Appropriate disclosure is not harmful or offensive to others and can include self-reflection, such as, “I enjoy being in challenging situations. Even though I’m not always sure how things will turn out, I find that, if I stay with it, they usually do.”
Third, each virtual team is a unique human system. The most successful and resilient virtual teams establish and learn about their unique culture.
You will begin to manage not only task completion—setting deadlines and minigoals—but you can lead as though creating a culture that houses that unique human system. The best way to do this is to allow a rich introductory period.
Just as you wanted to learn about their task competence, allow each member of the team to see how you have assigned roles based careful consideration on the resumes and reputations of the team members. Allowing each member to have team insights will not only build credibility among teammates, but will earn you respect points as a manager for making strong, well-considered choices. Once the team is assured that each one is competent to complete his or her assigned tasks, the task-related trust begins to be established. Establishing competency is a part of establishing foundations for the team culture and shared purpose.
Next, to create a culture that everyone understands and feels a part of, define expectancies and protocols for team development. Then model those protocols: timeliness and quality of content. For example, one protocol can be turnaround time: Every email will be answered within 24 or 48 hours. Another protocol may be: Every email will be answered with respectful tone. When an email sender can see in a timely response that their email was read and of interest, this enriches the team culture.
Fourth, grant ample time for meaningful introductions that demonstrate openness and receptivity. Give time for each member to write and respond to others in a personal way. To do this, you may wish to encourage teammates to share personal experiences, such as bathing the dog or a going on a recent vacation. It can be helpful to the team for the manager to model an appropriate introduction and a response to each member. The team will take your cues.
This will pay off later in more effective use of time, clarity, and comprehension. You can either create a socializing protocol or enlist a coach who has prepared protocols to move the individual members from I to We awareness. (A research-based meet-and-greet structure is available from the author.)
Fifth, model and support continuous appreciation, with statements and observations of what is going well. Encourage them all to send a note to John. For example in a cc state, “I invite everyone on the team to say a word about how the project is going since John suggested the following changes….”
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