1. Annette Plesner Steenstrup
DI – Confederation of
Danish Industry
Virtual Collaboration
Tools for creating and developing
effective virtual teams
2. Objectives for the day
2
Andrea Straub-Bauer
Bente Toftkær
• Strategies for structuring a constructive virtual
culture with trust and powerful relations
• Tools for creating and developing virtual teams
• Inspiration for becoming a virtual leader
Develop your virtual team, reach your goals, and create
results!
3. Own objectives
3
Andrea Straub-Bauer
Bente Toftkær
My own key questions about developing virtual teams?
How do we
develop high
performance
teams?
Virtual
collaboration...
how?
The role of the
manager?
?
4. Agenda
4
Andrea Straub-Bauer
Bente Toftkær
Welcome and presentations
Virtual collaboration – part 1
- Strategies for developing a virtual team with trust and
powerful relations
- Tools for creating and developing virtual teams
Virtual leadership – part 2
- Inspiration for becoming a virtual leader
Evaluation
5. Virtual collaboration – part 1
5
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Bente Toftkær
• Strategies for developing a virtual team with trust
and powerful relations
• Tools for creating and developing virtual teams
6. Why virtual teams?
6
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Bente Toftkær
• Pros
• Cons
In small groups
7. Virtual teams!
7
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Bente Toftkær
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYu_bGbZiiQ
8. Why virtual collaboration?
8
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Bente Toftkær
• Virtual collaboration provides opportunities for
employees to join projects where their knowledge can
be useful
• Virtual collaboration is much less costly compared to
face-to-face meetings of geographically distributed
group members
• Strategic knowledge sharing of relevant information and
functional/business knowledge
9. A definition of distance
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Bente Toftkær
“A combination of geographical as
well as social and emotional distance
and feeling of separation, which can
inhibit collaboration, communication,
and success”.
(Lojeski & Reilly, 2008)
10. A definition of virtual collaboration
10
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Bente Toftkær
“Virtual teams are groups of
geographically, organizationally,
and/or time dispersed workers brought
together by information technologies to
accomplish one or more organizational
tasks”.
(Powell et al., 2004)
11. Why we really need to collaborate
virtually
11
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Bente Toftkær
The Future
The competitive advantage is
gained by creating knowledge:
-Intellectual property
-Best practices
-Process improvements
-Trained or skilled workers
(static)
The competitive advantage is
gained by creating optimal
connections:
-Networks
-Teams or communities
-Collaboration
-Adaptable, self-learning
workers (dynamic)
The Present
12. Work is teamwork!
- How to create high
performance teamwork?
12
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Bente Toftkær
13. What is the difference between a
group and a team?
13
14. Team collaboration – team maturity (1)
14
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Bente Toftkær
Technical issues must be
overcome
Behavioral issues must be
overcome
Information
Sharing
Collaborating
on
Documents
Decision
Making
High
Performing
Virtual
Teams
Document
Posting
GROUP TEAM
15. Team collaboration – team maturity (2)
15
Andrea Straub-Bauer
Bente Toftkær
Information
Sharing
Collaborating
on
Documents
Decision
Making
High
Performing
Virtual
Teams
Document
Posting
GROUP TEAM
Technical issues must be
overcome
Behavioral issues must be
overcome
16. Team collaboration – team maturity (3)
16
Andrea Straub-Bauer
Bente Toftkær
Information
Sharing
Collaborating
on
Documents
Decision
Making
High
Performing
Virtual
Teams
Document
Posting
GROUP TEAM
Technical issues must be
overcome
Behavioral issues must be
overcome
17. High performance teams
17
Andrea Straub-Bauer
Bente Toftkær
Task focused
- Information
- Planning
- Analysis
- Reporting
Relationship focused
- Trust
- Intimacy
- Power
- Network
High Performance Team
- Dialogue: ’Thinking together’
- Co-creating – innovation
- Learning together
Source: ”Virtual Leadership – Learning to lead differently”, Ghislaine Caulat (2012)
18. Team charter: Six steps to high performance
assessment
Self
6.
