Melissa Williams, CTC
The purpose of this paper is to explore a common problem affecting virtual teams today; building trust with and between associates, while finding new ways to create personal connections and strengthen associate satisfaction and engagement.
Maynard Webb once said, “I love using the latest technologies to make life more efficient, but I don’t want to advocate that technology replaces the need to get together and enjoy human connections with people” (Webb 1).
That sentiment perfectly illustrates that, while technology gives us the ability to connect with one another across vast distances, it doesn’t always fulfill our fundamental human need to connect with others on an emotional level. As a leader of a virtual team, I can use the tools of technology to facilitate emotional connections with my team members and help them build lasting relationships with one another.
Developing a Virtual Team
“A Virtual Team (aka “virtual workgroup”) is a group of people who participate in common projects by making collaborative efforts, and for the purpose of achieving shared goals and objectives. They perform tasks and jobs in a virtual work environment created and maintained by means of IT and software technologies.” (McConnell 2)
Our team members didn’t start out working in a virtual environment. We began, like many agencies do, with co-located agents working together to meet client needs and achieve sales goals in a “traditional” office setting. Friendships were made, disagreements were had and resolved, and social bonds were built. We shared the ups and downs of life and valued the things we learned about each other. As we expanded our business, we dipped our toes into the virtual pool and offered an opportunity for tenured staff to begin working from home (locally). Our “virtual” pilot program was well received and our staff’s existing relationships continued, despite the remote working environment. As time passed, we began to look outside our geographic area to hire qualified applicants from other regions in the United States. Today, our virtual team members are located in 7 different states from coast to coast. We’ve traveled the road of technology and experienced much growth and success along the way. But, our growth has brought upon us a change we didn’t predict. Our team cohesiveness and synergy began to diminish as our virtual expansion progressed. We now understand that emotional bonds between individuals can’t develop in a virtual environment in the same ways that they occur naturally in co-located environments. It is crucial to the success of the team to find new ways to create interpersonal relationships in the virtual environment.
Three Key Characteristics of a Successful Virtual Team
Virtual team members will be most effective when their core needs are met by both management and by one another. Let’s examine three core needs of virtual teams and discuss strategies to fulfill those needs using both technology and traditional methods.
• Trust– In a co-located team, trust is built by observing verbal and nonverbal communications while interacting with others. Co-located teams learn to trust one another through daily interactions and by working closely with one another on special projects. They can see their colleagues’ facial expressions, and read the body language of other team members, which strengthens relationships and builds trust.
Virtual team members don’t have the same opportunities for daily interactions and aren’t able to read the non-verbal cues of their co-workers. As such, they may be slower to develop trust with one another. If you want to start building trust in a virtual team, the first step is to give each member “face time” with one another. Make sure each team member has a webcam and use a virtual meeting platform like join.me or Skype for Business when conducting team meetings and coaching sessions. Trust will begin to grow as team members become more familiar with each other and can receive both verbal and non-verbal communication cues.
Another way to build trust within a team is to bring them together whenever possible. In our agency, we offer agents the opportunity to visit our home office yearly. Bi-annually, we host Bluegreen University, which is a two-day learning event specifically designed for our staff. We bring our agents together, with our preferred vendors, and give them an opportunity to catch up on the latest industry trends while creating opportunities to get to know one another better. Additionally, we host a yearly holiday party to celebrate the year’s successes and the accomplishments of our team.
As a team leader, I build trust with my team members by making home visits to them when I’m traveling to their region throughout the year. It gives me an opportunity to observe them in their home working environment, and to learn more about what’s important to them outside of the office. Another opportunity to build trust with my team is through our one-on-one monthly coaching sessions. I use that as an opportunity to take the pulse of my team and to reinforce our performance expectations. We discuss goals, new initiatives, current statistics and strategies for growth. I begin each coaching session by asking my team members about their lives outside of the office. We talk about families, vacations, sports, or anything they want to discuss. It gives me an opportunity to build a bond with them on a personal level and opens the door for them to trust me as their manager. This “watercooler” chat is essential to virtual team building because it gives me the opportunity to connect on a personal level with my staff. In his article “5 Proven Strategies for Building Trust in Virtual Teams”, Dave Nevogt says that “trust is the most important commodity in remote teams.” (Nevogt 3). As such, it is vital for me to find ways to build and grow trust for the success of my virtual team.
• “Likeability” (Osman 4)– Another key component of a successful virtual team is likeability. When team members have a genuine like for one another, conflict is minimized, and people are more accepting of the behavior of others. Co-located teams develop likeability by sharing breaks or lunches, chatting at the “watercooler”, or sharing office space with one another. They notice the pictures or special objects on their coworker’s desk and ask questions about them. They pay each other compliments, tell funny jokes or see when someone is having a bad day.
Virtual teams must build likeability through other methods. In our office, we build likeability by learning more about each other during scheduled and unscheduled interactions. I start team meetings in the same way I do the one-on-one coaching sessions, by giving my staff an opportunity to share something non-work related about themselves. This exchange of information is vital to virtual team building and fosters commonalities and likeability among the staff.
