OD and Technology: Making Impactful H2H Connections on Virtual Teams

– 1 – www.aim-strategies.com

www.aim-strategies.com/blog AIM Strategies® H2H Connections Presentation Copyright AIM Strategies. All Rights Reserved.



» Founder & CEO, AIM Strategies® » Professor at New York University

Current:

AT&T, Credit Suisse, JP Morgan Chase, CIGNA, Nokia, General Electric, Pfizer, Philips, Société Générale & Viacom

Clients:

» Global Vice President of LD/PMP with J.P. Morgan » Change Management with PwC & Accenture

Prior:

Yael Zofi Author, Speaker, Virtual Teams Expert & Cross Cultural Coach

Email: [email protected]

Blog: www.aim-strategies.com/blog LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/yaelzofi

Forbes.com, Business Week, CNBC, Silicon Valley Business Journal, Halogen Talent Management, All Business, eZine, Entrepreneur, and Bloomberg.com

Featured In:



OUR CHANGING BUSINESS LANDSCAPE

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Networked Teams - Membership is fluid; most frequently used in consulting and high-tech orgs. used as networks to answer Qs by utilizing external or internal contacts. Parallel Teams - Membership is distinct. ST to look at org’l processes and problems & make recs. Members have other resp so they frequently comm while working on their main job. Project / Product-Development Teams - Membership is also distinct, but work over a long period of time. Tasks are clearly defined, and results are "specific and measurable". These teams can make decisions, instead of just recommendations. Production Teams - Usually found in one dept or function (Accounting or HR). Perform ongoing work & freq telecommute or work from home but have clearly defined membership. Service Teams - "Follow the sun". Tech teams are a good example where one group works to fix problems, and then when the workday ends, another group in a different time zone continues the work. They are particularly effective as service/technical support teams. Management Teams - Teams of mgrs belonging to the same Co. found in diff cities or countries. Work collaboratively & comm frequently over EM & teleconf about Co. goals. Action Teams -These teams mobilize quickly to offer an immediate response in reaction to an event (news or weather teams are a good example) or emergency situations. Offshore Teams -These teams are commonly used for SW dev’t and OS. The Co. subcontracts portions of the work to an offshore service provider who can work collaboratively w/ the onshore team. Below are some of the more interesting virtual team definitions and descriptors gathered from the interviews I conducted with VT managers : “Virtual Teams are individuals who don’t gather on a regular basis in the same location.” CEO, Healthcare Cost Reduction Company “Virtual Teams are essentially teams that collaborate/work together even though they don’t work in the same office, don’t see each other, don’t work in the same time zones and have to produce results. They talk via email, chat, phone, Skype, but they never meet in person. These people have different gaps with little overlap. Even though they spend time together, it’s not in the same place and getting a project time (parse out tasks) with people who rarely meet in person. There are plenty of cultural differences, language differences and miscommunication. There are plenty of times for miscommunication with people who are in the same room, so add zones, language, accents and cultures… That’s a virtual team!” Founder and CEO, Technology Software Company “A Virtual Team is a group of individuals who come together across different functions and roles going after the same problem. They need to work together across time and space through information and communication technology.” Virtual Team Manager, Financial Services Firm “Any people who need to work together who aren’t currently in the same office or country. They can also be working in different departments, different cities and countries and still operate virtually as well.” Virtual Team Manager, Humanitarian Relief Organization “Any team that doesn’t have a set office that they show up in regularly. To me the virtual part is the fact that you are not all in the same room. There are really two sides to it: (1) pull together an ad hoc team and create a virtual team to work on a project on an ‘as needed’ basis, and (2) virtual teams working across time using technology. The term that came before virtual teams was virtual office - where people work from home and collaborate together. ” Virtual Team Member, Technology Communications Firm “Virtual means they are not here and it can be teams I am part of that are working together but are not physically together. Virtual for me means that they are not in the same place but have to get a job done. The core team is not here. Not at my location and I don’t see them very often. Senior Leader, Luxury Brands Manufacturer “A group of people who get together without a solid line reporting relationship to solve a problem. They are expected to quickly become effective in order to deal with the dynamic nature of business problems and are usually formed on a project basis. The key attribute is that they have some accountability to deliver results but their players do not have a formal reporting relationships to the team leader.” Team Leader, Electronic/Biochemical Firm “A team that works remotely and has an assigned leader but team members are scattered and accessibility to F2F interactions is limited.” Global Director, Consumer Products/Retail Co “Any time greater than 50% of the team is not located in the same location (don’t sit together), it is a virtual team.” Manager, Global Business Processes, Beverage Company “I see the VT having two defs: (1) ppl who work only from home. They are telecommuting & never go to the office. (2) There are people who are geographically dispersed in diff places. They go to an office somewhere else & we may never meet. VTs work according to what needs to be done & once the project is completed, these teams are gone.” Scientist, Telecom “Remote teams that are not in the same location. Geographic differences occur around relationships and a sense of ‘no face’ exists.” Virtual Team Manager, Electronics Distributor “When I think about VTs and our VT efforts, the differentiators are : (1) they are virtually distributed, connecting via technical means, (2) they don’t sit next to each other but they are part of a team, and (3) they have a centralized reporting (across functional areas where they have to make decisions) and they are also distributed (located around the globe). How we define virtual and how we define team is different. Virtual Team Leader, Major Online Retailer My Definition of Virtual Teams As you can see from these sample definitions, there are key differences in perception around the very core of what we mean by the term virtual team. Some individuals focus on the VIRTUAL elements (physical locations, time zones, boundaries) while others focus on TEAM functions (number of people, how they operate - temporary projects or ongoing and intact). The difficulty is coming up with a consistent definition that captures it all! I have always opted for a simple definition of the term virtual team, as follows: a virtual team - whether across the street or across the world - is a team whose members simultaneously work together to a common purpose, while physically apart. The traditional definition of teams applies here: common goal or purpose, complementary skills and sharing interdependent performance goals for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. The difference is virtual: simultaneously working together, while physically apart. A virtual team does not always mean that individuals work from home. Many virtual teams consist of employees who work both at home and in small groups at the office, but in different geographic locations and organizational boundaries. Even locally, many people refer to virtual teams as having the ‘50 Foot Rule’, the probability of communication between co-workers drops with the distance between them. After about 50 Feet (15 Meters) it doesn’t matter whether the team members are on different floors of the same building or different states - your teammate in the office across the street may be just as virtual as the coworker in India.



