Duarte and Synder; Mastering Virtual Teams
Chapte 4 The Myths and Realities of Leaningf Virtual Teams
INTRODUCTION
After the
video clip is shown we, stand in a line and introduce ourselves Today,
we are going to be guiding you through the Myths and Realities of Virtual Teams,
by showing you the truth of these myths and how to avoid them.
(Dilbert cartoon clip)
This cartoon
explains mission statements in work environments.
As we have been working on our presentation we have concluded that we want you
to get out of this how to better lead your virtual team by understanding the
myths and realities.
THESIS
In
order to understand how virtual team work, team leaders and team members need to
recognize the myths associated with it, once this is done competencies and
strategies can be used to avoid MYTHCONCEPTIONS.
I. Myths
A)
Myth #1- Many believe that virtual teams can be left alone and can
function autonomously.
1)
Team leaders believe because the team is spread out that each team member can
produce without talking to the team leader or other team members.
2) Why is this a myth?
a)
Working in virtual teams requires a considerable level of monitoring and
management and motivation
b)
To be a successful TL you need to be explicit with information, when team
members need to be involved and on what level decisions need to be made.
c)
You need to work with teammates to develop an understanding of the level of
detail the leader needs to know before and after a decision is made.
d)
Virtual team leaders also need to be effective in coaching and in managing
performance.
3) M&M skit
B)
Myth 2: Using technology to mediate communication and collaboration over time
distance and organization is greatly exaggerated.
1.
Example of company
a)
AOL (Instant Messenger)
b)
Using AOL is suppose to show how far technology will come in the future.
c)
With the touch of a mouse we can transmit messages all over the world to each
other
2.
“Good tools do not make a good carpenter” (old proverb/ one liner)
a)
This quote is suggesting that even though a carpenter can have good tools, he
can still be bad at his work
(Office Space video clip)
b)
Even though there can be good technology in the world, it is useless if one
isn’t aware how to use it.
C)
Myth 3: Building trust and networking are relatively unimportant in virtual
teamwork.
(You’ve Got Mail video clip)
This
clip shows how trust is a vital aspect in every day situations. Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks have to trust in each other that they
are telling the truth over the Internet. They could be completely different
people, then what they are saying. Which means they have to have TRUST in each
other, not to be lying. Which is just as important in virtual teams and this is
why.
1. What are the realities of working in a virtual team that dispel or run counter to the myth?
a)
The biggest mistake a virtual team leader can do is underestimate the
power of trust.
1. “Like a growing child, a
growing team has different needs at different times. And trust, always vital,
takes different forms to meet those changing needs.”; (Leading Teams, page 37,
TBC)
( Audience dialogue)
Is
trust an issue in small group project teams like 2zero7?
What
type of issues can threaten trust?
Is
trust hard to restore once it is lost?
Is
trust an issue with marital relationships?
What
kind of issues can threaten trust in a marital relationship?
2.
“ Relationships are relationships with whomever.
Anytime people are in a relationship,
anytime they must collaborate, cooperate, or work interdependently.”
(Chris quote)
b) Work is done through people, so trust is always an issue when people work together.
( Liz’s self disclosure about her parents relationship)
2. “The absence of a positive, trusting relationship can undermine any team
activity and so fostering trust is one of the most important tasks of a
manager.”;(Thompson, page 80, TBC)
c) Trust is not only important, but it is one of the foundations for performance in a Virtual team.
1.“Trust is a critical, structural and cultural characteristic that influences the teams success, performance and collaboration. Without trust building a true team is almost impossible.”(Duarte and Snyder, page 139 TBC)
a)
Self-Disclosure: When our team was doing research on trust. We finally realized
that there were unsolved issues between members that weren’t being resolved.
When we addressed the problem it almost immediately went away.
2.Did
anyone realize that until trust issues were addressed that no efficient work
would go on until it was addressed?
a)
When a team member feels outside the radius of trust, it makes the task
of developing and maintaining trust even more difficult.
1. “If we do not find ways to build trust and understand how technology effects it, people will feel as if they are always in a very precarious state.” Duarte and Snyder, page 83 TBC)
2.So
does this mean TRUST is a very important aspect in virtual teams?
OF COURSE IT IS!
D)
Myth 4: Every aspect of virtual teams should be organized, planned and
controlled so that there are no surprises.
(Kasch interview)
1.
“One of the real strengths of virtual teams is the possibility of
serendipity, novelty, and synergy (the sum of the parts will exceed the whole).
That connected people in ways that were never possible can heighten the
level of team productivity. But to
realize the potential, the distributed, or collective intelligence must over
control or micromanage the group process.” (Chris quote)
(Audience dialogue)
How
many people planned out their four year schedule plan once you hit college?
2.
The purpose of asking these questions is to prove that no single person
can have their entire lives planned out for them.
3.
Whether we like it or not, surprises happen, and usually when we would
like them the least.
II. COMPETENCIES
Virtual
teams can not be left alone
A)
You need to create a vision
1)
In a virtual setting, clarity and shared understanding of vision, mission
and strategy direct the actions of team members in ambiguous situations.
2)
Comic Relief- Dilbert "Create Vision"
B)
Develop roles
B)
Review progress and results
1)
Working virtually does not allow the give and take of normal day to day
feedback on progress and problems.
D)
Share Practices with other teams
1)
have a "learned lesson" data base.
2)
Electronic bulletin boards
1)
Use Bradley Black board as a common ground
3) Most firms have sharing knowledge as a job requirement
There
are a few strategies to follow.
