Virtual Team Management and Success - Essay Example

Virtual Team Management and Success Virtual Team Management and Success Introduction There used to be a day when collaborating with team members on a project of any scope meant physically gathering together for a scholarly exchange of ideas and discussion designed to ensure everyone was on the same page moving forward. If something was missed at such a meeting, it likely could not be covered, or even discovered, until the next scheduled gathering. Meeting of this scope were labor intensive to pull of because someone needed to coordinate all attendees and make sure the proper equipment and resources were present in order to make the meeting productive in the end. Naturally, while this method of team management worked in the past, that was largely because there was no other way and people learned to adapt. With modern technology, making virtual meetings a reality, productivity can increase and much more can be gained through virtual teams in a focused amount of time (Benson, 2013). With this virtual method of teamwork now a distinct possibility for many organizations around the globe, there is a renewed interest in the concept of virtual team management. It is always important to maximize the resources of a team, and this becomes increasingly true when the majority of the team members are not physically present to bounce ideas off of one another and collaborate in a personal manner. As such, this paper is dedicated to the discussion of what it takes to build a high performance virtual team, and what goes into effectively managing them to result in a profitable and effective work environment. Building High Performance Virtual Teams There are a plethora of communication tools available today that is enabling enterprises around the world to have the ability to create project teams that literally include valuable team members from around the globe. In order to build such a high performance virtual team, however, one must fully understand how to effectively integrate team members from various cultures and background to fit together in a virtual environment. There is little room for error, as the assigning of an important task to the wrong person or group can result in costly delays and project overruns. A virtual work team has been defined as the building of a group of people with complementary skills who are equally committed to a common purpose and objective. They are also committed to the development of a set of performance goals and are focused on a task-oriented approach to completing a project, by which team members are individually responsible for their own roles or tasks that are designed to contribute to the common core objectives of the project (Zander, 2013). It is important to utilize available technology in order to ensure that virtual teams possess the ability to include members who are geographically disbursed throughout the world in an effort to maximize time and space. In actuality, the use of virtual teams is growing rather quickly. A recent survey of employees at 600 different multinational companies discovered that 80 percent of those responding belonged to some type of virtual team. Individuals shoe re in charge of manning those teams have admitted that they face some challenges that are quite different from those in charge of handling teams that meet physically in a set location. Through this survey, there are several key recommendations that can be made when deicing how exactly to build high performance virtual team. Within virtual teams, there is the need to develop a high level of trust amongst each of the team members, and the leaders themselves. There is also the need to establish open and clear lines of communication that are based on strong leadership, clearly defined goals, a set purpose that is understood by all team members involved in the project, and to implement the appropriate use of technology that enables virtual teams to be far more effective that locally managed teams (Zander, 2013). Virtual teams are certainly different from teams that meet face-to-face in that they are literally able to span across geographical boundaries and multiple time zones in an asynchronous environment. It is quite possible that team members can be located just around the corner from one another, or three continents away (White, 2014). This is what makes a virtual team have the capacity to be high performing and highly effective in contributing to the overall effectiveness of the organization. They must, however, rely on technological media to accomplish various tasks that require the team to meet together via such means as video conferencing, groupware, email, and chat lines that are all designed to support the virtual teams ability to interact, communicate and share data with one another (White, 2014). Profiles of Virtual Team Success A successful virtual team is likely one in which the entire team is empowered to effective address any conflicts that most certainly will arise from time to time. One of the primary goals for the leader of any virtual team should be to help facilitate the success of the team in terms of helping each member complete his or her tasks and assignments on time and with maximum efficiency. To accomplish this important objective, leaders need to be willing to empower each of their team members by establishing a set of clearly defined goals and expectation by which they are each to be committed to (Brake, 2013). Equally important is to quickly and effectively resolve any apparent conflicts in a prompt and fair way that serve to improve the overall effectiveness and morale of the entire virtual team. Leaders should possess a certain skill set that enables to handle conflict either directly, within the group itself, or in a another manner that is culturally sensitive depending on the nature of the conflict and the actual team members themselves. As individuals belonging to a virtual team are often from a variety of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, it is important to take this into consideration when setting