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Rules for Virtual
Teams
Engagement rules for virtual teams to ensure their success
September 05, 2006
By: Lynn Marotta
In today’s ever expanding global marketplace, the need
for virtual team meetings and collaboration among teams
located on opposite sides of the globe are unavoidable.
While the advent of virtual communication has no doubt
enhanced our ability to expand business opportunities and
streamline efficiencies, it has also posed a new set of
challenges when it comes to determining the best practices
for making a virtual team relationship successful. So what
exactly are the rules for virtual teams?
When team meetings are conducted in the face-to-face
presence of other members, communication is enhanced through
other means such as facial expressions, body language, etc.
This is often missing from virtual team meetings. A lot is
left open for interpretation, increasing the likelihood of
communication being misinterpreted. Managing conflict
becomes more challenging, and an environment marked by a
lack of trust becomes a real possibility. In order to
overcome these hurdles, building trust in virtual teams at
the outset is imperative to ensure the working relationship
is a success.
In a traditional work environment, trust is built on a
day in day out basis as team member's work together on
specific projects. In order to build trust among virtual
team members, a different approach from face-to-face
meetings is required. Some of the key aspects to consider
when establishing the rules of engagement for building trust
virtually are:
- Establish clear and open lines of communication at
the outset -- Make sure all parties share not only
their contact information, but also their preferred means
of being contacted in order to avoid any possibilities of
missed or misinterpreted communication.
- Create a positive culture by fostering a team
environment -- While this takes extra effort in a
virtual setting, it is crucial to work at trying to get to
know the virtual counterparts you are working with. If
possible, a physical meeting could be scheduled before the
project begins to allow both parties the ability to meet
one another. Or, photos and bios of members could be
exchanged before the project begins in order to establish
a more personal environment.
- Set the ground rules for standards and behaviors
-- It is critical to work out these issues in advance in
order to avoid misreading things into behaviors or holding
unrealistic expectations based on an incomplete
understanding of other work pressures, hindrances to daily
performance, clearly articulated roles and
responsibilities, etc.
- Openly acknowledge contributions -- Recognize
individual contributions openly in front of all team
members, such as a willingness to work different hours to
accommodate different locations, and going above and
beyond member expectations. Be creative.
- Set a clear project roadmap, and determine what
metrics will be used to determine progress and success
-- It is important to paint a clear picture of project
expectations in order to foster a sense of accountability
in each individual member of the team. This keeps the
project on track and lessens unnecessary finger pointing
which can greatly hinder productivity.
About the Author
Lynn Marotta is a successful freelance writer and
contributor to Web-Conferencing-Zone.com. Your
definitive guide to
web conferencing services,
online collaboration software and
web meetings for business.
Also See: [
Online meetings for
addiction and recovery groups ]
[ Free web
conferencing solutions for productive online meetings ]
[ Finding the
best news & latest trends about online collaboration software ]
Home Page:
[ Web-Conferencing-Zone.com ]
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