Self
manage-ment
1.
Meaningful
purpose
2.
Specific
perfor-mance
targets
.
4.
Complemen-tary
skills
and clear
roles
5.
Mutual
accounta-bility
and
commit-ment
The DNA of
the Team
3.
Common
approach
19. Virtual collaboration
19
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Bente Toftkær
From ‘face to face’ teams
to virtual teams
But how?
20. The challenges of virtual collaboration
20
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Bente Toftkær
• Lack of physical presence
• Lack of strong interpersonal relationships
• Lack of homogeneity in teams
• Lack of sense of support and recognition
Source: DI Research Report “Global Leadership Competences for the Future -
Virtual Collaboration”
21. The process
21
1. Challenge
Focus on one of the four challenges
2. Answer
Present two answers given by managers
in Danish companies
3. Tools
Present tools to overcome the challenge
4. Try the tool
Group work
22. How to create
22
• Physical presence
• Strong interpersonal relationships
• Homogeneity in teams
• Sense of support and recognition
23. How to create
23
• Physical presence
1. One possibility is to create a ‘global
presence’ through knowledge of the
project
2. Another possibility is to create clear
targets and goals
24. 24
1. Global presence through
knowledge of the project
You can use the ’Performance Pyramid’
25. 25
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Bente Toftkær
Performance Pyramid
Roadblocks
Which
competences
are necessary?
Which actions
lead to the result?
What is the
result?
COMPETENCES
ACTIONS
RESULT
Which roadblocks
could block the actions
leading to the result?
26. 2. Create clear targets and
goals
26
You can use the ‘Team charter’
27. Team charter
Self-manage-ment
6.
Self
assessment
1.
Meaningful
purpose
2.
Specific
perfor-mance
targets
.
4.
Complement
ary skills
and clear
roles
5.
Mutual
accounta-bility
and
commit-ment
The DNA of
the Team
3.
Common
approach
29. How to create
29
• Physical presence
• Strong interpersonal relationships
• Homogeneity in teams
• Sense of support and recognition
30. How to create
30
• Strong interpersonal relationships
1. One possibility is to create ‘global
presence’ through face to face meetings
2. Another possibility is to create transparency
and openness within the virtual space
31. 31
1. Create a ‘global presence’
through face to face meetings
Presence through face to face
meetings gives you the oportunity to
• interpret body language
• get a cultural perception
• get immediate feed back
• create informal contact and interaction
• strengthen the social interaction
32. 32
2. Create transparency and
openness within the virtual space
You can use the ’Meaningful meetings – how’
33. Meaningful meetings – how!
33
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Bente Toftkær
Roles for clarification
- Clear and known agenda
- Common ground
- Clear expectations
- Clear communications roles
- Check in and out
- Meeting assessment
- Decision-making authority
Use the diversity – culture, competencies, and
personalities!
35. How to create
35
• Physical presence
• Strong interpersonal relationships
• Homogeneity in teams
• Sense of support and recognition
36. How to create
36
• Homogeneity in teams
1. One possibility is to create a ‘global
presence’ to the individual through a
flexible and proactive leadership style
2. Another possibility is to create a common
approach, complementary skills, clear
roles, and mutual accountability and
commitment
37. 37
1. Create ‘global presence’ to the
individual through a flexible and
proactive leadership style
You must establish trust
39. 39
2. Create a common approach,
complementary skills, clear
roles, and mutual accountability
and commitment
You can use the ’Team Charter’
FOCUS
40. Team charter
assessment
Self
6.
Self
manage-ment
1.
Meaningful
purpose
2.
Specific
perfor-mance
targets
.
4.
Complemen-tary
skills
and clear
roles
5.
Mutual
accounta-bility
and
commit-ment
The DNA of
the Team
3.
