Vince Basile
As organizations become larger, team project managers often find themselves trying to work with a team that is geographically dispersed. While virtual teams have been shown to be an effective and efficient approach to business projects, there are some added conditions that must be met if a virtual team is to be successful.
Why virtual teams?
Virtual teams are formed for many reasons. A company may, for example, have many different corporate locations. Each location, in turn, may have a particular corporate focus, with personnel who can uniquely contribute to a particular project. Alternately, a team may be addressing an organization-wide business initiative. Personnel may be located in many different places within a country, or in many different countries.
In other cases, certain employees may be telecommuters. When these individuals are selected for project teams, their availability and contribution is limited by the same factors that made telecommuting a necessity.
Increasingly, organizations are partnering, or joining forces, in order to better handle the demands of complex projects. This may take the form of a corporate merger. It may also be a temporary alliance that brings together different areas of corporate expertise. In either case, the individuals who are assigned to a combined project team will generally be selected for their ability to bring needed skills to the team.
Finally, individual consultants may be brought in from outside the company. These individuals will generally be selected to serve as temporary members of an ad hoc project team. They bring to the team a particular area of expertise that may not be available within the corporation.
The Benefits of Virtual Teams
Regardless of the specific factors that lead to the formation of a virtual team, the decision to do so is almost always influenced by a need to limit costs and improve team
performance. Virtual teams have the ability, for example, to reduce project costs in several different areas. Among these are travel-related costs. These include the cost of travel itself, plus associated costs such as lodging, meals, parking, on-site commuting and others.
Another cost factor is a decrease in the loss of productivity associated with increased time away from other work assignments. Although the modern business person has a variety of productivity-enhancing tools at his or her disposal, there is still an inevitable decrease in efficiency and productivity that goes with time away from home base.
In many cases, virtual teams eliminate the need to assign dedicated project space. Most companies do not have the luxury of having unused, yet well-equipped work areas available for assignment to short-term projects. Spaces that are available may require considerable renovation or relocation of existing services. In some cases, a decision may be made to lease space for the project team, adding considerable additional cost to a project.
On the productivity side, effective virtual teams have the ability to respond quickly to business opportunities. Companies that master the use of the virtual team approach may have a significant edge over their competition in the ability to meet the demands of rapidly changing business situations.
Special Considerations for Virtual Teams
While there are many solid reasons to consider utilizing a virtual team, there are also aspects of this approach that must be taken into consideration as well. Standard project teams, with close proximity of team members, provide many opportunities for team interaction. This, in turn, promotes the development of close working relationships and enhances effective communication.
In the virtual team approach, many of these opportunities are missing. Informal interactions occur much less frequently, with the result that members may feel more isolated. We are denied the subtle clues that we, often unknowingly, receive from facial expressions, tone of voice, body language and other related factors. Virtual team
members may feel isolated and fail to develop the close working relationships that we take for granted with close-proximity teams.
This sense of isolation may be even more apparent when there are cross-cultural
considerations. As globalization becomes a more significant factor in business, teams are frequently made up of individuals from different countries and cultures. Differences in language, working habits, communication styles and overall cultural context can
significantly impair the ability of team members to work effectively together. In close- proximity teams, these differences tend to be noted and taken into consideration as a team learns to interact with one another. The virtual team approach does not offer as many opportunities to work past the differences and increases the possibility for
misunderstandings.
Tips for Virtual Team Project Managers
The benefits of virtual teams can far outweigh the drawbacks. The task of making the situation work falls (naturally) on the project manager.
First, recognize that there are very few completely virtual teams. Take advantage of any possible opportunities for interaction and try to schedule them as early in the team-
building process as possible. Some project managers believe that building a foundation of trust and communication requires at least an initial face-to-face meeting of team
members.
Communication protocols become a very large issue with virtual teams. When possible, establish communication guidelines, such as acknowledging receipt of requests or a maximum amount of time (24 or 48 hours) for a response. Try to send frequent updates to all team members so they continue to feel part of the process. Consider using visual aides, such as project schedule charts, to show progress that has been made in various phases.
Remember that there are forms of communication beyond e-mails. Conference calls, for example, give the opportunity to hear each others' voices, offering a better set of clues about the way that team members are actually reacting to a discussion than can be obtained through e-mails alone. Possible benefits of still other forms of communication, such as video conferencing for example, should also be explored.
As possible, personalize communications. Remember that close-proximity teams give multiple opportunities to get to know each other. Many project managers advocate small talk as a way of getting to know each other. Others make a point to learn a bit about their team members' interests and inquire about them with each communication. Having a photograph of a person with whom you are communicating can make the interchange much more personal.
In essence, it's all about building and keeping trust. One author encourages project managers to establish and maintain an atmosphere of DWYSYWD (Do What You Say You Will Do). Encourage all team members to follow through on commitments. This fosters an atmosphere that encourages respect for each other's time, and therefore, for each other.