1.
Participate in organization-sponsored courses in performance management
and coaching.
2.
Developing a performance plan for the team and a performance and coaching
plan for each individual team members.
3.
Meeting with compensation specialists within the organization to
understand what is possible and what is not.
(Human Knot audience
participation)
8
audience members and one coach try to get out of a knot.
B)
Team leaders connect technologies to specific tasks
1.
A team leader needs to find the right technology.
a)
Using audio conferencing and e-mail to design a technical system is not as
effective as using video, white boards, and data conferencing
2. Team leaders match technology to the type of team
c) Teachers use audio
and videoconferences.
d) Education is
important
3.)
Realize team leaders have different technological understanding.
a)
People need to be educated in order to use technology.
b)
An educated man is much more effective and can produce more than a not so
educated man
4.)
Team leaders need to know what they don’t know about technology
a)
New technology is being developed everyday
b)
Team leaders need to keep up with the technology
(Dilbert cartoon clip on desktop
video conferencing)
There
are some strategies that can be used to help make this more clear.
1.
Participation in organization sponsored courses in using informational
technology.
2.
Attending technology conferences and asking one’s team to serve as a pilot
team for new technology.
( Steve Inken
interview)
a)
He uses virtual technology in virtual teams on a daily basis at
Caterpillar.
b) “A Team leader must be able to match the appropriate technology to the teams task, the currant stage of the project, the type of team, and the level of technological sophistication of the team members.” (Mastering Virtual Teams page 78, TBC)
C) Use communication strategically to build and maintain trust among members of your virtual team.
(Trust Fall audience participation)
Normally,
you would only have one group of people, and the main person would only have
their eyes closed. In this scenario, we are going to use two groups of people.
On group, the person will just have to close their eyes, and the next person to
go up will have to be blindfolded. We are doing this to illustrate the added
importance of trust in a virtual team. In virtual teams you don’t see your
group members at all in face-to-face settings, making it even more difficult to
trust your team members. After the exercise is done, we are going to ask the two
participants their different emotions, hopefully, with what they say, it will
help the class understand even more the importance of developing and maintaining
trust in a virtual team.
1.What
strategies can be used to develop and maintain trust?
a)
Since virtual teams normal do not meet in face-to-face settings it is
harder to develop and maintain trust. Therefore, it is up to the team leader to
plan and require a more conscience effort to create trust
1.For
example, one of the authors of Mastering Virtual Teams assumed leadership of a
virtual project team and took a tour to meet the team members. People in three
locations voiced serious concerns of what would happen to them after the
team-finished work. (Duarte and Snyder, page. 83-84, TBC)
2. When he or she visited the new team members, concerns were brought up, and it
was realized that until these concerns were addressed that the team couldn’t
function. So he/she took the first step in addressing trust, finding out the
concerns of the other members, and trying to solve the problem.
b) The team leader needs to ask his or her team members what can be done to build trust.
(Street Wise Interviews)
1.One
person is talking about AOL Instant Messenger, and how they use it to build
trust among its team members. The other is a basketball coach talking about how
he has his players email him when they have any problems, or if they just need
someone to talk to. He also mentions that when he does this, his players are
more effective on the court because they don’t have any problems in their
minds, at the moment.
2. As a team, we never asked each other if we had any trust issues, which we did
have. With this came problems, until it was addressed.
(Audience dialogues)
Did
anyone in the class face the same problem as us?
If
so, what did you do to fix the problem.
c) Team members need to review whether or not they trust the team leader
(Ben’s self disclosure about people’s lack of trust in him)
1
This will hurt him in the long run, because people feel that the work they do
will be discredited because they were working for him.(Audience dialogue)
Why
do people in the class not trust Ben?
What
did he do to earn this lack of trust?
c)
Develop an explicit trust plan for your virtual team.
(Audience dialogue)
Did
anyone make a trust plan?
1.
More likely than not, everyone will say no.
2. Well, if you did this, your team would have known about behaviors and effects of not having trust. Thus, avoiding all of your problems.
a.
Some things on a trust plan could have been making meetings on time, making sure
all members stand behind each other and making sure everyone is communicating
what they are doing.
There are certain
strategies one most know to accomplish this.
1.
Developing an explicit trust plan
2.
Examining the behaviors of someone you trust, noting what the person has done to
build this trust, and modeling your actions after that person’s
3.
Asking team members what you can do to build trust and asking team members to
state how they will evaluate whether or not they trust you.
D) Whether we like it or not, surprises happen and can ruin set plans.
1.
We must understand the team process so that we can adapt to the customers or the
project if needed.
a)
At Anderson Consulting, team members and team leaders understand these
processes.
b)
No two customers have the exact same requirements.
2.
Team leaders must be able to adapt process for team task and situation
a)
Whirlpool Corporation uses a standard product- development process.
b)
“An experienced virtual team leader at the process can lead a team into
organization and details.” (Duarte and Snyder page 86, TBC)
In order for this to
be completed, there are a few things we must be able to do.
3.
Speak with other virtual team leaders to discover if there are common processes
that are relevant to all teams.
4.
At the team-initiation session, developing a list of standard and agreed-on
practices and noting the processes that can be adapted.
CONCLUSION
A)
Virtual teams can not be left alone.
B)
Technology and organization is greatly needed to communicate in the
virtual teams.
C)
Building trust is very important in virtual team work
D)
Not every detail can or should be organized, planned and controlled