Another way we build likeability in our office is to post messages on the Facebook page we have created specifically for our team. Agents can quickly communicate a funny joke, share information about an industry trend or product, or even let others know that they are experiencing system issues or a power outage. It gives them a platform for instant communication and posts can only be seen by those in the group. Our office is building likeability this summer with an “Amazing Race” incentive. Each week our “Amazing Race” teams are given a “Detour”, “Roadblock”, and “Pit Stop” clue. The “Detour” clue is a sales challenge that must be completed by the team. The “Roadblock” is a teambuilding challenge that must be completed individually. The “Pit Stop” is the final post each week and reminds teams to post their answers. Each clue is packed with destination information about cities throughout the world, and all seven continents are represented. I have received so much positive feedback about the incentive, and especially, the “Roadblock” or teambuilding part of the challenges. The agents are learning so much about each other and working together as mini teams is building likeability between individuals.
The next step in building likeability with our staff will be our “What’s Up” initiative. Each month, agents will be randomly assigned a partner with whom they will share a 10-minute video call to talk about “What’s Up” in their lives. Connecting with one another “outside” the confines of the office will give agents a chance to learn more about one another and strengthen our existing bonds.
In my experience, the quickest way to build likeability within the team is through opportunities to travel together. We give our agents every opportunity we can to travel together on FAM trips, attend seminars, or experience an industry conference. I have seen the success of traveling together firsthand on multiple occasions. Most recently, we had a newer staff member who was having trouble finding agents who would be willing to trade shifts with her when needed. She and another agent had an opportunity to travel to Costa Rica together for a FAM trip and in doing so, strengthened their relationship. The next time that agent needed a schedule trade, her FAM partner stepped up to take her shift. It was a perfect example of how building likability strengthens the team.
• Recognition– The third key component to virtual team building is giving recognition. All employees, both co-located and virtual, want to be acknowledged and appreciated for their special talents and team contributions. Due to the nature of their work environment, virtual team members can feel isolated, if their work is not acknowledged by their leadership and their co-workers. Taking a moment to share a compliment, congratulations for a job well done, or to celebrate a special occasion shows my team that I am connected and involved with their “wins”. It reinforces that they are part of a team, something larger than themselves. It gives them a chance to congratulate one another and build bonds with each other, and it makes them feel proud to be on a successful team.
At our yearly holiday celebration, we spotlight each associate who sells $1,000,000 in travel products during a twelve-month period by inducting them into our Million Dollar Club. In addition to a monetary bonus, they are presented with a personalized engraved trophy at the event. They are also featured on our Company intranet page for their achievements.
Recognition from outside the department should also be shared with a virtual team. As a manager, I post the compliments I receive from clients about the great experience they had with their agent in a forum called “Compliment Corner”. Each featured agent is acknowledged and rewarded for their excellent customer service. Additionally, when other departments share compliments with me about our team, that information is shared with our group, and those agents are publicly recognized.
Recognition can come in many forms, but the most important thing is that it is consistently delivered both to team members individually, and as a collective to maintain the viability of the group.
Conclusion
Our work environments have evolved, but our basic human needs have not. Expanding technology has given us the opportunity to bridge distances, share information, and work together despite great distances. What was once a face to face discussion, is now a text, instant message or video chat. The social opportunities we had to get to know each other have been replaced with social media. Technology has changed the speed at which we work and how we live, but to a degree, it has also dehumanized us. Making real connections with people is just as important as it has always been, but in a virtual workplace, those connections don’t form naturally. As a virtual team leader, I recognize that there has been a shift in how we relate to one another. I am finding new ways to build those emotional bonds using the very thing which has diluted them, technology. As a team, we will have to make a concerted effort to make those connections with our colleagues by building trust, likeability and recognizing the contributions of the individual. We must understand that we will need to change the way we approach relationships, change our thinking about personal interactions, and understand that the success of our virtual team depends on this renewed commitment to each other. In today’s world, it’s easy to feel like we are alone on an island. However, using trust, likeability and recognition, we can be part of something much greater…an archipelago.
References
1 Webb, Maynard. “Brainy Quote Connections.” brainyquote.com/topics/connections July 10, 2018 <https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/connections>
2 McConnell, Eric. “Virtual Teams – Definition, Management and Benefits.” Mymanagementguide.com April 29, 2010, updated January 3, 2012. July 12, 2018. https://mymanagementguide.com/managing-virtual-teams-understanding-definition-management-and-benefits/
3 Nevogt, Dave. “5 Proven Strategies for Building Trust in Virtual Teams.” Bloghubstaff.com August 22, 2016. July 13, 2018. https://blog.hubstaff.com/building-trust-in-virtual-teams/
4 Osman, Hassan. 2014 “Influencing Virtual Teams: 17 Tactics That Get Things Done with Your Remote Employees.” (Kindle Books)