COST CONSIDERATIONS

PEOPLE EXPERTISE

TECHNOLOGY ENABLERS



Globalization of Business

Workforce Demands

Behavior and Expectations of Younger Colleagues

Technology and Social Media

5 Generations in the Workplace



Conflict Performance

Team Building

Relationships

Promotion

Walking the Talk

Communication Conflict

Performance

Team Building

Communication


www.aim-strategies.com/blog AIM Strategies® H2H Connections Presentation Copyright AIM Strategies. All Rights Reserved. www.aim-strategies.com www.aim-strategies.com/blog

“Unless they can figure out how to put more than 24 hours in a day and more than 7 days in a week I don't see how it can be harder than my current job. I am running out of bandwidth.”

IT Project Manager



• Latest Virtual Team (VT) Trends

• Teams Then & Now • You: ‘Agent of Connection’ • VT Myths & Realities • 8 Characteristics of High

Performing VTs



“Virtual teamwork must also become more than a notion: teamwork must require the team to work.”

Yael Zofi

V I D E 0

IMPACT ON OD?



CHALLENGES OPPORTUNITIES

Building Trust Creating Shared Accountability

No Work-life Balance Flexibility of Working Anywhere, Anytime

Different Cultures Require Various Social Interactions

Diversity Brings Variety of Expertise

Running Remote Meetings Takes Tact, Cultural Sensitivity & Creativity

Communication Technologies Can Equalize Participation

Social Isolation Team Membership Can Be Flexible & Shift In Response To Project Needs

Lack of Cues Leads To Misinterpretation

Broaden & Deepen Relationships With a Variety of People



“The leader of the past was a person who know how to TELL.

The leader of the future will be a person who knows how to ASK. “

Peter Drucker, Leader of the Future P. 100



“You are no longer Agent of Change. You are now Agent of Connection living in the Age of Connection.” -- Yael S. Zofi, CEO, AIM Strategies®

C O N N E C T I O N



Surveyed 150+ (today 400+) Virtual Managers & Members

In-Depth Interviews with Industry Experts

TOPICS: Communication, Trust, Accountability, Conflict, Cross-Cultural Interactions, Team Setup, Lessons Learned & Future of Virtual Teams

