofeachtypeofteam.

SUCCESSWITHVIRTUALTEAMS

Respondentshighlightedthewiderrangeofexperienceandskillsthatcanbeaccessedwhenvirtualteamstapinto

anorganizations worldwideresourcepool:

Itisanexcitingfeeltobepartofaninternationalteam.Onegainsmoreofa

big picture view and has the opportunity to view many different

managementstylesthatarebornindifferentcultures.

Virtual teams canhaveabroaderexperienceandexposureandoffernew

perspectivesbutrequiremuchmoreefforttocoordinatetomakeitwork.

Withavirtualteam,youcantap intoamuchwiderresourcepool,butyou

havetogetthedynamicrighttogetcontributionsthatmaximizetheoutput

fromtheteamscompetencies.


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Somerespondents reportedthatsincevirtualteamswereunableto functionproperlywithouttakingadditional

measurestoorganizetheireffortsmorecarefully,thesemeasureswere,indeed,takenandhadbeneficialresults.

Theyalsoindicatedthatstrongleadershipwasthesourceofthispositiveresult:

Ibelievethevirtualteamsdonottakeanythingforgrantedandasaresult

ensurethereiscommonclarityandunderstanding.

Virtualteamsareforcedtobebetterorganizedandfollowclearprocedures.

So[they]couldhavebetterperformanceinthissense.

Itdependsonthemotivationlevel.Myvirtualteamprojectsarefollowedat

averyhighlevel,sotheyaremoredriventosucceedthanmyteamwhositsin

thesamebuilding.

Manyrespondentsindicatedthatvirtualteamswereabletomaintainastrongerfocusandhadfewerdistractions

thanfacetofaceteams:

I think virtual teams tend to bemore goaloriented andfocused.With a

virtual team, youget togetherona callfora specificpurpose,andyouall

focusonthat.

haveworked in both environmentsfeel that there are less distractions

workinginavirtualteam.

Anumberofrespondentsindicatedthattheflexibleschedulingrequiredforvirtualteamswaspreferableforteam

members

because

it

enabled

them

to

improve

both

their

team

product

and

quality

of

life:

Workingvirtually,Icanflexmyscheduleasneededtoconcentratefullyon

work, but also take care ofpersonal needs, balancing as needed. I can be

moreflexible in terms of taking calls at early or late hours as needed to

accommodateothertimezones.

Virtualteamsoftenprovide individualswithbetterqualityof life, including

abilitytohaveflexhourstosupportabetterwork/lifebalance.Thismotivates

peopletodowhattheycantocontinuetobesuccessfulinthatsetting.


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WEAKNESSESOFVIRTUALTEAMS

Manyrespondentsfeltthatpoorlanguageskillsandculturalbarrierscompromisedtheeffortsofvirtualteams:

butitwouldrequireacertainlevelinlanguageskillsandsocialbehavioras

well.Forsomepeople, itseemstobejusttoomuchtotakeacalltoateam

memberifyoudontknowhimthatwell.

Virtual teamscanbeasgoodascolocated teams if[theyhave] thesame

language and culture. For different languages and cultures, virtual team

workingbecomesmuchlesseffective.

The miscommunications brought on from geographical and cultural

separationhaveprovedverypainfulandrequirepeople ineverysite(andof

every culture) to have an aboveaverage skill set to overcome these

difficultiesandavoidatotalbreakdownintrustandcooperationbetweenthe

disparatepartsoftheteam.

Some respondents indicated thatvirtual teamswere toodependentonexceptional leadership skills toperform

effectivelyundermostcircumstances:

Itisverydependentontheteamand inparticularonthe leadershipofthe

manager todevelop the teamsvirtual skillsandensureanopportunityfor

effectivecommunications.

Majorproblemwithavirtualteamistoensurefairloadbalancingbetween

members.Amembersestimateofhisowncontributionandeffortsmaynot

matchreality.

Whiletheyagreedthatvirtualteamswerecapableoffurnishinghighqualityresults,somerespondentsbelieved

thattheteambuildingeffortrequiredwastootimeconsuming:

however, significant timeand effort shouldbe invested in teambuilding

activitiesatthebeginningoftheproject.

Somerespondentsclaimedthatsimpletasksweremoreappropriateforvirtualteamsthancomplexassignments:

Depends on the complexity of [the] task[on] simple tasks for volume

output,[virtualteams]outperformduetoroundtheclockworking.

If the task lends itself to a divideandconquer approach [specialized,

segmented activity] and benefits greatly from geographic diversity, then

virtualteamsaregreat.