out to resolve any conflict, no matter how big or small. Being culturally sensitive to one another will enable a virtual team to resolve conflicts much more quickly and get back on track in terms of meeting the important objectives and deadlines that they have endeavored to take on. There is research that alludes to the reality that culture does affect the ways in which individuals tend to respond to conflict (Brake, 2013). As a result of this truth, it is important that leaders of virtual teams learn to be aware of how individuals team members within a group might respond to different conflict situations, in order that they themselves become more aware of how to determine the success of the team, as failure should not be seen as an option. Differentiators of Great Teams (RAMP Model) Great virtual teams will often be noticeable by their organization and their adherence to a set structure, while still allowing for the flexibility and mobility that leads to creativity and an efficient work environment. To help this process along, the RAMP Model has been created to assist in this endeavor, and to provide team mangers with a way to structure teams in a way that leads to maximum productivity. The four components of the RAMP model include Relationships, Accountability, Motivation, and Process and Purpose. Naturally, this process begins with relationship. Owing to the diminished face-to-face time that is a reality for virtual teams, a certain level of trust must be developed amongst all of the various team members (Tworoger, 2013). This can be accomplished primarily through the use of both formal and informal channels of communication, contributing to the completion of various tasks on schedule, and whereby team members resolve to respond to all communications in a timely manner and to resolve any conflicts that arise in a productive manner. It is also essential that individuals on a virtual team have a high level of accountability with one another. The first step towards making certain that this important element is present is to ensure that each member of the team fully comprehends what his or her specific role within the team should be, and to ensure that the leader take an active role in the decisions and activities of the team. It also important that virtual teams clarify the expectations that are placed upon each team member, including who is accountable for certain deliverables, and the date that each task or assignment must be finished by. By clearly establishing this from the outset, each team member can hold one another accountable for abiding by their assigned role within the team. Within this area of RAMP, it is also important to encourage each team member to ask questions of the leadership whenever they are in doubt about any expectations or in regard to the tasks assigned to them. Another key component of accountability involves the need for the virtual team to develop an action plan that outlines the critical activities of the team, deliverables, and respective due dates in an effort to better manage and monitor the real time progress of the team itself. Accountability also entails the completion of regular calls or meetings designed for each team member to check in and review the progress in terms of the overall objectives of the team. This is an essential part of the RAMP process as it is critical to catch any problem areas that might be evident in order to propose another course of action before it gets too late. A sixth aspect of accountability involves an insistence that all team members on a virtual team abide by the commitments to the team, and that they let leadership know the moment they realize they may face an issue to fulfilling any such promises made. The third, and equally important, area of RAMP is that of motivation. It is certainly true that a primary role of the team leader in a virtual environment is to motivate all team members to excellence in their tasks, it should be noted that each individual team member should look for ways to internally motivate themselves to contribute to the overall effectiveness of the virtual team. Over the years, various strategies has proven to be successful in terms of motivating virtual teams. These include creating a specific brand for the team, developing a system designed to recognized individual accomplishments on the team as they occur, provide incentives for certain team and individual achievements, and work to involve all team members in decisions that have a direct and noticeable impact on them. The final part of the RAMP model involves the establishment of a clear process and purpose. Having developed a clear set of goals, roles, and processes will help enable virtual teams to be successful from the very early stages of a project’s development and design. Therefore, it is important to consider the procedures and processes that will lead to maximum effectiveness. Teams leaders should establish an interpersonal process that will enable clear communication amongst all team members, and they should assign task-related team processes that will assist in improving the overall performance of the virtual team. Also, it has been demonstrated that virtual teams tend to perform better when they have a clarity related to how their work integrates with and contributes to the stated goals of the entire organization. Overall, the RAMP model of managing a virtual team seres a distinct purpose of providing a structured approach that enables team leaders to assist organizations in making use of the virtual team environment to maximize their return via the use of technological tools now at their disposal (Tworoger, 2013). Virtual Team Launch Kit In actuality, the use of virtual rates is growing quickly. A recent survey of employees at 600 different multinational companies discovered that 80 percent of those responding belonged to some type of virtual team. Individuals shoe re in charge of manning those teams have admitted that they face some challenges that are quite different from those in charge of handling teams that meet physically in a set location. Through