Virtual teams are becoming more and more popular and are a great way to drive employee satisfaction, make your organization more agile, and ultimately help it operate in increasingly international markets.
Managing and leading virtual teams is a key part of this success, but doing so is not easy and requires leaders to draw upon a distinct set of skills and expertise. In this article, we discuss what virtual teams are, the challenges of managing them, how to find the best virtual team members and, critically, some tips for how to successfully manage a virtual team.
What is a virtual team?
Virtual teams are groups of individuals who work on the same project or organization from disparate geographical locations, working together using digital communication systems. They’re set up where organizations don’t need employees to be physically working together to achieve goals. This enables organizational agility, finding top global talent, and flexible working.
What are the challenges of managing a virtual team?
Managing a virtual team comes with a distinct set of challenges that can be hard to overcome. Here is a list of the main hurdles to look out for, with tips on how you can manage these situations:
- Communication barriers: These can manifest in different ways, such as the lack of face-to-face interaction or cultural differences, leading to miscommunication or delays. Ensuring structured, clear and concise communication and involving all stakeholders is vital to overcoming this challenge.
- Establishing trust: In-person interactions are an important part of generating trust, and virtual teams don’t have this luxury. Leaders can facilitate trust through driving transparency, equity, checking in with their team regularly, and using virtual icebreakers.
- Monitoring performance: Remote or geographically diverse employees cannot be easily observed, making performance monitoring difficult. Employee monitoring software can support this, but managers can also set clear and frequent goals, and balance autonomy with management to drive trust.
- Technological barriers: Virtual teams will heavily rely on technology, which can occasionally malfunction, disrupting team dynamics. Managers must therefore monitor software upgrades, plan for downtime, ensure their team has access to the right equipment, and check that it’s working properly.
- Time zone differences: Multiple time zones can complicate the scheduling of meetings and group work. This can sometimes lead to some employees working unusual hours, creating stress and burnout. Leaders must plan work and deadlines effectively to account for the time zones they manage.
How to manage a virtual team
Successfully managing a virtual team requires leaders to juggle various opportunities and skill sets; it’s easier said than done. Here is a list of best practices for how to manage a virtual team and get the most out of their potential and capabilities:
1. Create a structure and a plan
The first step to effectively managing virtual teams is to define a working system that everyone can stick to, also known as a standard operating procedure. By setting standards and establishing the work process, team members will have a better understanding of how long tasks should take and will generally have fewer questions.
To standardize procedures and outline rules for all employees, whether remote or in-house, you can create a downloadable manual. You can make this as comprehensive or as simple as you wish; the idea is that all employees should follow the necessary procedures to complete their projects as efficiently and accurately as possible.
2. Move forward with file sharing
Sending large documents through email can not only make your inbox work at a much slower rate than usual but also result in information getting lost in translation, especially when you’re sending comments in a separate form. To avoid these issues altogether, you can share large files with team members through a cloud-based service like Dropbox or Google Drive.
Cloud storage services have many benefits and offer everything your internal server does, but they’re more secure and easier to access. Your files and folders can be organized almost any way you like.
Many of these services offer a downloadable app, so you can even access your documents from any device, which is perfect if you’re working on the road and need access to multiple files.
3. Engage in multiple communication channels
When moving away from a traditional workplace model, it’s essential to review the key part of a strong team: effective communication. And to get the most out of your team, you’ll need to tap into leading communication tools available on the market.
The first essential tool you need when managing remote workers is a secure chat system that will let you instant-message and call colleagues at the click of a button. These tools are used in offices all over the world and provide employees with a platform to have that all-important watercooler chat, ask quick questions and share files with each other.
Meanwhile, you can’t simply ask someone to pull up a chair next to you to show them your working process when working remotely. With video sharing tools, on the other hand, you can effectively do the same thing! Skype, for example, lets you video-call people while sharing your screen with them so they can see what you’re doing. Some might argue that this is even better than in-person training, but we’ll let you be the judge of that!
4. Tap into project management software
When many members of a team are collaborating on a single project, the use of project management software is essential. This effectively allows you to track processes, input data and communicate with your team, as well as improve collaboration between team members.
In fact, there are hundreds of project management tools available on the market that can help you streamline a project and work towards the same end-goal, from Trello to MindMeister.
5. Build a remote company culture
Creating a company culture can seem like a somewhat tricky affair when all your employees aren’t working under the same roof and don’t have face-to-face contact on a daily basis. But having said that, it’s not impossible! With the power of the internet, you can see your colleagues by using video software or recording short clips to send to your coworkers via an integrated system.
You can also arrange an event (if all your workers are in the same country) so they can meet and build a stronger bond when working together on a daily basis. By doing so, your remote employees will have shared experiences that will help build their trust and understanding towards one another.
Alternatively, you could arrange frequent catch-ups via a group call or chat when everyone is winding down for the day on a Friday afternoon!
6. Establish set working hours
If you have employees in all four corners of the world, you’ll most likely have different people working around the clock. However, it’s important to try and establish specific working hours for various members of the team, ensuring that there is always a crossover between at least two teams working together at the same time.
This will essentially cut down the turnaround time on projects if two or more people who are collaborating are online at the same time. This doesn’t necessarily mean that their working hours should be set in stone, but you should come to some sort of agreement so they can support each other throughout any given working day.
