The rush to set up remote work facilities and programs in March 2020 occupied much of the professional conversation at the time. But for some, virtual teams were already a regular part of business. So, as we look forward — and anticipate virtual work becoming a much larger part of our regular work lives — Ryan Rex takes us through the lessons we can learn from long-time virtual project teams.
Well before the pandemic of 2020 created pressure for organizations to accommodate virtual work, technological innovation and improvements in outsourcing capabilities drove both a greater international footprint and virtual presence of project teams. Large technology projects have been leveraging blended geographic teams for over two decades, and with rapid advancement of virtual meeting software, collaboration has become more robust with a continued emphasis on relationship management.
With the pace of technological innovation, new business model introductions and generational values shifting from stabilization to disruption (Twenge, 2017), organizations are having to quickly adapt to stay competitive. The term VUCA, which stands for volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (Bennis et al, 1987), has become common terminology, used to frame the environmental context in which organizations exist. A study from McKinsey predicts that between 18 and 26 per cent of workers in advanced economies could be working from home long term 3-5 days per week, therefore it is expected that blended and virtual project teams are here to stay.
While COVID-19 has forced most organizations to provide work from home capabilities, there are benefits to selecting virtual teams over collocated teams that employers may be seeking to exploit. These include better access to global talent, reduced costs from travel and expenses, lower real estate requirements and a greater consideration of the impact of geographic time zones on productivity.
Governance
- Quickly and repeatedly communicate the reason the project exists (vision) and what benefits are being sought for the organization. Ground team members in the common objective and help them to understand how their work contributes to the shared success of the overall project/program.
- Provide clarity of governance and project/program management structures so that leaders are identified, roles and responsibilities are communicated and understood, and escalation paths are established.
- Establish common working hours when meetings and cross team engagement can happen and set reoccurring team meetings as early as possible so that all team members can appropriately prioritize.
Technology
- Determine one common communication platform for all individuals and companies (ex. Zoom or Microsoft Teams, etc.), and ensure that all partners have access to a common environment. The inability to communicate with one another in real-time can delay the overall project, create frustration from team members and prevent a quick pace of decision making. Video conferencing and instant messaging technologies are equally important as they provide the channels for both planned and unplanned interaction. The caution here is not to over-collaborate as collaboration is not equal to progress and often team members require dedicated working time to focus on their deliverables.
- Ensure that calendar availability for individual project team members is published and able to be viewed by all partners to prevent scheduling conflicts.
- Find the right fit for productivity monitoring. It is necessary to report out on work status and overall alignment to planned tasks but implementing too many monitoring systems can break trust between individual contributors and project leadership. Some tools create a high level of administration and feel more like “big brother” than progress stewardship. The focus should be on outcomes and task resolution, leaving Individual worker effectiveness for leaders to assess and develop.
- Set minimum expectations of individual technical requirements and ensure they are being met where required. A significant number of individuals working remotely are working from home, therefore they must ensure that internet speed, number of monitors and even desk/chair ergonomics are conducive to a productive physical environment. In some cases, the project organization may consider providing ways that individuals can ensure their home set up will support their project role requirements.
Culture
- Recognize that there could be different micro-cultures within a blended team, including organization- or geographic-specific. This could impact how team members communicate, the policies and process for time off, and working hours and when over time is acceptable. Demonstrating respect for these differences will help create an environment of acceptance, leading to better engagement and productivity.
- Remember to include team-building and effectiveness exercises into your management strategy, as natural communication that comes with collocated teams needs to be more deliberately planned. Early engagement of a wider audience allows team members to get to know one another and can facilitate healthier working relationships and stronger communication.
- Humanize team members. In addition to team building, establishing a norm where cameras are on for specific meetings or times can provide both the flexibility for team members who prefer most of the day be spent with cameras off, and give individuals an opportunity to see each other, creating the human connection which is required for conflict resolution
- Unpredictable patterns in project delivery can lead to lower levels of trust, lack of clarity, reduced agility to respond to changes in the project environment, and inefficient use of resources and time. Implementing the project rhythm of meetings, reporting and communication can create a culture where team members’ expectations are being managed and met.
- Special consideration should be given to teams where there are a mix of collocated and virtual team members. Intentionally providing space for those on the phone/virtual meeting to speak is of particular importance for those collected in the same physical meeting space. Visually being able to share any whiteboarding, presentations or written documents being created in the collocated space with those working virtually will help foster a culture of inclusion and will generate the best utilization of all contributing resources.
Planning to address these considerations prior to the project team being built, will allow for a structured project onboarding and confidence from team members that they are supported and have a greater chance of success.
References
1 Twenge, Jean M. (2017). IGen : why today's super-connected kids are growing up less rebellious, more tolerant, less happy-- and completely unprepared for adulthood (and what this means for the rest of us) (First Atria books hardcover ed.). New York, NY. ISBN 9781501151989. OCLC 965140529. 2)
2 Bennis, Warren; Nanus, Burt (1985). Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge.
3 Lund, S, et al, (2020). What’s Next for Remote Work. An Analysis of 2000 Tasks, 800 Jobs and Nine Countries. McKinsey.com https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/whats-next-for-remote-work-an-analysis-of-2000-tasks-800-jobs-and-nine-countries
About the author
Ryan Rex, PMP, MBA
Ryan Rex, Partner at CROS Consulting, holds an MBA degree from the University of Calgary and is currently pursuing his Doctorate focused on leadership behaviours and their impact on employee wellbeing. Ryan’s experience has focused on large-scale organizational transformations particularly within large enterprise, both as a management consultant and as an internal business leader.