I just completed a Zoom training for seasoned faculty accustomed to teaching in the face-to-face classroom. Hearing my colleagues’ anxious questions brought back memories of my own anxiety about my first online teaching experience and, later as a consultant, coaching managers as they navigated the shift to “virtual teamwork,” “flexible work,” and “work-from-home” policies.
- “How can I tell if they’re paying attention?” or the business equivalent, “…working and not goofing off?”
- “How do I maintain control of the classroom/project?”
- “I’m afraid of looking incompetent.” – This one often the real concern behind the other questions.
- “How do we maintain the informal connections that are so important for collaborating/learning?” (aka “team cohesion” in the corporate world)
The good news for everyone new to virtual work: Very successful organizations have been working this way for a long time, including higher ed and K-12 schools. Yes, there will be a transition period, but you can succeed – whatever your age, whatever your technical skill level. You may even come to enjoy the new arrangement. You might remember the backlash at Yahoo when then CEO Marissa Meyer revoked their work-at-home policy and required employees to return to the office? Once employees adjusted, they didn’t want to return to the office five days/week!
Books have been written about how to lead, manage, and succeed in virtual teams. Here are my own “5C’s of virtual collaboration” based on my research and practice helping clients deal with several common (but unanticipated) consequences of going virtual. Addressing each of these questions below should help with your own transition.
- Connection – Does everyone have access to high-speed internet and a working computer with audio and video capability? If we can’t connect, everything else is moot. My first consulting engagements were in Silicon Valley, and I remember being surprised to discover that there were places a mere 50-60 miles outside San Jose where employees did not yet have high-speed internet connections. Things are definitely better now, but this challenge still often pops up. The K-12 world is more aware, but many workers and college students have hidden their limitations, making-do with a combination of their phone and free computers in the public or university library. With those resources no longer available, they may not be able to keep up without help.
- Communication – What are the communication expectations for this class/team/department? If the expectations aren’t clear, everyone will do what works for them. For instance, (a) which channels will be used (email, text, SharePoint, Teams, Slack, etc.)? (b) Should they be continuously monitored, or is it ok to check a few times per day? (c) How quickly are team members/students/faculty expected to respond – within the hour? within the day? One group I studied in a large Silicon Valley organization experienced a huge communication breakdown because everyone had interpreted “flexible” to mean “I can use the channels I want, when it’s convenient for me.” This was a tech company with very tech-savvy employees. If it can happen there, it can happen anywhere!
- Collaboration – How will we collaborate? There is often so much attention on implementing tools to make virtual collaboration possible, that the manager/administrator never actually considers when and how to use the various tools. One person spends their time vigilantly monitoring Teams, while another assumes all urgent communication will come through Slack, while another assumes posting completed documents on SharePoint is sufficient – whoever wants them will find them there. Missed communications and unmet expectations result in frustrations that can lead to blaming and distrust, eroding team cohesion. The common threat of the coronavirus may provide a honeymoon period where people cut each other some slack, but that can wear off after a few weeks, leaving you with a bunch of grumpy team members.
- Cohesion – How do we maintain a sense of team/community? – Work groups and students are connected by more than the walls that contain them and the projects/assignments. Informal interactions, shared jokes, common interests, and group history all contribute to a sense of belonging and make the work more fun. I’ve worked with some very task-focused groups who didn’t value the need for connection until it was too late – key members left or morale had eroded beyond repair. From what I’ve heard on the news and social media, however, it sounds like this is an area where many are now excelling. A recurring 15 minute virtual “huddle” at the beginning and/or end of each day is a good way to provide an unstructured forum for making announcements, hearing/seeing one another, and having informal coordination conversations. Groups who do this regularly tend to have higher rates of engagement and satisfaction.
- Conflict – How will we address conflict? This may seem like an odd thing to bring up in this time of “everyone pulling together,” but conflict will happen (as illustrated in the point above), and most teams have trouble addressing conflict even when they have daily face-to-face opportunities to sort things out! Early virtual teams research found that conflict occurred earlier in virtual teams and lasted longer because it went unaddressed. It’s easier to misinterpret someone’s actions when you can’t see them in context and then to stay mad when you don’t have to confront the discomfort of being mad in close proximity. You might not want to bring this up on Day 1 or 2, but do discuss it. Better to anticipate conflict and plan for psychologically safe ways to surface and address issues that arise than to have the team implode as soon as the crisis is over.
Here are other resources you might find helpful:
- Business – The 21 Rules for Managing Virtual Teams and How to Manage a Virtual Team
- Academia – Going Online in a Hurry
Good luck! As always, I look forward to your questions and comments. Just use the Contact page or send us an email at [email protected] or call – (512) 387-2756.