Common
approach
FOCUS
42. How to create
42
• Physical presence
• Strong interpersonal relationships
• Homogeneity in teams
• Sense of support and recognition
43. How to create
43
Sense of support and recognition
1. One possibility is to create ‘clear’
procedures for gaining virtual support
2. Another possibility is to create clear
communication and rules for social
interaction – between scheduled meetings
44. 44
1. Create a ‘clear procedure
for gaining virtual support
You can use ’Schedule for task and team support’
45. Schedule for task and team support
45
Responsibility Task Who is in
charge
Follow up Contribu-tions
Needs
and
support
Customers
Productivity
Economy
Quality
Plan
Safety
46. 46
2. Create clear communication
and rules for social interaction –
between scheduled meetings
You can establish ‘Coffee break’
47. Coffee break
47
- Open “desktop” – every Friday
- Meetings without an agenda once a
week – the group together, or alone
with every single group member
- Open “screen” to follow you working
- Informal meetings with social
interaction
- An informal and unexpected event
50. Virtual leadership – part 2
50
Andrea Straub-Bauer
Bente Toftkær
• Strategies for developing a virtual culture
with trust and powerful relations
• Tools for creating and developing virtual
teams
• Inspiration for becoming a virtual leader
51. Virtual leadership
51
Andrea Straub-Bauer
Bente Toftkær
What are the essential competences and
skills for a manager of virtual teams?
In small groups
52. The report shows:
Managing the virtual process -
Essential skills
52
1. Open-mindedness
2. Patience
3. Cultural understanding
4. Communication and language skills
5. Using situational management focusing on the
individual management
6. Setting clear targets
7. Honest and reliable
8. Positive and empathetic
9. Empowering people
Source: DI Research Report “Global Leadership Competences for the Future –
Virtual Collaboration”
54. Virtual leaders need to learn,
relearn, and unlearn!
54
1. Practice!
2. Practice!
3. Practice!
4. And more Practice!
Source: ”Virtual Leadership – Learning to lead differently”, Ghislaine Caulat
(2012)
55. Evaluation
55
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Bente Toftkær
Objectives of the day
• Tools for creating and developing virtual teams
• Strategies for structuring a constructive virtual
culture with trust and powerful relations
• Inspiration for becoming a virtual leader
56. References
• DI Research Report (2014) “Global Leadership Competences for the
Future – Virtual Collaboration”
• Ghislaine Caulat (2012) ”Virtual Leadership – Learning to lead
differently”, Libri Publishing , Oxfordshire, UK
• Mads Schramm and Søren Diederichsen (2011) ”Virtuel Ledelse –
Skab synlighed, resultater og nærvær på afstand”, Dansk Psykologisk
Forlag, Denmark
• Anne Birgitte Lindholm (2012) ”Lederskab på distancen – når du ikke
ser dine medarbejdere dagligt”, L&R Business – Egmont, Denmark
• Susan H. Godar and Sharmila Pixy Ferris (2004) ”Virtual and
Collaborative Teams – Process, Technologies and Practice”, Idea
Group Publishing, London, UK
56
Check in
Introduction to the course1. Objectives of the day
2. Personal objectives
2. Agenda for the day
Check in - Ask the questions – give time for short reflection - In plenary – discuss the answers!
Agenda for the course.
Question: ”Why virtual teams?”- Ask the question and write the input on a whiteboard or flipover.
1. Question: ”What are your experiences from working in virtual teams?”Ask the question and write the input on a whiteboard or flipover.
2. See the video! - Point: You might have experienced meetings like that. During this session, you will obtain tools for creating and developing virtual teams and gain insight on how to develop a virtual culture with trust and powerful relations.
The why!- Point: Even though you have had challenges from working virtually, this workshop focuses on the benefits and how to overcome the challenges.
The main goal is to develop a virtual collaboration consisting of well-functioning collaboration despite culture, geography, etc. in order to establish decisions and roles of communication with transparency and a minimum of ambiguity.
A definition of distance: Virtual teams differ in the location of the members, the type of communication, and the coordination of team tasks. - Point: Distance is not only a question of geography – social and emotional distance can also cause a feeling of distance. The aim is to minimize distance!
