7 Essentials for Taking Your Team Virtual

The trend toward developing and working within virtual teams has been gaining steam for some time. 

Let's face it though, that slow burn was injected with rocket fuel when the COVID-19 pandemic left organizations with two choices: shut down, or let your employees work from home. 

For many individuals, this move is a welcome one - there is an awful lot of research that highlights the positive impacts of remote work. And, for a lot of employers, emotions range from confusion to outright panic due to the simple fact that the organization has never operated remotely before. 

Leaders and organizations alike are now tasked with determining what steps need to be taken to quickly and effectively transition a previously in-person-in-office workforce into high-functioning virtual teams.

The Challenges of Virtual Work Environments

Too often, high-functioning in-person teams struggle when first learning to communicate and collaborate with each other in a virtual setting. With the absence of face-to-face engagements, communication is challenged, and casual tactical exchanges and ad hoc conversations are less frequent. 

In addition, the workforce is made up of vastly different people who live in vastly different circumstances. At the office, when you have a meeting and everyone is physically present, it’s relatively easy to control the environment. Phones down, no computers, full participation, etc.

The environment gets a bit more rugged when all of the sudden there are barking dogs, boisterous children, wayward doorbells, and the occasional I-just-have-to-grab-one-thing partners/roommates that are joining our virtual meetings.

As a result, behaviors and team dynamics change to fit the new environment. If expectations are not clear, how can anyone live up to them? Further, how can a leader hold people accountable while also being sympathetic? There must be a clear plan for success as employees adapt to operate more consistently in a virtual environment.

How to Navigate the Changing Landscape

Here are a few simple navigational techniques we’ve developed at Business Improv to help our clients design and lead virtual teams. In addition to training teams to go virtual and thrive in that environment, Business Improv is a fully virtual workforce, with team members spread throughout the United States. We teach it and we live it!

Using the strategies laid out in this list, we’ve seen virtual teams swiftly transform, build trust, and strengthen relationships. Moreover, as virtual teammates act respectfully, cohesively and collaboratively with each other, personal and organizational benefits quickly materialize.

1) Establish Rules of Engagement

Use “Build-In” as a technique to get equal contribution from every member of the team. Build-In is the antithesis of buy-in. For a lot of people, “buying in” feels transactional and can easily feel like a mandate rather than a choice. Build-in, conversely, seeks the diverse perspectives of the team and is what we teach our clients. What we find is that when team members are encouraged to “build-in” they gain a sense of ownership over the project, as opposed to the discouraging feeling of committing to something because it’s expected.

Take the time (and it does not have to be long) to collectively establish the rules of engagement of your team by: 

• Defining how to move forward together, as one team, when working independently of each other in a virtual setting
• Creating a common language and building a behavior protocol when participating in virtual meetings
• Establishing guidelines around which communication mediums to use in different situations (e.g. face-to-face (Skype, WebEx, Adobe Connect, etc.), text, IM, email, phone, etc.)
• Defining accountability practices

2) Learn the Technologies You Will Need to Use

As the leader, you must be able to successfully use all platforms you are requiring your team to use. Teams, organizations and even industries will have different needs. Put yourself in the position to succeed by doing your homework. And, if you're unfamiliar with the technology, don’t be afraid to seek out your own help - that’s a great opportunity to distribute leadership to your team! You will need to coach people on how to use the various technologies, so take the time to learn the ropes.

3) Keep It Simple

When transitioning an in-person team to a virtual team, unnecessarily complicated technology could confuse messaging, challenge employees’ time (to learn it) and potentially test team morale. There are a lot of cool platforms out there with many different functions, and if you are not immediately familiar with them, learning how to use all their bells and whistles could be a frustrating exercise in form over function. Know what you and your team need now to make the transition and operate effectively, versus what you ultimately want. 

4) Be a Student of This Change

What made you an effective leader in the office may not completely carry over to virtual settings. A maxim that guides us in Business Improv is “Your class will always teach you how to teach them.” Be curious – a student of this transition. Seek honest feedback from your team. Learn from your team members as they transition to the virtual environment. Ask central questions to gain clarity from your team’s perspective. (e.g., “How is the transition going for you? /“What challenges are you facing?” / “Where are you finding success?”)

Be vulnerable and empathetic – their observations are invaluable and can lead you to success.

5) Adapt 

As you learn, your leadership style should evolve to meet the shifting circumstances. Remember in times of stress and change, we often fall back on our most overlearned and overused behaviors. Some of our “stress behaviors” may not be the best fit in virtual environments, regardless if they are good or bad behaviors. Be aware of how you are showing up to your team and adapt to bring out the best in each of them.

6) Business as Usual

Continue holding your meetings on the same day and at the same time each week. This regularity could provide needed stability, as day-to-day casual interactions become less frequent.

7) Lead with Empathy

Change is hard and a transition from a face-to-face team to a virtual team may be tricky for some people. Be as understanding as possible as transitioning to working remotely will invariably unearth unexpected difficulties, pitfalls, and unknown challenges. Be empathetic when members of your team struggle adapting to this (potentially different) way of regularly working.  

That last one is crucial. In addition to giving your team some extra grace while you’re adapting to this new workflow, make sure you’re doing the same for yourself. Right now, more than ever, is the time to be nimble and adaptable and to not lose sight of what makes any team, regardless of environment, operate at peak potential - trust mixed with strong and open lines of communication. 

A Important Note About Tech

You may have noticed that in all the “essentials” we covered, there was not a single recommendation of a technology solution. Right now, in the mad dash to get the workforce remote-ready, the first thing most organizations will be focusing on is the technology and the platform. We’ve seen teams that have all the latest and greatest technology at their fingertips, and have no idea how to communicate and collaborate in their virtual environment. While we absolutely recognize that the technology is crucial to success, we also are unwaveringly certain that the most important tool for a virtual team is one that is people and relational centered. 

The Imminent Inflection Points

At Business Improv, we’ve been teaching teams how to thrive in a new (to them) virtual environment for years. Through our methodology and customizable virtual training solutions, which are themselves delivered virtually, we teach teams how to react, adapt and communicate in their new environment. Our clients very quickly build trust, strengthen relationships and ultimately transform into very high-performing virtual teams. You can find out more at www.businessimprov.com/virtual-training.

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent social distancing response very likely charted a new course as it relates to remote working. There will likely be an inflection point when organizations are forced to make a choice about how their workforce will operate, once they are cleared to come back into the office. 

For every organization that is unwilling to adapt and foster a sense of “build in” regarding remote work, there will be many others that can recognize the future has been brought to the present and it’s time to pivot. Those latter organizations are the ones that will undoubtedly attract the most talent. 

The Opportunity Ahead of You

Right now is the best time to allow for the natural trial and error of fine-tuning your high-functioning virtual team! Think of it as a mandatory pilot period that is going to last for a while. 

The journey you are embarking on may be a bit rough at times. Though change is hard, it is also inevitable. Be steady in your course to creating a high-functioning virtual team. Communicate often with your team. Share best practices and, potentially most importantly, celebrate successes.  

You are the unflappable captain of this expedition, and with these simple techniques, you can guide your team to the safe harbor of any virtual environment.

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