Top ten tips on managing virtual teams

With more and more companies operating globally, the number of people working in virtual teams (where team members are not located together) is growing. This strategy has many advantages – a cost-effective alternative to long-term expatriation, managers who can have teams with local knowledge based in different locations, close to each market´s customers. However, it also presents its own set of managerial challenges. Compared to expatriation, virtual work is less formalised, and companies frequently lack clear policies on what it means to manage global virtual teams.

Here are 10 tips for managers to get the most out of their virtual teams:

Tip 1:  Be available

• It can be isolating to work virtually. Don’t make team members feel you are absent; be in regular contact to talk not just about their day-to-day duties, but beyond that.

Tip 2: Organise regular meetings with both individuals and the whole team

 • Virtually: supported by IT technology, such as video-conferencing, social media or Skype.
 • Face to face: at least once or twice a year. Even if companies are cutting costs, it’s a cost well spent on building relationships.

Tip 3: Encourage informal conversations

 • Humans are social animals, and people tend to assume the worst if they don’t know what others are up to. To help build relationships and trust between members, encourage your team to share their feelings, thoughts, frustrations, hopes and dreams whenever they can – they should feel comfortable talking to each other about their everyday working context.
 • Example.
   Pete to Maria: “I hate coming in on rainy days. The traffic is awful and I feel I am wasting precious time, plus it stresses me out.”
   Maria thinks: this explains why he is so cold and to the point some days. Not good that he lives in London. Maybe we can be a little more flexible with his working times.

Tip 4: Rotate

 • To further break down barriers between team members, ensure at least one team member spends a short period of time in another location.
 • If it’s impossible to do this physically, a virtual substitute is conference calls scheduled on a regular basis, which can help promote informal conversations.

Tip 5: Be creative with team bonding

 •Organise different points of contact beyond your team’s tasks or responsibilities.
 •Example.
  After achieving a goal, Martin, the manager, organises a virtual reward ceremony. He sends a small present to all team members and gets everyone to open it at the same time during a video call. It’s one way for Rudolf to say: “We have achieved it together.”

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