To solve the challenge of knowledge of the project you can use the ‘team charter’ in order to make sure that the team members know the specific targets of the project related to purpose and performance.
Aim: To establish common knowledge of the project in order to create a ‘burning platform’ and ambitious targets. Process: Step 1: Define a ‘ burning platform’ – why is the project essential and why is every single team member needed?Step 2: Define specific performance targets. If possible, define very ambitious targets. - Point:
Ambitious targets helps to create a ‘we’. If you are going to be able to reach an ambitious target, the group must work together. Nobody can reach the goal alone.
Group work: try one of the tools!To solve the challenge ‘Physical presence’ use the ‘Performance Pyramid’ or the ‘Team charter’. Try one of the two tools in relation to your own work.
Time: 30 minutes.
How to create strong interpersonal relationships?In the following, we will present two answers to this challenge. The answers present the experiences from leaders (participating in the research mentioned earlier) describing how to solve the specific challenge.
You can create strong interpersonal relationships through face to face meetings or by creating transparency and openness within the virtual space.
Aim: Establish trust between you and the team. Minimize conflict between team members.- Point: If you want to establish trust between you and the team and thereby minimize conflict between team members face to face meetings can be the answer. But you might need to re-think the face to face meetings. At these rare meetings you should prioritize informal communication and social interaction in order to establish trust between you and the team and thereby minimize future conflict between team members. To establish strong and well functioning team work, informal social interaction is essential. Trust building activities such as ‘small talk’ and ‘playing’ together are easier to establish virtually, if team members have met face to face.
You can use the ’Meaningful meetings – how’ to create transparency and openness within the virtual space.
Aim: Establish transparency and openness within the virtual space.
Process:Define roles for clarification related to: - Clear and known agenda
Common ground - Clear expectations
Clear communications roles - Check in and out- Meeting assessment
Decision-making authority - Point: Use the diversity – culture, competencies, and personalities!
Group work: try one of the tool !To solve the challenge of ‘Strong interpersonal relationships’ you can use ‘Face to face meetings’ or ‘Meaningful meetings’’ Try one of the two tools in relation to your own work. Time: 30 min
How to create homogeneity in teams?
To create a ‘global presence’ to the individual through a flexible and proactive leadership style – you must establish trust.
Aim: To establish trust in order to create intimacy, visibility, and acknowledgement. The Trust Equation uses four objective variables to measure trustworthiness. These four variables are best described as: Credibility, Reliability, Intimacy, and Self-Orientation.
Trust = Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy Self-Orientation
T stands for trustworthiness – how much does the employee trust the manager/colleagueC stands for credibility – it speaks to words and credentialsR is reliability – how others perceive the consistency of our actions, and our actions’ connection with our words (integrity). I is intimacy – how secure or safe the employee feels sharing with us.The lone term in the denominator is Self-Orientation, and it has a double meaning. Partly it’s about selfishness. Are we client-centric for the sake of the client? Or client-centric like a vulture?
But Self-orientation is also about our own attention, our focus. Are we listening to learn for our own purposes or just to get enough data to pursue our own hypotheses and ends? Or are we listening to truly hear the client? Are we obsessed by our own desires to succeed or win and by our insecurities? Or do we truly focus on the client, paying attention to whatever it is that helps them succeed or makes them insecure? Only the latter builds deep, long-term relationships.
- Point: When we think of trust and what it means, we quickly realize it encompasses many things. We use the word “trust” to:
- Interpret what people say
- Describe behaviors
- Decide if we feel comfortable sharing information
- Indicate whether we feel that other people have our interests at heart
To create a common approach, complementary skills, clear roles, and mutual accountability and commitment you can use the ’Team Charter’.
Ask the question: What are the essential competences and skills for a manager of virtual teams?
In small groups (15 minutes)
These are the answers of the question above as told by leaders in Danish companies.
Read more in: DI Research Report (2014): Global Leadership Competences for the Future – Virtual Collaboration . (link: http://publikationer.di.dk/dikataloger/156/)
Consider the ”match” between the result of the research and the participants’ suggestions.