Analyzed Results & Recognized Trends



52% of VT members work beyond business hours

21% 27% feel that conflict is caused by lack of shared experiences

70% 85% see VTs as becoming increasingly prevalent



65% 52% of virtual team members work

beyond business hours

prefer face-to-face communication

85% see virtual teams becoming increasingly prevalent

90% have team-wide meetings at least once a week



13%

18%

31%

31%

44%

52%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Isolation

Multitasking

Constant Meetings

Workload Awareness

Communication

Work Round the Clock

Challenges on a Virtual Team



24%

27%

37%

65%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Forming Phase

Conflict

Communication

Relationship

Interactions that Benefit from Face-to-Face Communication



Sources of Conflict

4%

4%

4%

6%

8%

13%

21%

33%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

PhoneCommunication

MisunderstandCulture

Lack of Trust

No Face-to-Face

WrittenCommunication

Interpretation ofLanguage

InconsistentExpectations

Miscommunication



10%

40%

45%

47%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Accents

Time Zones

Cultural Differences

Problems with English

Global Obstacles



By 2015, 1.3 billion people will be working remotely

Source: IDC, 2011

representing almost 40% of the entire global workforce



Source: UK Commission for Employment and Skills (2014)

57 %

of businesses say that flexible working (including flexible hours and offsite working) is now standard practice.

50%

of employees say that the availability of flexible working in their workplace is important to them.

Source: UK Commission for Employment and Skills (2014)



Source: Dasha (2012 April 06)

44 %

of multi-national organizations already use VTs.

66% Root5 Systemics Research (2013, July)

of company owners predict a rapid shift to VTs in their companies.



Yahoo Finance (2013, March 04)

of employers with remote workers report more productive employees.

53%



The existing million US

telecommuters save million

gallons of gas and prevent the release of

3.6 million tons of greenhouse gas

yearly. Source: Telework Research Network (2011)

2.9 390

3.6



Source: RW3 Culture Wizard (2012)

70 %

identify time zones as the greatest hurdle to virtual teams.

78%

reported that virtual teams were most different from face‐to‐face teams in managing conflict.




employees say poor communication cause for cross team failure.

81%

Root5 Systemics Research (2013, July)

Less than of companies provide proper training framework.

33%



Virtual teams are similar to traditional teams with people in different places.

When you don’t see someone regularly it’s difficult to manage their career progression.

Technology on virtual teams is most important.

Virtual teams can be left alone and will function appropriately.

MYTH MYTH

MYTH MYTH



Higher levels of Commitment – more critical than in-person team Mentorship and guidance – beyond in-person team Establishment of team goals

Stronger Team Leaders Effective HR Practices Wide Executive Support

Better Frameworks for decision-making, conflict management

mechanisms and distribution of effort and reward



Team player Styles Social Communication Electronic Communication Remote Coordination Verbal and non-verbal Feedback / Listening Meeting facilitation Technical Skills

Building Trust Conflict Resolution Modeling Accountability Collaborative Leadership

Cultural Awareness & Cultural Competence

Info Sharing/Data Mgt. Project Management

Customized training prepares VT members to meet global communication expectations includes:



40-45% 21-26%

15-16% 18-22%



28% Email 27% Telephone 19% Instant messaging 7% Text messaging (SMS) 7% Web cams 6% Skype or another VoIP solution 3% Other technologies 2% Cloud storage 1% Yammer




41% Cisco WebEx 22% Microsoft Office Live Meeting 12% GoToMeeting 5% AT&T Connect 4% Adobe Connect




“Technology by itself does not ensure virtual team success,

…it’s your LEADERSHIP that gets you there.”

(Yael Zofi, A Manager’s Guide to Virtual Teams)



Zookeeper

Warrior

Navigator

Leader

Anticipator

Connector

Negotiator

Adaptable Servant

Deliverer

Dependable

WD40

Chivalrous

Referee

Hidden Hero

Shepherd

“ALL” Psychologist

TERMINATOR

Guru

Günah Keçisi! (Scapegoat)

Headmaster

Tamer

Influencer

Controller Helmsman

Facilitator Superman

Salt

Sage

Forerunner Synergy

Parent

Accomplisher

Resilient

Bulldog Flexible



Eight Characteristics 1. Global vs. Local Mindset

2. Mission/Common Purpose

3. Trust and Authenticity

4. Meaningful Communication

5. Flow of Information

6. Conflict Mechanism

7. Effective Work Systems

8. Positive Attitude



Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/yaelzofi Facebook: www.facebook.com/AIMStrategies Facebook: www.facebook.com/yael.zofi You Tube Virtual Teams Channel: Yael Zofi Twitter: @yaelzofi

T: 718-832 - 6699 / 6767 F: 718-832 - 6660 AIM Co. Web: www.aim-strategies.com Virtual Teams Web: www.yaelzofi.com VT Mgrs Blog: www.aim-strategies.com/blog

Yael Zofi

OD and Technology: Making Impactful H2H Connections on Virtual Teams

Leadership & Management

Transcript of OD and Technology: Making Impactful H2H Connections on Virtual Teams