[Part 2 of 3] Issues & Tips for Teams Working in a Virtual World: People

This is part 2 of a 3-part series on working virtually in teams. The series will focus on: team processes, people, and technology. In it, Judy Blanton, Ph.D. will share issues, tips, and recommendations for working virtually in the midst of COVID-19. 

You can find part 1, which provides a definition of a "team," and offers insight and tips for managing critical team processes (e.g., team alignment and communication) here.

When it comes to people on your team, there are several areas of focus. We describe 5, and then offer tips and suggestions for addresses these areas of focus below.

1. Selecting people for your team – This is a critical first step. While you may not have the luxury of selecting people for your team (e.g, perhaps you inherited an existing one), it's still important to pay attention to the constellation of skills and characteristics within it. The individuals on the team must not only have the technical skills to do the job but should also be a good “fit” with the team and organizational culture. What are the non-technical qualities that are necessary (e.g., specific characteristics such as interpersonal skills, optimism, etc)? What about representation of particular sub-groups or diversity of perspectives? Ultimately, you want to ensure your team has complementary strengths, and that people are in the roles well-suited to their experience and skillset.
2. Team integration and development – Once you've selected or assessed individuals on your team, it's important to consider how to integrate new members into the group and help members stretch and grow in their roles. In a virtual world, it's also critical to determine how the team will develop and grow over time. Shifting of roles, or re-assigning of responsibilities (new and old) may be necessary.
3. Team Climate – A team climate is defined as a "shared perception of the team within a work context." One critical element of team climate, which may become more important in a virtual context is psychological safety.

Creating a safe psychological space entails helping team members feel confident communicating what they need in order to perform their tasks and meet deadlines successfully. For example, team members need to be able to raise tough issues without feeling intimidated. Professor Amy Edmondson explains that psychological safety refers to “a belief that the workplace is safe for interpersonal risk-taking – that speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes will be welcomed and value. It is felt permission for candor.” Still, it is important to note that psychological safety is NOT: “just being nice, freedom from conflict, a license to whine, over sharing, etc.”

Team norms and culture - Team culture is complex - it's far more than just "what we do around here" and it develops over time and across situations. And there is a great deal of evidence that the norms and culture of a team have a powerful impact on its work. For instance, recent research found that innovative companies share specific characteristics and internal values (e.g., they foster a flexible, agile internal structure that enables them to pivot quickly, which is quite relevant in today's working context). Moreover, team diversity (i.e., in terms of language, ethnicity, gender, and age need to be considered) as this influences the shared culture on a team as well.

1. Team leadership – In addition to the above, the leader(s) of a team may need to quickly shift and modify their leadership style to ensure they can maintain their effectiveness when moving from face-to-face to virtual. Team leader(s) set the ton, context, and expectations for the team's shares norms; thus, in making the shift to virtual work, the team leader is a critical component. While the shift we're seeing currently has happened very quickly (almost overnight), there may be additional training (formal or otherwise) and coaching that can help team leaders learn how to shift their styles and approaches to match a virtual world.

Here are several tips for managing people and interpersonal processes within a team:

• Have formal kick-off and conduct onboarding activities for the newly virtual team - treat this as a big change and shift.
• Consider assigning a mentor to each team member to facilitate growth and development - these can be peer mentors or those outside the team
• Create visible team member profiles, including contact information as well as pictures, accomplishments, areas of expertise, and interest - particularly in a virtual world, this will help team members know who does what and may promote shared connections despite not being co-located
• Find ways to intentionally promote trust (building it and maintaining it) within the team. Encourage social interaction in new ways - e.g., host virtual meetings via video; consider having "open office hours" in which the team leader is available for connecting. To the best you can, simulate an "in-office feel."
• Assure open dialogue and make sure the message matches the medium (e.g., offering constructive criticism via slack is not recommended - pick up the phone or hop on video)
• Encourage “creative conflict”. Consider assigning one person to be an official “devil’s advocate” with the task of noticing and speaking up when something is being left unsaid and calling out criticism that’s not constructive or just asking for clarity when concerned that some people may not understand but are not speaking up. This may be particularly important in a virtual context as people cannot pick up on tension as naturally compared to being face-to-face.
• Communicate frequently one-on-one with team members to clarify and reiterate objectives. 
• Visibly recognize individual contributions to the knowledge of entire team (ideas not just documents) - consider starting a "kudos" slack channel to promote a positive feedback culture within the team as well.
• Identify and capitalize on individual differences in styles: personality, decision-making, culture and establish a common norm for working within these differences. 
• Conduct virtual meetings involving all members of the team that focus on larger issues but hold smaller, more focused meetings for sub-groups so as not to waste time of those not necessarily involved.  
• Ensure external visibility for the team by reporting team results to executives or steering committees. 
• Find new ways to stay informed about the interactions between team members so as to identify and intervene early if miscommunication or conflict arises. In other words, keep a pulse on the team.
• Have the team address and resolve cultural and time zone differences regularly.  Consider having meetings that occasionally rotate time zones. 
• Find opportunities to provide intellectual and professional growth and job enrichment in a virtual context. Ideas could include have mini-lecture on a topic related to the team’s work which could be provided by an expert, attend a webinar together and discuss afterward, or allocate time to share fun activities and virtual celebrations. 
• Short appearances by company executives can give members a chance to enter into a dialogue about an issue related to the team. Invite a senior leader to join the first 10 minutes of a virtual meeting to share their insights and improve visibility.

Written by: Judith (Judy) Blanton, Ph.D. | Founder and President of Blanton Consulting

Contact: jesblanton@gmail.com