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Participants reported that the lack of sufficient interaction among virtualteam members placed them at a

disadvantage:

Colocationhas theadvantage [because] it iseasier toupdateandadvise

teamsofrevisedactionsandchangesinplansduetoalocalpresence;thishas

provedmoredifficultacrossvirtualteams,whichfeelisolated.

In engineering, a large part of the job depends on short, facetoface

interaction.Emailandtimezonedifferencesdramaticallydegradequalityand

productivity.Withverygoodpeople, itcanbeaccomplished,butata steep

priceintermsoftimeanddevelopmentcost.

Anumberof respondents claimed thatonlyexperienced teammemberswere capableof functioningwith the

independentfocusandnecessaryskillsetrequiredformostvirtualteamefforts:

If [thevirtual team] consistsofwell experiencedmembers, itwillperform

well.Forateamwithmembersthatarerelativelyneworhave lessworking

experience, it is better to be colocated as communication can be made

clearer.

In areaswhere teammembers, especiallyjuniors, requirementoring and

support, colocated teams provide better opportunities and onetoone

contacttimetoprovideguidanceandmentoringtogettheworkdone.

SUCCESSWITHCOLOCATEDTEAMS

Accordingtomanyrespondents,facetofaceinteractionisvital:

Team spirit ismuch better in colocated teams,which normally leads to

betterresults.

Facetofacecheckingforunderstandingonkeyissuesinaprojectorprocess

ensuresthattheworkisnotwasted.

Personally, commitment to achieving team objectives increases to a

sustainable level if the team has an opportunity for a facetoface

engagementaminimumofonceperyear.


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Some respondents indicated that the speed and efficiency of colocated teams gave them an advantage over

virtualteams:

Decision speed, better communication, learningfrom others experiences,

informationsharing...arecharacteristicsofcolocatedteams.

Colocated teams arefaster [and]moreflexible. Less communication and

meetings [are] needed since everyone is sitting together certainly for

problemhandling.Easiertobrainstorm.

Colocatedteamstendtoworkbetterasdecisionmakingisquicker,anditis

easiertotestunderstanding.

Some respondents claimed that colocated teams had greater commitment and were more responsive to

leadership:

Myexperience isacolocatedteamwaswellrun,communicatedregularly,

and allwere engaged.My experience nowwith a virtual team is that not

everyone is engaged (or that is theperception). It is hard to read others

whomyoudonthavetheopportunitytospeakwithoften.

Itismucheasiertogetgoodresultswithcolocatedteamssinceyoucansee

thepeopleandyoucanpushthemtohaveahighercommitment.

Anumberofrespondentsbelievedthatcolocatedteamswereabetterchoiceforcomplex,advancedprojects:

Depends on the complexity of taskcomplex tasks [are] less suitable [for

virtualteams]duetocommunication[requirements].

Virtual team isnotefficient toperformadvanced results inengineeringor

training.Virtual training isunsuccessful compared toacademicengineering

schoolwithtechnicalpracticelearning.

WEAKNESSESOFCOLOCATEDTEAMS

Somerespondentsbelievedthatcolocatedteamsweremoreinsularintheiroutlookandwereunabletoprovide

creativesolutions:

Membersof colocated teamsoftenhave the samebackgroundand share

the same traditions and habits (e.g., of the company). This leads them to

thinkinamoresinglemindedwaythanvirtualteams.Inmyopinion,virtual

teamsgeneratemoredifferentandmoreinnovativeideas.


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Therewere reports that localofficepoliticsand frictionbetweenpersonalitiesposed a significant challenge to

membersofcolocatedteams:

Local [colocated] teamshave thedisadvantageofgroup thinkoraligning

with the localpower structure going alongwith thebossorpersonwith

mostauthority.

I think there is apossibility thatpersonalities could get in theway if the

peoplearecolocated,whereasvirtualteamsarenotasclosepersonallyand

donothavetheopportunityformorepersonalissuestogetintheway.

A number of respondents believed that the distractions facing colocated teammembers tended to lead to

excessiveamountsofwastedtime:

Withfacetoface teams,therearemanydistractionsandother issues that

cancomeup.

Workingonsite,thereareanumberofdistractionsthatdecreaseproductive

worktime,inadditiontocommuting,greaterlikelihoodoflunchbreaks,etc.

casualdistractions,interruptions,andtimeconsumingsocializing.

MAKINGVIRTUALTEAMSMORESUCCESSFUL

Whenaskedhowtheywouldmaketheirvirtualteamsmoresuccessful,somerespondentsexpressedaneedfor

more

time.

Others

cited

the

need

for

a

common

language,

time

zone,

and

currency.

