Six Lessons for Creating Successful Virtual Teams

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As the "virtual revolution" gains momentum, how can companies ensure that their virtual teams are producing the desired results? First, realize that comparing co-located teams to virtual teams is like comparing apples to oranges.

Consider this: The office of the future might not be an office at all. As virtual teams become more prevalent, we edge ever closer to a culture where "work" means logging in to your company's online project management site from your home or collaborating with people who each work for different teams or functions at their local co-working establishment. "Company headquarters" is becoming more of a concept than an actual building. And as physical location becomes less important, companies can hire the best talent regardless of their location. In addition, companies can enhance their efficiency by handing off work across time zones, enabling them to be productive around the clock.

But far too often, say Darleen DeRosa and Rick Lepsinger, authors of Virtual Team Success: A Practical Guide for Working and Leading from a Distance, this vision of the global economy workplace falls short of today's reality. In other words, virtual teams may be increasingly popular...but they're not necessarily successful.

Unfortunately, explain the authors, having solid business reasons for implementing a virtual strategy does not mean that strategy is always going to be executed well. The problem is that too many companies treat their virtual teams the same way they treat teams that share the same physical locations.

DeRosa and Lepsinger identify six lessons—excerpted from the book—for creating successful virtual teams.

Lesson #1: Focus on people issues. Essentially, successful teaming depends largely on the effective interaction of team members. Virtual teams need to compensate for the inherent lack of human contact by supporting team spirit, trust, and productivity. The authors identify warning signs that indicate that a team's "people issues" need more attention.

Lesson #1 in Action:

Develop a team web page where virtual team members can share information and get to know one another.
Create ways for team members to interact and communicate informally. Use real-time communication tools like Instant Messaging or social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter to create a virtual water cooler of sorts that allows people on virtual teams to communicate more spontaneously.
Build a collective online "resource bank" to share information and experiences.
Find ways to "spotlight" team members.
Send electronic newsletters or updates to the team.
Create ways to virtually celebrate successes as a team.
Partner team members at different locations on projects and rotate these periodically.

Lesson #2: No trust, no team. Task-based trust is one of the factors that differentiated top performing teams. In virtual teams trust seems to develop more readily at the task level than at the interpersonal level. There are four warning signs that trust is in low supply in virtual teams: 1) team members do not refer to themselves as "we"; 2) they do not appear to know one another very well; 3) they are openly negative; and 4) they do not regard others as credible.

Lesson #2 in Action:

Make sure teams meet face-to-face at least once early on in the team's formation. Spend some part of the meeting focused on building relationships and learning about team members' capabilities.
Be sure team members feel empowered to make and act on decisions. Because virtual leaders do not have "face time" with team members to check in, leaders are more likely to micromanage team members without realizing it.
Help people manage conflicts, not avoid them. Conflict is likely to be ignored or may escalate quickly in a virtual setting. Therefore, leaders need to more proactively manage conflict.
The team leader should model and reinforce these positive behaviors.

Lesson #3: "Soft" skills are essential. The presence of "soft" skills makes a difference in virtual team performance. Lepsinger and DeRosa found that virtual teams that have been through team-building and interpersonal skill development activities perform better than those that have not.

Lesson #3 in Action:

Use criteria and/or assessments when selecting individuals for virtual teams.
Use team-building sessions—ideally conducted at an initial or subsequent face-to-face team meeting—to help team members strengthen working relationships and create team momentum that can enhance team effectiveness.
Assess development needs for team members and team leaders and conduct skill-building focused on these areas.
Reassess needs over time.