3 Quick Tips for Managing Your Global Virtual Team

Welcome back to my LinkedIn newsletter where I share tips, ideas, and strategies to help you become more effective in business and life.

If we haven't been acquainted yet, I’m a professor of organizational and cross-cultural psychology, the author of?Global Dexterity ?and?Reach , and an HBR contributor and consultant.?I also work closely with coaches, trainers, consultants and teachers to certify them in my?Global Dexterity Method .

To make sure you don't miss an issue, if you haven't subscribed yet, just click the "Subscribe" button in the upper right corner above.

Be sure you are also signed up for my?email list ?which has completely different content, strategies and offers for you to grow your business, brand, and career.

I hope you enjoy today's newsletter about global virtual teams.

One part of your team is in Mumbai.?Another is in Munich.?And a third in Minneapolis.?Virtual teams have tremendous potential for operating successfully across cultures and borders - but only if managed thoughtfully by a leader who anticipates challenges and addresses them proactively.??Here are three quick tips to make that happen.

1.?Understand the cultural makeup of your team.?

Diagnose potential cultural trip wires --areas where cultural differences might get in the way and impact team functioning.?For example, if your team has three Germans and three Japanese, you might anticipate differences in giving?feedback--with the Germans likely more comfortable giving direct, negative feedback and the Japanese less so.?That said, it's also critical to understand individual?personalities, because not everyone is typical of the country they come from.

2.?Give your?team a compelling purpose.?

To be effective, especially in a geographically dispersed context, it’s critical to provide the team with?a purpose that is clear (specific and measurable), challenging (a stretch, but something attainable, given the resources and personnel), and consequential (the purpose matters and is relevant to all team members). A compelling purpose can be the glue that binds together your team, and pushes everyone in the same direction towards your common goal.

3. Address negative conflict immediately.?

On a virtual team, conflict is inevitable--and challenging to manage.?Lag times in communication let conflict fester. People can be less restrained in virtual interactions. And critical conversations are more challenging at a distance.?For these reasons, it's critical as a leader for you to not let?interpersonal conflict fester.?Be proactive.??Act as a mediator and, when necessary, be ready to have?an honest group discussion or confidential side conversations, depending on the situation.