magazine
34
Virtual teams
Currently, our
business is
working on a
fun project to
try and break
a 46-year
speed record.
is looking at a document on-screen
they can’t see when other people are no
longer concentrating and are engaged in
something else. A large screen can help, as
it allows you to view both the document
and the other people on the video call.
What we’ve found works is simply
telling everyone you need to respond to
an email or message and then people can
either continue the discussion or wait until
you are ready to resume. Some honesty
is required to make this work. Sometimes
things come in which do require a quick
response and with the team present it is
possible to get a bit of input from them
and deal with it.
TOP TIP
Be honest with everyone – if you have a
pressing email that needs attention, stop
trying to do it furtively, get permission to
take 5 minutes and deal with it.
When the numbers start increasing
Currently, our business is working on a
fun project to try and break a 46-year
speed record. It involves a large team and
briefings take place via conference calls.
In these circumstances we use a simple
table like a school register with everyone’s
name on it. After each discussion point
we use the register to check in with each
participant to ensure their views are
heard.Whilst it feels a bit mechanical,
it does ensure everyone is heard and all
viewpoints are considered.
In a face-to-face meeting you
could just look around the room. On a
conference call this is not so easy and it’s
quite possible that someone gets dropped
from the call and no-one knows until too
late. In video calls it helps to check in with
people with the same formality as during
conference calls. Technology is getting
better all the time, but it is still possible to
miss someone’s attempt to get in on the
conversation.
TOP TIP
Use checklists of attendees to make
sure you have involved everyone in
the discussion. Check in with everyone
regularly. It doesn’t require a big response
from each person.
Be disciplined
It doesn’t matter whether the meeting
is face-to-face or virtual. Being clear
about the purpose of the meeting and
the outcomes sought helps ensure the
time together is efficient and effective.
This is particularly important in the virtual
environment where it is not so easy to get
back on track after a digression or tangent.
TOP TIP
Virtual meetings benefit from clarity
and precision about the purpose of the
discussion and the outcome sought.
Keep it simple
In virtual communication it is even
more important to make sure people are
speaking a common language. On one
memorable occasion, I recall an extensive
discussion taking place on the merits of
a series of options. The debate became
more heated and people more frustrated
until the penny dropped – they were both
talking at cross purposes. It sounds tedious
and a touch pedantic but it’s worth
occasionally checking what people mean
by a particular term or concept. Just this
morning, my colleagues were surprised by
my lack of enthusiasm on a topic. It took
a while for them to figure out I hadn’t
seen a significant email and for me to
realise I was missing something. Once
this misunderstanding was sorted, normal
service resumed.
However clear you think you are being
you should assume and be prepared
for misinterpretation. According to
Nunamaker, Reinig and Briggs “Virtual
team leaders must communicate
directions in painstaking detail”. This
has certainly been our experience, even
more so when working virtually with
our customers in other countries where
conversations are conducted in people’s
second or third language. On this note,
cross-cultural differences exist in the
virtual world as much as they do in face-
to-face communication. It’s important to
be sensitive to cultural nuance.
TOP TIP
Consider having a lexicon of commonly
used terms to ensure everyone
understands what is meant when a given
term is used. Don’t be afraid to check
what people mean by the words and
concepts they are using. If you feel unsure,
the chances are others will too.
The future of virtual teams
Last year, Venkatesh andWindeler
published the results of a longitudinal
study into the use of technology in
virtual team collaboration, in particular
comparing 3D technology with other
more widespread tools. The findings are
intriguing. It seems that the use of Avatars
(a graphical representation of the user)
can facilitate engagement. If your avatar
is attractive (whatever that looks like!),
you are more likely to self disclose. If your
avatar is tall, then you are more likely
to be confident in a negotiation.What’s
more, with an avatar people tend to be
more comfortable expressing themselves.
What is clear is that whatever technology
is used, it can help drive team cohesion.
TOP TIP
The pace of change in technology is rapid.
Keep in touch with developments and
be curious to try and experiment with
new tools. The more methods we have to
ensure high quality interaction between
team members, the better.
It’s about people
I loved the concluding point to DeRosa et
al’s article: “No matter how complicated
the new technology may seem, it is still
the human that is the most complex,
flexible and adaptive part of the system.
To the extent that we can adapt
communication technology to ourselves,
we will, and to the extent we cannot adapt
the technology, we will adapt to it.”
TOP TIP
People are adaptable. Help them learn
how to use what’s available and they will
be able to use it. Have faith in people’s
ability to embrace technology – millions
now use smartphones without ever having
gone on a course to learn how.
So what about us?
Our disciplined effort to learn how to
use the technology at our disposal has
paid off. Never before have we worked so
effectively as a team. But, and it’s a big
but, we have also instituted a regular face-
to-face meeting. This meeting is perhaps
the foundation of our success as a team,
with our use of technology allowing us to
maintain the cohesion, effectiveness and
enjoyment of working together between
times.
TOP TIP
Face-to-face communication is still
the best.
Epiphanies is a boutique consultancy
providing learning development
programmes in the areas of leadership
and performance for blue chip companies
across the world. It examines how ordinary
people can do extraordinary things –
breaking through limitations and enabling
individuals, teams and organisations to
excel beyond what might be considered
reasonable. Above all, its mission is to
provide moments of insight or ‘epiphanies’
in everything it does.
01943 430164
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