Leading Virtual Teams: Build relationships online for effective teams

© Interaction Associates and ZOOM Collaborate


Partner, ZOOM

Partner, ZOOM

Manager, Business Development


Who We Are

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For over 43 years, Interaction Associates (IA) has been an innovator of collaboration tools and techniques that help leaders and teams in global organizations build high-involvement cultures.

In both 2012 and 2013, IA was named one of Training Industry‘s “Top 20 Leadership Training Companies.”

… a strategic partner of Interaction Associates, ZOOM Collaborate helps leaders and teams tackle their most challenging collaborative challenges – in person and across distances – with virtual instructor-led training and skills application coaching.

Your Hosts


Who We Are

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Who You Are

• You work and meet in a

global organization.

• On a virtual team, or virtual

project or team leader.

• A functional leader of

dispersed groups.

• A coach to virtual teams.

• A trainer or facilitator of

virtual groups or teams.


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“Respond to invitations: • Share your answers to our

questions in CHAT

• put your own questions in CHAT • and respond to POLLS or

Voting.”

“Barry, what’s the best way for us to

participate today?”


Definitions


Groups and Teams


Virtual Team

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• Save time.

• Save money.

• Enable diversity.

• Facilitate global collaboration.

• Boost productivity.

It’s more and more

common for companies to

have as many as 50% of

employees working on

virtual teams.

1 The Virtues of Virtual Teams

* Virtual Team Success: A Practical Guide for Working and Leading

from a Distance

Almost 1/3 of virtual

teams fail.


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• Solve problems.

• Make decisions.

• Produce deliverables.

• Accomplish shared goals.


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• Work individually and

together.

• Build relationships.

• Bring different skills sets.

• Meet to get things done.


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But they have some

differences based on

and team

members interact.

Which makes them look,

feel and behave like

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Punchline…and with great fanfare…

One cannot set up

and lead a virtual

team in the same

way as a co-located

team and hope to

achieve great

results.

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Common Virtual Team Challenges

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With little or no regular f2f contact…

• Team members have trouble staying aligned on and executing team goals and priorities.

• Instead they fall back to managing their own “to do” lists.



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Interacting online, without

visual cues, it’s hard to…

• Assess group dynamics.

• Determine people’s needs.

• Be confident knowing you’ve

made the right move.


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Without seeing their impact on others, team members often…

• Lose track of who’s responsible for what.

• Take less initiative.

• Are less engaged in group discussions.

• Simply check out.



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• Confuse team members and slow down communication.

• Increase frustration, tension, and isolation.

Working across different time-zones, cultures, and languages can…



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With little face-time except

for an occasional video call…

• Many teams members don’t form positive, collegial bonds, and

• Leaders hear third-party comments about how “some people don’t follow through on this or that.”


© Interaction Associates and ZOOM Collaborate © Interaction Associates and ZOOM Collaborate

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CHALLENGES SOLUTIONS


LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE:

Keeping People Aligned


Team

Charter

Refresh Your Team Charter

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Team

Charter


Refresh Your Team Charter

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StarTeamTM Assessment


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Assessing Needs and Focusing My Attention


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Balance Your Attention Across Three Dimensions


Question: When things on your virtual team breakdown, which Dimension of Success do you tend to disregard? Results? Process? Relationship?

Please type your answer in CHAT.

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Needs that Motivate Us to Take Action

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Things You Can Say Along the Way

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• Using WebEx instead of just

phones in our meetings is

more efficient. (Process)

• Were enjoying getting to

know each other.

(Relationship)

• We all met our deadlines this

week. (Results)

• Get clearer on everyone’s area

of responsibility. (Process)

• Post everyone’s picture on our

team portal. (Relationship)

• Said we’d shrink proposal

process to two weeks and we’re

not there yet. (Results)

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Inclusion and Engagement


Externalize Your Thinking

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What

• Decisions

• Concerns

• Issues

• Options


1 Describe the situation.

2 Say why it’s important.

3 Articulate your

reasoning.

4 Make a request, if

appropriate.

How To Externalize Your Thinking

• Decisions

• Concerns

• Issues

• Options

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Get People Involved in Decision Making

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1. What’s the decision?

2. Who are the

stakeholders?

3. What level of

involvement will

each have?

4. How will I

communicate the

decision-making

approach to them?



Building Trust and Rapport

Of top 5 actions leaders can

take to build trust, 2 involve

Decision Making:

communication rationale

seeking input.


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To deliver on our commitments.

To work together in a clear

and collaborative way.

To care about each other’s

well-being.


I ASKED FOR

A,B,C.

YOU GAVE ME

A,B,C.

Foster Trust Based On Performance

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Foster Trust

by Modeling

Direct

Feedback

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Foster Trust with Authentic Communication

Express

Ethos

Give for action

Connect with

Pathos

Logos

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• Express

• Connect with

• Give for

action.

Write your answer in



Leveraging Differences and Maintaining Cohesion

© Interaction Associates and ZOOM Collaborate 46

Desired

Outcomes

Teach a Common Collaborative Language

Open-Narrow-Close

Seek to understand before

trying to convince.

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Team

Charter


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• Decisions

• Concerns

• Issues

• Options


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the facts

the impact

check perceptions

request

agreement


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Ethos Pathos

Logos


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Tools for Building Trust

and Involvement

Something for You



[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]