Virtual Teams

1
Virtual Teams

• A learning session for
• COPI
• August 21, 2001

2
Agenda

• Introduction expectations
• What are your plans for global teams?
• Designing best fit organizations
• What are key processes?
• Virtual teams what are the challenges?
• Virtual teams what support structures make the
  most sense?
• Two puzzle pieces the design process and the
  change process
• Actions / next steps

3
Introductions Expectations

• Goals for session
• Exploring what's needed to successfully form and
  lead global virtual teams
• Explore implications and plan next steps for
  global teams that we participate or lead.

4
Your Plans

• What global teams are you planning to lead or
  participate in

5
Forming Teams

• What are the requirements for a team structure?
• Collective output (All the work of each team
  member is directly linked to the attainment of
  the same end)
• Commitment to accomplishing the output (a felt
  need)
• Enabling structures
• Strategic intent
• A supportive culture

6
A Work System Model of THE ORGANIZATION
7
Assessing the Health of the Overall Work System,
Defining the Extent of Change Implied
8
Issues for Virtual Teams

• Distance
• Time zones
• Culture differences
• Language differences
• Competing focus of business
• Diffusion of energy
• Others ..

9
Looking at the Technical System as a
Transformation Process
State 5
Output
State 4
UO 5
Variances - What are they? - How do they
interact? - How do they affect the mission?
State 3
UO 4
State 2
Control - Who? - How? - What Information?
- What Skills Knowledge? - What Authorities?
UO 3
State 1
UO 2
State 0
Input
UO 1
10
Human System

• Defining the structure of the team
• Clarifying how the process gets controlled
  through the team
• Defining interdependency points
• Defining their authorities, etc.
• Identifying organizational and hierarchical
  pinch-points

11
The People

• Their beliefs, attitudes and values.
• Their skills, knowledge and capabilities.
• Their culture the beliefs, attitudes, values
  and practices held in common.
• Their diversity the culture and personality
  aspects specifically not held in common.
• Their career expectations.
• Their quality of work life expectations.
• Their support needs.

12
The Enabling Support Systems

• Information.
• Communication.
• Supply.
• Maintenance.
• Environmental control.
• Access, control and authority allocation.
• Personal and organization development support.
• Etc.

13
Global Virtual Teams

• What do you see as the big challenges?
• What sort of key support structures seem to make
  the most sense?

14
Two Puzzle Pieces

• The design process all the work of putting the
  overall team structure together
• The change process all the work of putting the
  overall team structure into action
• To what extent can you do both of these together
  through participative design processes?
• How much of the work of forming a team can be
  done by forming the team?

15
Support Requirements

• VTs need face time technology cannot totally
  replace
• The more complicated the process, the more
  front-end time is required
• All VTs effectiveness declines over time from
  last coming together. How much varies with
  every team.
• How will you address this?
• How will you know it is happening?

16
Levels of Organizational Change
17
Avoiding The Mixed Modes- - - Clearly
Define Work Unit Skills, Knowledge and Leadership
Requirements.Plan the Distribution Among the
Roles
18
Avoiding The Mixed Modes- - - Plan Support
the Development of Individual Abilities
19
Next Steps

• Where do you go from here
• To get more information
• To get started
• What else?