With more and more Hong Kong companies expanding their corporate networks across APAC and beyond, virtual teams are increasingly common. How can HR address the issues of how to make these teams run effectively?
As companies expand globally, virtual teams are becoming the reality for much of the corporate world. In our new technology-linked society, myriad platforms exist for team connectivity, facilitating communication across borders, continents, and hemispheres. Making virtual teams effective, however, is not as simple as periodic Skype discussions or constant emailing. A virtual team often faces the same productivity pitfalls as any face-to-face team might, though the process for solving these issues might require a different approach.
Michael Watkins of Harvard Business Review defined a virtual team as one comprised of “core members who interact primarily through electronic means” and are working together on tasks to achieve one goal. Watkins encourages HR and team leaders to lay the foundations for team performance early on, and gives the following advice on how to achieve optimum productivity with a virtual team.
It’s all about team spirit
Watkins advocates getting the entire team together physically at the beginning of the project. While this may be difficult—or impossible—for some virtual teams, the face time physical proximity provides helps to build team relationships and foster trust between members. These social bonds are crucial to productive teamwork, and creating a “virtual water cooler” is another way to help allow team members to communicate on a more social level. Allow platforms for casual discussion and open collaboration to give team members the sense of team camaraderie that may be absent in purely virtual communication. Leaders and HR will of course need to monitor team progress and individual member’s participation through frequent and regular one-to-one checks. Team leaders and HR should use these check-ins to gather feedback and facilitate with any conflicts or miscommunications that may arise over the course of any project.
Talk the talk
Misunderstanding and miscommunication can occur in even the closest office teams, and with virtual teams such issues can have a much larger and potentially devastating impact on productivity. With the multi-cultural nature of many virtual teams, establishing a shared language from the onset is crucial to keeping communication issues at a minimum. Even with co-workers who speak the same native language, project terms can often lead to ambiguity and misunderstandings. Watkins encourages taking the time to outline a clear interpretation of key words and phrases, and posting this language agreement in a shared workspace. Outlining the means of communication and rules for conference calls and different platforms will also aid in keeping the flow of information continuous. With multiple platforms for data transfer—email, phone, cloud sharing, etc.—it’s important to have clearly established rules for when to use which mode of communication.
Roles and rules
Once the guidelines for communication have been established, it’s crucial for any team—and particularly for a virtual one—to set out clearly defined tasks and processes. For a virtual team, coordination is inherently more challenging, and it’s important to focus not just on the goals, but how the team needs to work together to achieve them. Through a regular team rhythm, with regular meetings and set agendas, team leaders and HR can more easily track commitments, and provide clarification when needed. Watkins notes that when working with trans-global teams, it’s also important to establish a rotation schedule of meeting times to allow for equal distribution of time-zone burden.
Technology is your friend
A seemingly obvious point to make, virtual teams require the use of technology. While it may appear simple, HR and corporate leaders need to remember that the technological platforms they choose can have a huge impact on team dynamic, communication, and efficiency. It’s crucial to leverage technology to a team’s full advantage. “It’s essential not to sacrifice reliability in a quest to be on the cutting edge,” Watkins reminds corporate leaders, adding that it’s important to “be willing to sacrifice some features in the name of having everyone on the same systems.”
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
