A Harvard Business Review “Management Tip of the Day” titled “Communication Tips for Global Virtual Teams” highlights five needs for success in virtual teams:
Live and breathe your email and make sure the team does too
Give the benefit of the doubt
Overcommunicate
Be intentionally positive
Offer suggestions, not critiques
The Tip is from Paul Berry, Founder and CEO of RebelMouse. We think this Tip translates to educational systems where employees span across divisions and buildings.
Tip for Leaders:
Model Behavior with Status Updates. When teams and leaders across departments and divisions / buildings have a chance to meet in person, we have opportunities to update each other. When we don’t meet, each of us has the responsibility to update individuals part of their team on their projects. For example, when working away from your teammates / colleagues, send status updates to the team. In these updates, specifically address “what’s working well” and “what barriers exist” that the team can engage in a dialogue about.
Reflect: Ask teammates to think about the following and then engage them in a discussion about “what good communication looks like.”
What does good communication look like for me and my work?
One might argue this is not so much about “virtual teams” as it is about teams in general. For sure! Whether we are working in the office or virtually, it is critical that our team focuses on clearly communicating what we intend.
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Harvard Business Review. (10.30.2014). “Communication Tips for Global Virtual Teams.” The Management Tip of the Day accessed at https://hbr.org/2014/10/communication-tips-for-global-virtual-teams.
Studer Education partners with education systems to achieve measurable results that produce positive outcomes in student achievement and success, employee engagement, support services, financial efficiencies and productivity. We coach and support leaders to create great place to work, learn, and achieve. teach, students with a great place to learn, and parents with confidence that their children are getting a great education. Follow us on Twitter at @StuderEducation and visit us online at http://studereducation.com.
Filed under: How to Lead…, Who’s Engaged? Tagged: Change Management, Communication, Harvard Business Review, HBR, Leadership, Learning Exercises, Professional Development, Rounding, Virtual Teams 