this survey, there are several key recommendations that can be made when deicing how exactly to build high performance virtual team. Within virtual teams, there is the need to develop a high level of trust amongst each of the team members, and the leaders themselves. There is also the need to establish open and clear lines of communication that are based on strong leadership, clearly defined goals, a set purpose that is understood by all team members involved in the project, and to implement the appropriate use of technology that enables virtual teams to be far more effective that locally managed teams (Zander, 2013). Virtual teams are certainly different from teams that meet face-to-face in that they are literally able to span across geographical boundaries and multiple time zones in an asynchronous environment. It is quite possible that team members can be located just around the corner from one another, or three continents away (White, 2014). This is what makes a virtual team have the capacity to be high performing and highly effective in contributing to the overall effectiveness of the organization. They must, however, rely on technological media to accomplish various tasks that require the team to meet together via such means as video conferencing, groupware, email, and chat lines that are all designed to support the virtual teams ability to interact, communicate and share data with one another (White, 2014). Leading Virtual Teams There are some unique characteristics that should be developed in the leader of a virtual team. Because of this, leaders should be assigned to virtual teams with great care to ensure that they fit the specific personality of the global team members and that they are properly suited to help accomplish the tasks assigned to that particular team. As such, the leader of a virtual team should have an inherent ability to manage change in an effective manner. This is accomplished by making sure that the leader is prepared to keep the team involved throughout the process, and that they are provided with a clear vision and support for the changes that are being implemented throughout the organization (Cordery, 2009). In the end, leaders must help facilitate the effective implementation of the changes in an effective and productive manner. It is also important that leaders of virtual teams be equipped to foster and develop an atmosphere of collaboration that is best accomplished via a process of trust building by including informal channels of communication. This also involves encouraging an open line of communication amongst all team members, no matter where there are located, as a means of managing any potential conflict effectively. Effective leadership of such a team entails having the keen ability to clearly communicate the goals of the team, and the direction that the project is heading, in such a way that focuses each of the team members of reaching their assigned targets, independent of meeting in a psychical location. This means that the effective leader of a virtual team will possess strong skills in interpersonal communication, and will be able to provide both formal and informal channels of communication in order that team members can receive accurate and timely information about their respective tasks, while at the same time feeling connected and engaged with all other team members, no matter where they may be geographically (Cordery, 2009). Finally, an effective leader of a virtual team should have the ability to delegate tasks to the proper team members, and empower each individual on the team to accomplish their task. At the same time, they should ensure that proper follow-up procedures are implemented in order to make certain that each team member is successful. How to Lead a Virtual Team A great part of leadership entails not only having the ability to choose team members that are qualified and well suited for the project, but also being to establish certain ground rules and procedures that will contribute to the overall success of the virtual team. It is commonly suggested that a five stage process be implemented in terms of establishing the ground rules for a virtual team. These concepts include forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Forming is a process by which leaders step into a team that is characterized by having a purpose that is not clear, and where team members are having a hard time agreeing with one another. This problem can quickly become exacerbated in virtual team, so leaders need to work to provide clear guidance and direction (Gallagher, 2006). This should take place at the very first meeting, where ground rules are agreed upon and established. It should be noted that these ground rules tend to be more effective when they stipulate the type and frequency of communication that should occur within the team, including a calendar of group and ten meetings, who will update it, and how the virtual meeting will be conducted. This puts all virtual team members on the same page and serves to increase the level of communication. Leading a team also involves deciding upon policies and procedures designed to deal with any conflicts that might arise. In addition, there is a need to promote trust and participation amongst all team members, no matter how big or small an individual team members role might be. This is best done by establishing clearly defined goals and asking members to adhere to realistic deadlines. To fail in this endeavor is to set up individual team members, and ultimately the entire team, for failure. Through the establishment of a solid communication network, ensuring that solid ground rules are established to govern the overall operation of the virtual team, and eliciting the complete commitment of all team members to abide by the goals and timeline of the project, the leader of a virtual team is on his or her way to establishing an effective management style (Gallagher, 2006). Team Accelerating Factors Virtual teams will become more effective when a high level of trust is built between team members and their leaders. Trust