Taking a Humanistic Approach to Building a Virtual “A-Team”

By Dr. Maria Tsennykh, Veronica Bilotta and Sian Williams, FTI Consulting

A lot of companies are looking at online collaboration tools to decouple from endless emails, get organized and boost efficiency with virtual offices and global teams. While there are dozens of online collaboration offerings such as Slack, Asana and Trello, companies should not neglect the human element in building the high-performance virtual “A-team.”

The military’s Special Forces Operational Detachment A, or “A-Team,” is an excellent model for the concept of a “global virtual mini-office.” A Special Forces A-Team has 12 members who are multi-lingual, cross-trained in different skills and deployed to operate independently in unfamiliar or restricted access areas. Whether it’s military or business, the A-Team works closely together to accomplish its mission and relies heavily on interdependence between its members.

However, unlike a Special Forces team, the virtual A-Team can be separated by great distances and time zones, which can be barriers to communication and building trust. Individuals on opposites sides of the planet may have to rely heavily on asynchronous communication through an online collaboration tool and may have scarce opportunities to connect in real time. While some people, especially those who grew up with text messaging, might not see this as an obstacle, the opportunity to meet other team members in person or through a video call is usually the best way to establish trust and build team cohesion.

Benefits of virtual teams

Virtual global teams are commonly deployed in the consulting industry, bringing together the best minds to accomplish specific outcomes regardless of physical location. The virtual office has many obvious advantages, including reduced physical office expenses, flexible working schedules, and better client coverage when employees in different time zones can be responsive to client needs for a larger part of the day.

There are also some not-so-obvious advantages to the virtual office versus having a local presence in some countries. For example, FTI Consulting has numerous engagements in former Soviet Union countries, and yet FTI does not have a local office in these countries as some of our direct competitors do. One important reason is to maintain independence as an outside business advisor and investigator, and to avoid being overly influenced by local practices and standards.

Using online tools to model real life

Managing the challenges and benefits of virtual global teams are common discussions in consulting and other knowledge-based industries. As collaboration technology improves, there is a temptation to view the tool as the overall solution rather than what it is: a tool that needs to be used properly.

It is commonly understood that communication is only 20 percent verbal and 80 percent non-verbal. For example, having a conversation with someone who is constantly looking at their phone will probably not be as satisfactory as someone who demonstrates interest with their body language, even if the actual words used are identical. Getting team members to interact “in real life” (IRL) gives each one a sense of who their team members are because of all the non-verbal information exchanged and can smooth over potential misunderstandings that can happen more frequently with online interactions.

A good strategy in using collaboration tools is to model real human interaction and routines into an online presence. For example, the New York-based members of FTI’s Visual Communications team greet each other in person with “good morning,” while the virtual team member on the West Coast says “good morning” in a group chat that serves as the “digital break room.” In both cases, the purpose of the communication is to say, “Hi, I’m here and ready to work,” regardless of location. Having a common online workspace to discuss, share opinions and work jointly keeps the virtual team members engaged with all ongoing discussions and interactions among the IRL team, fostering diverse ideas and viewpoints.

The team also works on several projects simultaneously, so off-site team members use Skype or phone to join colleagues in the office each morning for a staff meeting. The purpose of the communication here is to share progress on each team member’s projects so assistance can be requested or offered. Workload balancing demonstrates the interdependence that is the hallmark of the A-Team, and the give-and-receive over time can increase each member’s level of commitment to the team.

Leading the virtual A-Team

Having the right leader is the single most important component to building and managing a successful global virtual A-Team. In the military, the A-Team commander ensures the operational readiness of the team. The virtual A-Team’s success greatly depends on having a leader who will motivate, inspire and guide the team on a regular basis without the benefit of constant IRL interaction. Some best practices for a virtual A-Team leader include:

1. Start with quality face-to-face interaction. When team members will be expected to work for long periods in isolation, it can be important to start off on the right foot by establishing goodwill within the team through IRL interaction. Getting to know team members on an individual basis at the beginning – through social interaction at a dinner or drinks – pays dividends with better teamwork down the road.
2. Understand each employee’s personal and professional priorities. In addition to personalities, team members should also know each other’s strengths, weaknesses, and key personal and professional priorities. A manager raising children in New York will have a very different schedule than a consultant in London who cares for an elderly parent. Knowing what’s most important to you and to your colleagues contributes to the overall esprit de corps that is the hallmark of a virtual A-Team.
3. Identify communication styles and boundaries. When technology allows us to stay connected nearly anywhere in the world, there can be an expectation that people are available 24/7 for any level of urgency, so it’s important to set clear boundaries and establish trust at the beginning. A high-functioning team is truly connected if every phone call dialed reaches the team member when they are ready to receive it. There may be emergencies that require all hands on deck, but it’s helpful to have a discussion in advance as to what constitutes such an emergency and what is expected in that event.

Building a high-functioning virtual A-Team can be extremely challenging. A productive team requires clear goals, adequate training and constant communication, plus a unified online workspace that models human behavior to keep the team connected, whether they are in different cities or different countries. Trust, productivity, and good communication starts with a leader who can foster initial in-person interaction and shared understanding of each person’s priorities, strengths and weaknesses. The payoff is a cohesive, high-performance team that brings out the best of everyone’s talents to accomplish the most challenging organizational missions.

The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent FTI Consulting’s positions, strategies or opinions.