These

comments,

however,

constitutedonlyafractionofthetotal.Thelargestnumberofcommentscitedaneedformorefrequentfaceto

facecontacttocementbetterrelationshipsamongteammembers.Inarelatedvein,manyparticipantsidentifieda

need for better communication, and they frequently suggested the use of better collaborative technologies

especiallyvideoconferencing.Therealsowerenumerouscommentsthatonlycanbeinterpretedasexpressionsof

frustrationaboutpoorprojectmanagementusuallyevidencedbyalackoforganizationoraclearunderstanding

ofsharedobjectivesandresponsibilities.Finally,commentsaboutthelackofinitiative,cooperation,andmeeting

etiquetteamongteammemberspointedtoaneedformorecarefulselectionofvirtualteammembers.


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FACETOFACECONTACT

The following statementsexpressed theneed for regularly scheduled facetoface contact,better relationships,

andinformalexchanges:

Having regularmeetings or evenjust conference calls,where thewhole

team comes together so thatwe can all have a sense ofwhat each team

memberisworkingon.Currentlywehavenoteammeetings,andeveryone

islefttoworkinisolation.

Theabilitytobuilduprelationshipsandtrustsomore informalexchanges

of information [should] naturally occur. These are the types of things that

wouldhappenwhenyouwalkedpastsomeonesdeskandchatorbumpinto

themmakingcoffee

Regular touchpoints, face to face, for lessons learned, for relationship

buildingactivities.Also,tohaveateambuildingpossibilitybeforethevirtual

teamshavetoworktogether.

BETTERCOMMUNICATION ANDCOLLABORATIVETOOLS

Thefollowingstatementsweretypicalofrespondentsthatcitedaneedforusingthesamesystems,software,and

collaborationtoolstoimprovecommunication:

Ourteamandtheotherteamsweworkwithwouldfinditmucheasiertobe

successful ifwewereallusing the same systemsandproducts.The lackof

uniformityinthecompanyisdistressing.

communication is key. Finding more ways to communicate without

sacrificingtimeawayfromtheactualjobfunctionswouldhelp.

Less relianceonemailandmorewillingness topickup thephoneandcall

eachotherwhentheresaconflictorimpasse.


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BETTERMANAGEMENTANDORGANIZATION

Thefollowingcommentsillustraterespondentsfrustrationsaboutthelackofmanagementoversight,leadership,

clearobjectives,assignmentdelegation,coordination, andawarenessofteamprogress:

Better followup, information, and visibility into what each member is

doing.

Clearlydefinedownership.Notlettingpeoplegetawaywithnotdoingtheir

jobandpassingthebuck.

Ensuring everyone understands and is aligned to the same objectives.

Commitment toobjectivesandconstantfollowuponmilestones toachieve

objectives.

Startingandendingmeetingson time,adhering toanagenda,and timely

followuponactionitemsloggedduringthemeeting.

BETTERTEAMMEMBERS

Invariouscommentsthatwere linkedtoperceivedmanagementdeficiencies,respondents indicatedthatvirtual

teamsrequiredamoreresponsible,selfdirectedtypeofpersonwithamixofappropriateskills:

iftheywouldusetheirowninitiative.

Pay attention during calls and dedicate the time to the call rather than

multitaskingduringcalls.

amethodtomotivatepeoplebyemailandphone.

Caliberofpeople.


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CONCLUSION

Thenumericaldataandopenendedresponses inthisreportcorroboratethetrendtowardglobalcollaboration.

Theyalsohighlightfundamentalareaswherevirtualteamsposeuniquechallengestoorganizational andindividual

productivity.Knowingthatchallengessuchasconflictmanagement,decisionmaking,timezonedifferences,and

culturalandlanguagebarriershavesuchastrongimpactonthesuccessofvirtualteams,forwardlookingleaders

are well positioned to structure and manage their relationships for optimal results in a global business

environment.

Thereisavitalneedtodevelopspecificandexplicitworkrulestoreplacethosethataretacitlyunderstoodamong

membersofcolocatedteamswhoshareacommoncultureand language.Toensurethattheseruleshavetheir

intended,positiveeffect,mechanisms toassure theirobservance shouldalsobeput inplacejustasquality

control programs require a tandem effort of quality assurance to document their successful implementation.

Armed with an awareness of cultural influences in the workplace and procedures to sustain intercultural

effectiveness,organizationswillbeabletocapitalizeonthediverserangeoftalentthattheirworldwideemployee

populationscanbringtobearontheirefforts.

Challenges of Virtual Teams

Documents