7. Create a combined calendar system
To help you identify your team members’ working hours and schedules, you should consider using a collaborative calendar that can be accessed by all team members (with limited rights, of course — you don’t want them to edit their own shifts!).
You can organize different calendars for different topics (eg: working hours, annual leave, etc), or list all events on a single schedule and use a color-coding system to differentiate between topics.
This is also an excellent opportunity to schedule meetings, training sessions and other events that will be useful for your employees.
8. Hire a team of self-motivators
Great remote workers need to be self-motivated and driven, and finding such people can be tricky, to say the least. But in order to run a successful business, you need to identify if they can sit alone for hours one end and produce high-quality work.
Not only should they be self-motivated, but they also need to have excellent written and verbal communication skills to ensure there are no misunderstandings. Additionally, they should also be good at problem solving and be organized with excellent time management skills.
9. Be creative with team bonding
When working virtually, it may take a lot more effort to form a culture and “team spirit”, but it’s essential for people to create a bond. Employees need to know that they’re all working towards an end goal and are part of a larger picture, instead of merely working on their own.
You can create a real team feeling by interacting with employees via video calls, sending them personal birthday gifts and messages, and communicating with them outside working hours via social media and other outlets.
10. Set goals and boundaries
A good way to keep remote employees engaged is to set goals and reward them for their achievements. For example, if your remote worker is a customer service representative, you could reward them with a gift card for their favorite store if they meet or exceed specific targets.
On the flip side, you should also create boundaries. For example, employees should work a minimum of six hours per day. If they work anything over that time, they will be paid on an hourly basis.
11. Form a team of leaders
A virtual team should, essentially, be a group of leaders that can manage their own workloads without needing any hand-holding. Each person should be responsible for a set of tasks and will need to lead their daily duties based on the work they are given.
While they will be working as part of a team, they should also show the ability to lead in one way or another, either by being assigned as the project manager of a certain task or in charge of a specific section of a project.
12. Schedule frequent meetings
In order to achieve a feeling of team unity, you should arrange regular meetings, both on an individual and a team basis. The frequency of these meetings is down to your working schedule, but you should aim to check in with your team as a whole once a week to ensure everyone is on the same page. Meanwhile, don’t go overboard: too many meetings can do more harm than good!
This is not only effective for team bonding, but it also encourages brainstorming and creativity among team members, and it builds trust within remote teams. It can also reduce stress levels by reminding remote workers that they do have a safety net and a unit to consult with.
13. Provide regular feedback
Regular feedback is a great way to motivate virtual employees and goes a long way to building trust. Meet with your team regularly in one-on-one sessions and be sure to give constructive feedback that would not come as a surprise to them.
Seek commitment from the virtual team members to work on these areas by the time of their next one-on-one. Similarly, celebrate achievements with your virtual team in group huddles where you can collectively praise them for good work.
14. Encourage and invest in professional development
Access to relevant and impactful learning and development opportunities transcends geography, and you can provide your virtual team with access to these, no matter where they are based.
Investing in L&D, especially e-learning, is a great way to show that you value your team from afar; it will also keep them engaged. Access to the right training will also ensure they are kept up to date with global industry trends. Get to know what your virtual team wants by holding virtual training plan meetings with them.
15. Be flexible as a leader
Effectively managing your virtual team can be a journey of trial and error, especially if they’re new or getting used to working together. As a leader, be humble and don’t be afraid to ask your team how it’s going. If you have built trust, then you should get effective feedback in return.
Tweak your approach to suit the team, and live by the belief that as long as the work gets done, there is no limit to the way it can be accomplished. Reflect on your own capabilities and adjust your management style accordingly.
How to find the right virtual team members
When recruiting for the right virtual team members, managers must prioritize skills like adaptability, communication and, of course, the candidate having the right competencies. Ensure the working pattern and setup of the job are clearly laid out in the job advert, and seek out employees who can demonstrate remote working experience.
When screening candidates, it’s vital to understand where they’re situated so you can see how this fits into the time zones you are currently operating with. When interviewing virtual team candidates, assess them on their cultural fit to the organization, as these team members will need to be highly motivated to remain focused on their goals.
Assess the candidates’ approach to self-management and autonomy, and how well they can independently solve problems. Finally, it’s a good idea to check their proficiency with the various remote working tools and technology you will be using, as these will be central to the role.
Key takeaways
When managed correctly, virtual teams have the potential to contribute enormously to organizational success. Here are the key points about managing virtual teams:
- Virtual teams rely on effective communication and use of technology, so getting these basics in place correctly is essential.
- Virtual teams bring lots of benefits to the organization, but they can be challenging to manage, and these areas need to be closely monitored.
- Effectively managing a virtual team requires adept use of technology, planning and organization, establishing trust and communication channels, and understanding how to work around distance and time zones.
- Finding the right virtual team member requires assessment in the recruitment process of key skills such as communication, technical ability and self-motivation.
If you lead your virtual team to success, they will be well-positioned to excel in today’s ever more geographically diverse business world; in short, your virtual team can give you tremendous competitive advantage.
Got a question? Let us know in the comments section below.
This article is a partial update of an earlier version originally published on October 4, 2018, and contains contributions by Joanna Zambas.