The ConnecT Framework defines an effective e-Leader as one who connects all members of the virtual team, using a cross-cultural perspective to manage conflict and complexity, communicate expectations and goals, by empowering the team, focusing them on the timeline and tasks, with the appropriate use of technology to align individual and group goals to the organizational objectives.
Background
CELNET is a newly created learning lab in the Faculty of Management. Our goal is to provide resources for e-leaders and their virtual teams, to fuel improved productivity and socio-economic results. CELNET recognises and supports the needs of a changing work force, and aims to leverage advances in technology to find innovative ways to collaborate, share resources, and innovate. CELNET is actively researching the emerging practice of e-leadership and leading virtual teams. Most organisations work through geographically dispersed teams, which communicate through ICT – virtual teams. CELNET has developed an e-leadership training program around the ConnecT e-Leadership framework, and conducts workshops and training sessions for business and government leaders who often work in and with geographically dispersed teams.
“Research tells us that 80% of managers lead virtually at least part of the time. Converging factors of telework, globalization, new communications technologies, and recurrent cost-cutting have made virtual life the norm inside companies. Yet, managers aren’t trained for it, and few do it well.” Forbes, 2012
Academic literature has addressed the shift in leadership practices to virtual environments and particularly highlights a need for training to function more effectively in this new e-environment. However, there is a lack of specific training and very little research on the factors which contribute to virtual team success. Given the prevalence of virtual teams and its potential contribution to the productivity of organizations, this is a critical area of need. CELNET’s goal is to fill this void, contribute to the literature, and help leaders realize their performance potential, and positively impact virtual team productivity and effectiveness. The ConnecT framework is a direct result of a review of extant literature and the identification of the gap.
Through its partnerships, networks, and research, CELNET offers organizations this framework, that has been designed on critical success factors for e-leaders and virtual teams, and to evaluate the impact of deploying the learnings in the virtual teams to close the loop. The training is based on robust research, academic theory, and practical professional experience, to enhance team performance. A complete program involves a four-stage process.
The four-stage process includes:
- An initial survey which will assess the e-leader’s and virtual team performance, areas of need, and identifying areas for improvement and gaps that need to be filled
- Training sessions for e-leaders and for team members
- An evaluation survey a few months after the training
- An evaluation survey one year after the training session.
In addition to benefiting from emerging research in e-leadership, organizations will get:
- An opportunity to move into a vital new area of leadership, and gain a significant competitive advantage.
- Will benefit from scientifically tested tools that will significantly enhance their productivity, innovation, and contribute to enhanced satisfaction of virtual team members.
- Valuable training to employees, and be viewed by employees as being sensitive and responsive to their training needs
Challenges and considerations for e-Leadership and managing virtual teams
- Virtual teams are different from face-to-face- there is a need to utilize technology to increase media richness.
- Common sense is not always common knowledge – best practices are available and often overlooked.
- Members can easily feel isolated- effort to connect is mandatory.
- Problems develop in early team stages- get to know your team from the beginning.
- Organizational supports are not always available
- Leadership and experience working virtually play a large role in team effectiveness – Develop a comfort with technology and lead by example
Govindarajan and Gupta, 2001, conducted a study surveyed 58 senior executives in global companies and found the following list of challenges commonly faced by virtual teams:
- cultivating trust
- overcoming lack of face-to-face contact / isolation
- overcoming communication (language and cultural) barriers
- aligning goals of individual team members
- obtaining clarity regarding team objectives
- ensuring that the team possesses necessary knowledge and skills
- ensuring the availability of sufficient technology resources
- dealing with role uncertainty because members are on too many virtual teams.
In 2010, Lojeski found that when virtual distance in virtual teams is high, performance declines as follows:
- innovation behavior declines by 93%;
- trust falls off by 83%; job satisfaction decreases by 80%;
- role and goal clarity drop by 62%; project results- on time/on budget-customer satisfaction drive by 50%;
- leader effectiveness declines by over 50%;
- organizational citizenship declines by 47%.
Workshop Objectives
- Leadership competencies
- Skills to overcome challenges
- Ability to build trust and manage team dynamics
- Manage cross-cultural exchanges
- Leveraging technology
- Develop rules of conduct
Workshop Format
- Ideally we would like to have between 18-27 participants.
- Participants will be divided into three groups of between 6-9 people
- Prior to the arrival at the Conference/Workshop, we will have distributed a short case to each of the participants
- Participants will be assigned the role of a specific actor in the case.
- At the start of the workshop, participants will separate into their groups, and each group will hold its first virtual team meeting, using Google Hangouts or Skype (each participant needs to have a Skype account or a Google Hangouts Air account).
- Participants will be required to accomplish a few specific, but simple tasks in their roles during this first virtual team meeting. TIME – 30 mins
- Each team will return to the main workshop meeting area for a debrief. TIME – 30 mins
- During the final 30 minutes, we will present the ConnecT Framework to help participants internalize the learnings from the simulation exercise. TIME – 30 mins
Participants can expect to learn about the following:
- Establishing trust
- Virtual team management
- Virtual communication skills
- Optimal behaviors and competencies
- Managing cross-cultural exchanges
- Hiring and building a team
- Holding effective meetings
- Develop rules of conduct – vision, goals, expectations
- Skills to overcome challenges
- Feedback, evaluation and celebrating success
- Leveraging technology
- Productivity and adaptability