The HeArt of Community

An Invitation to Take Virtual Collaboration to the Next Level

I was invited to share a short inspiration about our own system as LIVEsciences and how we rolled with the increasing demand for virtual collaboration in a people-centric business.

We, human beings, are designed for community. In our natural state, we love to connect, to work together, like a tribe back in the days. Virtual collaboration is however, not a natural medium for human connection and neither can we learn it overnight. It is a process that requires intention, interest, a safe space to co-create and a learner’s mindset to constantly challenge the status quo.

I am a statistic to the great awakening, perhaps, one of the few who braved to go through the virtual process to eventually find a place where my purpose could find expression. I joined LIVEsciences during the early days of the pandemic, where 100% of our collaboration was carried out virtually. We are a company that thrives in the virtual space, from working with executives in 1:1 coaching sessions, to facilitating small teams and community conversations, we have seen some of our best work in helping organizations bring the best out of their remote work experience.

We enjoy holding space and designing large virtual events. We truly believe in the power of igniting the fire within organizations through collective energy and resonance. Every individual is the reason why the team's virtual collaboration is successful or not, and we stand in the shadows of these amazing collective groups, to harness that sweet spot between creativity and connection, that will help unleash potential. In our case, what has made us successful is by intentionally setting a strong foundation and a sense of safety and trust, where every individual feels that they are contributing to a larger purpose beyond themselves.

How does that look like in practice? Let me share a few things from our own setup:

Our LIVEline serves as a principle based approach to how we think, act and do within our ecosystem and towards our clients. Because it is principle-based, it is also timeless and adaptive to how the world is changing so rapidly outside of our bubble. We constantly challenge it, raising tensions when the system no longer serves our current needs, and we address these tensions very openly through non-violent communication style.

We operate in a role based system, where purpose and accountability of role-holders are made explicit. In order to keep us lean, we wear multiple hats and flexibly dance within the different responsibilities of the roles. We own our roles wholeheartedly and raise tensions through the monthly governance process, when a role needs to be reviewed.

Just like you, we also suffered from lack of human connection. We are lucky that we are still able to meet on a monthly basis. However, during the early covid era, this was not possible and because of this, we relentlessly tried to find ways to connect, share stories and grow together, virtually. We created a social space for us to connect, exchange asynchronously, have regular check-ins, coffee calls using an app that randomly connects us to the first person who picks up. Name it, we explored and experimented a lot, and kept the practices that are most natural to us.

We upskilled our team with core virtual skills: synchronous and asynchronous communication, using miro and mural, using online repositories, different video and voice platforms, defining a governance around the use of tooling and made explicit choices on which tool/channel we will use for specific types of communication. I can tell you that while adoption is high, we are nowhere near perfect in mastering this, and yet, the important thing is we are trying and we are adapting everyday or as we see tensions being raised.?

I mentioned a couple of times our tension process. We see tensions as either a frustration emerging from differences in how we work, and yet it is also about a healthy way of seeking out the potential of what we can achieve together systematically. We raise tensions because we care about our collective growth and development, and we do this respectfully in the safety of our full team.

And last but not the least, we do not compromise when it comes to trust. We regard trust as a key element from which all things flow and flourish. Trust for example enables us to choose between single, consent or consensus decision-making, as the need calls for it. Doing this requires a conscious alignment, but knowing which mode of decision making to invoke allows us to be nimble to respond quickly to demands in our system or from the market. Decision-making is key for many, but you cannot have good decision making when you have no trust towards the team you are working with.

These are some of the key elements that we truly take to heart. I'm curious, what systemic rituals/practices are you outworking in your teams and organizations. Tell me in the comments or pick a spot on my calendly if you are keen for a virtual cuppa!