A well-performing virtual team makes effective use of a wide range of collaboration tools. After the various forms of communication discussed in my last post, any self-respecting virtual project team must have access to a decent desktop sharing tool. In the past few years, the options and quality available here have grown significantly. To work well for a virtual team, your desktop sharing tool should have most (ideally, all) of these key features: Continue reading
As someone with a great deal of personal experience working in virtual teams and having managed a collaboration technologies research team for several years, I am very familiar with the obvious as well as subtle problems with the collaboration tools available today. As I am sure you know, there are just way too many tools from which to choose. For this post, I’ll touch on my recent experience with just a few examples of those that provide communications (auditory, visual and data). Continue reading
One of the more difficult team dynamics project managers must face from time-to-time is conflict. The ‘conflict’ can be project-related or interpersonal, but either way, strong feelings are often involved, making rational resolutions difficult. For virtual teams where face-to-face time is rare or non-existent, conflict resolution can be especially challenging, even for the highly skilled virtual team manager. Continue reading
I was just reading an article offering tips to telecommuters. One suggestion was to stay on your boss’s and coworkers’ good sides. It’s easy to write something that someone takes the wrong way, the article said, and because you don’t see them you don’t know them very well.
In the first part of this series I talked about how future project leaders may select team members for their projects. In this installment, I will discuss the future of virtual team spaces, which include real-time tools that facilitate ‘in-person’ sharing of information and the online workspaces where project documents are stored. Continue reading
I always enjoy imagining what the future will be like for all sorts of things: transportation, energy, architecture, space exploration, and the everyday chores of life. Perhaps it is my lifelong interest in science fiction, or perhaps I just want to believe that a better world is possible. One thing is for sure: all great productivity improvements start with people imagining how things can be better. So, let’s explore the future of teams. Specifically, virtual project teams, since that is my specialty. Continue reading
Every project manager worthy of the title knows why effective teamwork is critical to project success. All members of great teams know their own roles, limitations and strengths, as well as those of everyone else on the team. They use this knowledge to avoid duplication, anticipate problems, and quickly determine who is most able and qualified to take on a new project assignment. These teams operate with minimal management oversight. In fact, wherever you find a micromanaging team leader, you are sure to find a poorly functioning team. Obviously there are many other factors that cause teams to malfunction (i.e., lack of clarity of purpose, roles, skills, etc.), but one factor is always critical: good teamwork. Continue reading
In my many years working virtually, I’ve come to realize that business relationships with virtual colleagues can be every bit as strong as those with colleagues in a traditional office setting. I’ve had many people tell me that face-to-face is the only way to build teamwork. Until fairly recently, however, I had no concrete examples to prove these people wrong. Continue reading
Imagine sitting in a meeting and someone is explaining the concept for the project when the loudspeaker blares, “Mr. Jones, Mr. John Jones, please call the operator.” Or in a phone conference, as a team is trading ideas,”Your meeting will conclude in 15 minutes.” Everyone stops speaking until the announcement finishes and then the discussion picks up where it left off. Now suppose that you’re part of such a discussion. Someone finishes speaking and you add your contribution. Everyone is silent as you speak. The next speaker replies, not to you, but to the person who spoke before you, as though you had been no more than a bit of stray noise on the line.