is believed to be a vital part of most interpersonal relationships and interactions, including those present on a virtual team. Individuals that on a high performing and accelerating virtual team tend to have develop high amounts of trust in each other. This trust that has been developed has taken place regardless of the diversity of team members present, or the length of time that each member has actually worked together (Shriberg, 2009). The fact that many team members will never work again once a virtual project is completed certainly presents a challenge in terms of developing trust, yet to do so maximizes the productivity and efficiency of the team in the long run. One way to help facilitate trust is to have face to face meetings, when possible, with team members that live and work within a realistic geographic distance to one another. Doing so at the very beginning of team formation can help enable team members to develop a familiarity with one another that will hopefully lead to a high trust level as they begin counting on one another to deliver various tasks and other deliverables on time. Leaders of virtual teams also need to develop others around them in an attempt to have each individual team member self-manage their own activities. This is seen as a way of not only managing the performance of the virtual team, but also as a way of further developing the team to become more efficient and effective over time (Shriberg, 2009). The key to making this happen is develop an environment within the team that is self-managed, whereby team members actually regulate themselves. The team is given the duties of mentoring, coaching, and monitoring such that the veteran team members have more responsibility and oversee some of the daily operations that free up the leader to check-in with various individuals on tasks that are coming due for delivery. This can be accomplished when the leader provides the team with a clear direction, well defined goals and objectives, all related to mentoring, coaching, and monitoring that are specific to each individual team member within the overall virtual team. Facilitating High Impact Virtual Team Meetings It is important that virtual teams have leaders who model appropriate communications throughout all phases of a project. All forms of communication in a virtual meeting typically take place via some type of modern technological tool, so leaders need to set the tone from the outset that provides a personal touch to bring together individuals from all over the world, many of whom have never met one another. Research does demonstrate that individuals tend to be less reserved when communicating in a virtual environment, as they are able to check what they are saying before hand. If using a chat box, for example, participants for whom English might not be a first language can quickly look over all of their communication for accuracy before sending it on to the larger team. In addition, communicating via voice in a virtual environment is often perceived to less threatening to the speaker than being face to face with many other team members. At the same time, there is a danger that exists whereby virtual team meetings can carry an informal tone that detracts from the focus of the meeting itself (Hoch & Kozlowski, 2014). This must be dealt with in order to facilitate a high impact virtual team meeting. Individual team members in a typical virtual meeting likely are taking part from numerous different time zones. As a result, some participants are either arriving at the office very early in the morning, or logging on from home late at night. As such, it is important for the leader to structure the meeting to make maximum use of the meeting time and to accomplish all of the tasks on the agenda. When this is done, then morale will increase on the team because each member will feel like the meeting has been time well spent, and they will be motivated to continue working on their assigned tasks in order to have a positive report at the next scheduled meeting (Malhotra & Majchrzak, 2007). It is important, then, that team leaders work to recognize and reward any type of interpersonal communication that is supportive to the efforts of the team, and that which promote civility and efficiency within the virtual environment. Conclusion In reality, even given the challenges faced with a launching a virtual team, the benefits in today’s increasingly global and competitive workplace can certainly pay off with enormous dividends. Virtual teams to enable organizations to bring together groups people who are diverse and geographically dispersed. This enables organizations to assemble teams with individuals of complementary skill sets, no matter where they may be physically located. The day of in siting upon a new team member to relocate to another region of the world may be over, as technology has made it possible for such individuals to remain connected to the team right from their current surroundings. Just as virtual teams do offer unique opportunities for enhanced productivity and efficiency, there are also some challenges that must be handled, as this report has effectively pointed out. Because of this, it is important that organizations do take care and pay attention to how they select and assemble a virtual team, particularly in terms of the leadership assigned to various projects, and to the process that the virtual team will eventually adopt to effectively complete its assigned tasks and assignments. The success of virtual teams can be seen to be proportionally linked to the willingness of the organization to provide the necessary resources, including the proper technology and the right people, to the virtual team in order to assist it in its quest to be highly effective and productive. References Benson, R. (2012). Leading virtual teams: How do social, cognitive and behavioral capacities matter. Management Decision, 50(2), 273-290. Brake, T. (2013). 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Leading global virtual teams to success. Organizational Dynamic, 42(3), 228-237. Read More