The time will come when we stop referring to virtual teams as “virtual” and begin to call them just “teams”. Technology will be so ingrained in our workflow that, not matter whether we’re next to each other or miles apart, we’ll talk to each other through a computer or [insert latest innovation that has replaced the computer or the mobile phone, if you’re reading this post-2015].
Communication, whatever the medium, will still be key to working together efficiently. We have to get it right. It’s not enough to be constantly talking to each other or sending each other emails or “Slacking”. The quality of our communication counts and the different types of team communication will address different needs.
Making Room for Others to Lead
I’m currently tackling the ‘L’ module (‘L’ stands for Leadership) for the Virtual not Distant course. As is often the case when I’m considering the “team” in virtual, I turned to David Clutterbuck’s “Coaching the Team at Work
The book is written from an external coach’s perspective, but its focus on team dynamics and helping teams learn makes it very relevant to the modern manager. In trying to pin down the role of the team leader as monitor of team communication (monitor of its quality and process, not content!) I came across this section on the types of communication necessary in a team.
It struck me that in virtual teams (ok, in any team), if we want to encourage team members to share leadership (i.e if we want people to take the initiative to improve our team with the help of others) we need to have processes or tools in place to enable the following three types of communication.
Strategic Communication
Do you set direction with your team or for them?
How do you make sure your team members understand how their work is contributing to your goals?
How do you plan ahead?
Strategic communication should happen regularly, but not so frequently that you end up spending most of your time discussing direction instead of implementing your decisions.
These discussions can happen over regular online, real-time meetings, reviews and evaluations. And don’t forget to have channels through which to communicate in between these more formal meetings and milestones, where you can check in with each other and adjust your plans accordingly.
Co-ordination
This type of communication involves sharing information that people need to carry out their work effectively, to pace themselves and so that they can integrate their work with that of the rest of the team.
In a virtual team, we can address this through efficient file sharing systems, having deadlines visible in some sort of online board/spreadsheet etc. If we share our tasks and progress, we can also identify where to get ad-hoc information (or from whom) as we need it.
Autonomous Communication
This is the type of communication that helps the individual progress through their work, on their own.
How do people share their thoughts and experience, how do they ask for advice? How do they combat the feeling of isolation when they’re getting on with work that doesn’t require talking to others?
Here’s where informal communication tools and processes come into place, including narrating your work.
A team where leadership is encouraged, where we want to be able to take the initiative to improve systems and processes, will benefit from these three types of communication. That’s why an ongoing review of your communication processes, not just your results, is essential to building a strong team.
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