A 2008 study involving over 4000 people on virtual team effectiveness showed a connection with social factors and task-related factors. It found that teams with good coordination tended to have high performance and satisfaction.
How do you develop and foster good relationships and cohesion between your team members so that you have an effective virtual team?
In this blog, we list some key practices that make working with a virtual team as successful (or even more) as working in person. These are useful to know in light of the surge in remote work by businesses and companies during the pandemic.
Good Communication and Team Coordination
These two go hand-in-hand when it comes to effective virtual teams. When your team regularly communicates, coordination also becomes easy. Having weekly video meetings to discuss tasks, agenda, issues, and opportunities allows you to see where improvements can be made and where to allocate resources.
Show effective communication by being clear and concise when talking about projects in order to avoid confusion and be efficient.
Addressing Team Conflict Early
Good communication also allows for any conflict to be addressed early on. It’s never a good idea to let conflict go unresolved as it can build up and cause bigger problems in the future.
It’s normal for people who work together to have disagreements. As a team leader, you need to mediate and give all your team members an opportunity to be heard, whether in a group or individual meeting.
Nipping conflicts in the bud shows you care about your team and this in turn creates trust and motivation to work better.
Encouraging Work Autonomy
It’s not hard to understand why more and more people prefer remote work over going to an office. Being in charge of their own schedule and organizing their day rather than committing to the demands of a 9 to 5 job allows for a less stressful approach to work and better work-life balance.
Encouraging autonomy in everyday work keeps your team motivated and reinforces accountability, leading to higher productivity and worker satisfaction.
Another way to help your team function independently is to have standardized work processes in place. It’s easier to follow a set workflow for submitting, completing, and delegating tasks rather than for the team to navigate blindly.
Keeping The Team Motivated
While autonomy can be great for motivation, it’s not the only thing you can do. After all, the definition of a team is a group of people working together towards a common goal or purpose. In order for a team to stay motivated, they must feel united in that common goal and recognize how they’re each contributing to achieve it.
From the very beginning, be clear on what each member’s role is and how it contributes to the bigger picture. Show trust in their abilities and skills by involving them in decision-making and encouraging proactive attitudes. If there is someone on your team showing a lack of initiative, get them to open up on what kind of tasks or projects they prefer to work on, or what kind of schedule they would work best with.
A team performs their best when they’re motivated, resulting in better productivity and profitability.
Celebrating The Whole Team
Nothing is quite as motivating as being recognized for a job well done. Celebrating your team’s successes reminds them of the importance of team effort and encourages them to keep working together and to find ways to make teamwork better.
Of course, success isn’t the only thing you can celebrate your team for and individual shout-outs are just as important. Celebrating birthdays, work anniversaries, and other important milestones shows you appreciate each member. At the same time, acknowledging these in front of the whole team fosters friendliness between members and creates a lightness in the company culture. It’s a chance for everyone to relax and see each other on a human level and not just as employees.
How to Build Your Effective Virtual Team
Half the work is done when you partner with Remote Workmate to build your effective virtual team. We scout and vet for the most reliable and placeable virtual workers.
We do the screening tests and initial interviews until only the best of the best is left for you to choose from through a final interview.
After you hire your virtual worker, Remote Workmate stays on to help you with the onboarding process and to assign a Customer Success Manager to help you and your virtual Workmate maintain a productive and successful relationship.
Take the first step to building the best virtual team for your business. Schedule an obligation-free call with us by clicking the button below.
