This document analyses how virtual team work between different companies

1. VIRTUAL TEAM
LEADERSHIP
DISTANCE AND
EFFECTIVENESS
Team Chester
EMT 740

2. Problem Statement

3. Conclusions and Summary

4. Company Profiles
 ARDEC – Government (Engineering)
 OgilvyCHWW – Digital Healthcare (Marketing)
 Wyndham – Travel/Hospitality (IT)
 E&Y – Accounting/Transaction (IT)
 CenturyLink – was Qwest Telecom Services
(Sales)

5. What is a Virtual team?
 For this survey, we are defining a virtual team
as one where more than half of team
interaction takes place either online or using a
combination of audio/web conferencing, web
collaboration etc. (as opposed to face-to-face
interaction).

6. Survey Objectives and Results
 Objectives
 Course objective 1
 Course objective 2
 Course objective 3
 Results
 Expected results
 Skills developed
 Skill 1
 Skill 2

7. Challenges for Virtual Team
Leads
1. Time and distance
2. Language
3. Culture and
Customs
4. Collaboration
Technology
5. Relationship
building
1. Managing Conflict
2. Making Decisions
3. Soliciting feedback
4. Managing Poor
Performance
5. Team building
Distance Effectiveness

8. Framework
 3 Criteria
 Degree of Virtual Distance
 Effectiveness of Virtual Leaders
 Discrepancy between “Actual” and “Ideal”
Effectiveness

9. Survey
Ogilvy
CommonHealth
Ernst and Young LLC Wyndham Exchange
& Rentals
Qwest
Communications
ARDEC
10 9 12 10 11

10. Virtual Distance
 Geography
 Working time (time zones)
 Travel Distance(office location)
 Work History
 Meeting Frequency
 How often
 Meeting Type
 Face-to-face or online
 Culture and Language

11. Effectiveness of Virtual Team
Leads
 Geography
 Working time (time zones)
 Travel Distance(office location)
 Work History
 Meeting Frequency
 How often
 Meeting Type
 Face-to-face or online
 Culture and Language

12. Actual vs. Needed
Effectiveness
1. Decision making
2. Opportunities for
dissenting views
3. Team building
4. Supportive
communication
1. Solicit feedback
2. Hold productive
virtual meetings
3. Performance
feedback
4. Collaboration
5. Manage conflict
Actual Effectiveness Need / “Ideal” Effectiveness

13. Virtual Distance
 closest to the
center is
preferred.

14. Managing Performance
 closest to the
center is
preferred.

15. “Ideal” Team Lead
Characteristics
Clearly
defines
roles and
expected
work
output
Clearly
defines
project
goals
Addresse
s poor
performa
nce
Communi
cates
effectively
Is
collaborat
ive
Manages
conflict
Provides
regular
feedback
on
performa
nce
Builds
team
rapport
Holds
productiv
e virtual
meetings
Solicits
feedback
ARDEC 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Ernst and Young LLC 8 9 6 10 3 7 4 5 1 2
Ogilvy CommonHealth 7 2 9 10 1 6 8 3 5 4
Qwest Communications 8 9 1 10 6 3 4 7 5 2
Wyndham Exchange & Rentals 10 6 3 7 5 8 4 9 2 1
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
MostImportantLeastImportant

16. Virtual Team Attribute Rankings (1-Most, 10 Least)
Company
Communications Feedback Counseling Team Dynamics
Communicateseffectively
Clearlydefinesprojectgoals
Clearlydefinesrolesand
expectedworkoutput
Providesregularfeedbackon
performance
Solicitsfeedback
Managesconflict
Addressespoorperformance
Buildsteamrapport
Iscollaborative
Holdsproductivevirtualmeetings
ARDEC 4 2 1 10 3 5 9
E&Y 1 2 3 9 4 5 10
Ogilvy 1 9 4 3 5 2 10
CenturyLink 1 2 3 9 10 4 5
Wyndham 4 5 1 10 3 2 9

17. ARDEC - Observation
 Closest in geographical proximity.
 Second lowest in cultural and language
diversity.
 Least amount of working history.
 Lowest in team cohesiveness and use of
effective communication tools.
 Second lowest in performance feedback and
third lowest in addressing poor performance.

