So I’ve been working with wholly or partially dispersed or virtual teams for around 15 years, across a number of industries and today, I’d like to talk about what I’ve learned from working with these teams to help them ensure that they get the very best from themselves and from others in the team when working at distance.

This podcast is best consumed in combination with my others on Making homeworking work for you (Season 6, Episode 12) and Getting the most from remote management (Season 7, Episode 1), so check those out too. Whether you’re a team leader, or a team member, in a virtual team, or even in a co-located team to be honest, this podcast is for you.

Transcript here: Getting the best from virtual teamworking

Now, the challenges with virtual teamworking are several and can include time zone differences, communication challenges, people not feeling connected or involved, fewer non-verbal cues than in co-located environments. Here’s what the science says about virtual teamworking…

Teams with a strong group identity tend to feel closer and more united
Team members who share personal information, like stuff they enjoy or information about family life, develop deeper connections and greater trust
This is important: trust among team members starts lower in virtual teams than in face-to-face teams, but over time, it can build to the same levels
Formalising a virtual team’s goals, roles and communication methods at the start of the team’s journey improves effectiveness
Shared leadership rather than hierarchical leadership is associated with improved team performance, probably because it’s impossible for one person to direct an entire project, so team leadership works best with team members leading in their areas of expertise.

So with all that, and so so much more, in mind, I bring you my tips for getting the best from virtual team working.

S1E7: Life laundry

The Strengths Guy