How to Transition to Virtual Teams

Business leaders, and everyone else, are grappling with the impact of institutional shutdowns, quarantines, and social distancing. In order to stay competitive, it’s imperative that leaders who transition to a virtual team environment do so with excellence.

As an Organizational Psychologist, I have experience with the ways that virtual teams are qualitatively different than teams that communicate in person. Here, I present three psychological differences to help anyone transition to virtual teams, along with a set of tips to support your success.

Psychological Difference in Virtual Teams #1: Isolation

When team members work remotely, productivity often goes up, at least in the short term[1] Supervisors may see this spike in productivity and assume that all is well, but behind the scenes trouble may be lurking. As in person meetings decrease, social isolation[2] and invisibility for team members [3] increase. Research across the social sciences suggest that both invisibility and isolation have a negative impact on peoples’ personal wellbeing and their productivity[4]. To address the damaging effects of invisibility and isolation, leaders must make every effort to connect frequently and personally with team members who are working virtually.

Tip: Make a list of all your members in virtual teams.

Be sure to make one personal connection with each of them every day they are working. Connection is most personal when face to face (video) or voice to voice (phone). For those who are used to text and chat, these interactions may feel sufficient, even preferred. To take this to the next level, use this free template.

Psychological Difference in Virtual Teams #2: Trust

Humans tend to trust what they can see, not what they can’t see. “I’ll believe it when I can see it,” we think. When team members move to a virtual setting, managers may begin to unconsciously question what the team members are doing, or even how they’re doing it. Observations (in this case, lack of observations) can quickly run up the Ladder of Inference and become thoughts and beliefs about a remote team member. For example, a leader may begin to think that team members are slacking off, or not communicating with other members of the team. In the absence of information, people assume the worst.

To address the tendency to assume the worst instead of the best about our virtual team members, leaders need to walk a fine line of knowing without judging: leaders need to know what and how their team members are doing without coming across as micromanaging.

Tip: Use your need to know as an opportunity to recognize and acknowledge your virtual team members.

Add a column to your list of team members, labeled “Acknowledgements,” and challenge yourself to acknowledge at least one thing that person does each day. If you’re not able to do so, this is a sign that you need to check in. Use your natural leadership style as a guide, and start with an open-ended question. It may be as simple as, “How was your day today?” or “Of all the things you accomplished today, what did you most enjoy?”

Psychological Difference in Virtual Teams #3: Ambiguity

From the virtual team member/employee perspective, a shift to remote work can create ambiguity in communication at all levels of the organization. When a team shifts to a virtual work setting, team members may also experience uncertainty around the availability of their colleagues. This ambiguity gap is perhaps the easiest to close, but it takes effort on the part of both leaders and team members. Leaders must set clear communication standards that align with the nature of the team’s work, as well as clear standards around the use of technology platforms.

Tip: Identify the standards that you have for your virtual team around communications and use of communication tools.

Articulate these expectations clearly, and role model them. Check in with each of your team members about their access to and comfort level with the technology platforms that they are expected to use, and make a point to recognize team members for using these tools.

Next Steps in the Transition to Virtual Teams

The most successful leaders will include those who understand, consider, and adapt their approach to the psychological shifts that everyone is experiencing when working from home. These tips will get you started; please feel free to reach out to me directly for support if you begin to feel overwhelmed or lost.

Take care and stay healthy!

References

[1] Bloom, N., Liang, J., Roberts, J.,& Ying, Z. J. (2015). Does working from home work? Evidence from a Chinese experiment. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 130, 165–218.

[2] Golden, T. D., Veiga, J. F., &Dino, R. N. (2008). The impact of professional isolation on teleworker job performance and turnover intentions: does time spent tele- working, interacting fact-to-face, or having access to communication-enhancing technology matter? Journal of Applied Psychology, 93, 1412–1421.

[3] Mulki, J. P., & Jaramillo, F.(2011). Workplace isolation: salespeople and supervisors in USA. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 22, 902–923.

[4] Allen, D. G., & Griffeth, R.W. (2001). Test of a mediated performance–turnover rela- tionship highlighting the moderating roles of visibility and reward contingency. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 1014–1021.