18. Ernst & Young LLP -
Observation
 Highest in Geographical distance.
 Communications are ranked highly because of
geographical distance.
 Holding virtual meetings and providing regular feedback
employees are able to perform work effectively.
 Performance management is directly related to the
degree of virtual distance.
 Managing conflict ranked #4
 Address poor performance #5

19. WER - Observations
 Highest cultural and language diversity and
least second in work history.
 Second best in the geographical distance and
meeting type (FTF)
 Wyndham is more effective managing
performance compare to E&Y, Ogilvy and
ARDEC,
 They are meeting frequently and are closer in
proximity.

20. CTL - Observations
 Highest working history and cultural/language
diversity.
 Third lowest geographical distance and FTF
meeting.
 Relatively highest in addressing poor
performance, team cohesiveness and
providing feedback.
 Tied with wyndham being most effective
leveraging the communication tools.

21. Ogilvy - Observations
 Highest number of FTF communications.
 Second highest in work history.
 Third most in cultural and language diversity.
 Fourth most geographical distance.
 Last in managing performance and providing
regular feedback.
 They are second to last in team cohesiveness
and effectively using communication tools.

22. Conclusions and
recommendation
ARDEC
 Close proximity doesn’t promote effective
communication, because of their lack of work
history (Relational distance)
 Lack of Relational distance take precedence over
Cultural or language similarities.

23. Conclusions and
Recommendations
 Ogilvy CommonHealth Interactive marketing
 Criteria for choosing a virtual team uniquely
important
 Should not be lower standard simply because of
virtual distance
 Communication and leadership even more important
for a Virtual lead

24. Conclusions and
Recommendations
 CTL has the least variance in managing “Virtual
Distance”
 Communications is ranked # 1, 2, 3
 Team Dynamics is ranked # 4, 5
 CTL is ranked highest on the “Managing
Performance” chart
 Soliciting Feedback Ranked # 9
 Managing Performance ranked #10
 Recommendations for Improvement
 Monitor the effectiveness of communications
 Build team rapport and collaboration

25. Questions/Discussions
 Question One
 Discussion
 Discussion
 Question Two
 Discussion
 Questions Three
 Discussion

27. Regularly provides feedback on team performance
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Strongly agree
Somewhat agree
Neutral
Somewhat disagree
Strongly disagree

28. 1. What is the geographic location/proximity
between you and your virtual team lead?

29. 2. How many previous projects have you
worked on with this team lead?

30. 3. How often does your team lead meet you in
person?

31. 4. How often do you meet virtually with your
team lead?

32. 5. How many time zones apart are you from
your team lead?

33. 6. What % of your team is made up of individuals from
different countries, or that speak English as a second
language?

34. Effectively manages any conflict that may arise
between team members
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Strongly agree
Somewhat agree
Neutral
Somewhat disagree
Strongly disagree

35. Is decisive when making decisions that impact the
team
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Strongly agree
Somewhat agree
Neutral
Somewhat disagree
Strongly disagree

36. Communicates clearly and effectively
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Strongly agree
Somewhat agree
Neutral
Somewhat disagree
Strongly disagree

37. Provides an opportunity for the team to articulate
dissenting views
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Strongly agree
Somewhat agree
Neutral
Somewhat disagree
Strongly disagree

38. Values team member feedback
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Strongly agree
Somewhat agree
Neutral
Somewhat disagree
Strongly disagree

39. Is supportive when communicating with team
members
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Strongly agree
Somewhat agree
Neutral
Somewhat disagree
Strongly disagree

40. Clearly defines the project goal
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Strongly agree
Somewhat agree
Neutral
Somewhat disagree
Strongly disagree

41. Is inclusive so as to build rapport among team
members
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Strongly agree
Somewhat agree
Neutral
Somewhat disagree
Strongly disagree

42. Plans virtual meetings at a mutually agreeable time
(accommodates time zone differences)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Strongly agree
Somewhat agree
Neutral
Somewhat disagree
Strongly disagree

43. Addresses poor performance
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Strongly agree
Somewhat agree
Neutral
Somewhat disagree
Strongly disagree

44. Effectively uses communication and collaboration
tools
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Strongly agree
Somewhat agree
Neutral
Somewhat disagree
Strongly disagree

45. Provides the correct level of oversight to monitor
virtual team member performance
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Strongly agree
Somewhat agree
Neutral
Somewhat disagree
Strongly disagree