5 Elements of Virtual Team Building That Create Effective Virtual Teams
Are you trying to build effective virtual teams? Have you ever tried to build a team of people using conventional methods? If you haven’t, do yourself a favour and give it a try. It might surprise you to find out that you can build an effective team using very little resources and that is the key to building powerful virtual teams, because when you don’t have a lot of resources, you have to rely on people who have a lot of resources, and when those people have a lot of resources, you end up with some pretty powerful groups. Here are some tips to help you build effective virtual teams…
First things first, why do we need to have a system when you’re building effective virtual teams? Because there are systems in place that help people align their thoughts together. When you have people who are coming from different perspectives, who have different sets of skills, strengths, weaknesses, etc., when they come together they have a better chance of building effective virtual teams, because they’re able to identify those weaknesses and potential strengths, both of which are crucial to building successful virtual teams and the business as a whole. When people feel like they’re in the same boat and they can all get along with each other, you end up with a group of people who can work together effectively.
Next, think about this… in traditional business there is an order to the universe. There’s an order of events that’s followed and there’s a flow. When people are used to working in a flow, they understand what’s going on and that creates a much more efficient environment where things happen quicker and they work more effectively. This is essentially what building effective virtual teams is all about.
The final element that is important to consider when building effective virtual teams is the co-located face-to-face component. Co-located face-to-face teams are just as effective as teams where people aren’t really face to face, but they are in the same room. When people who are used to working together in the same room as well as in the same environment, they can be a much more effective team than teams that are trying to build effective virtual teams, simply because they have more of a natural flow and connection to the person in front of them.
So the third element that is necessary when building effective virtual teams is building a group of people who are interested in each other’s strengths. You have to realize that when you have two people on your team who don’t really know each other that it’s going to create tension. Each person’s strengths will be tested. However, by putting someone who is interested in the strengths of another person on the team, you’re ensuring that the person with the strengths is matched up with someone who is an asset to that person’s strengths.
The fourth element when building effective virtual teams is having people with complementary strengths. Not all people have the same skills or have the same amount of skills. By putting two people on your team who have the exact same skill set, you’ll create a team where the team members actually benefit from having complementary strengths. For example, if you have a podcast, you may have writers on it who are skilled at interviewing people and speaking to listeners, but you also have some great musicians who can create wonderful music for your podcast. When you put two people with the exact same skill set on your team, you get two people who complement each other’s strengths, instead of one whose strengths outshine the other’s. click here for more info on virtual teams.
