Leading the Virtual Workforce - Group Cohesion & Indvidual Commitment
1. The Invisible Workforce
by Eileen Toogood
How do you lead a team you cannot see?
Many of us are familiar with the H.G. than it was even 10 years ago when
Wells character known as The Invisible people had to go to an office to log into
Man. A twist of science rendered him their desktop. 3
invisible—real but unseen. He could make • Ninety-seven percent of respondents to A Business issue
his presence known, speak, even move an AON Consulting Benefits and Talents Quick ReAd
objects, but it was unnerving to us because Survey reported that their organizations
we never knew exactly where he was or either planned to increase virtual work
what he was doing. and telework options or to keep them at
So it is with the invisible workforce—those the same level.4
About the Author
employees we rarely, if ever, see—who • According to a recent survey by
Eileen Toogood, AchieveGlobal
work away from us each day, sometimes in Training, AMA and i4cp, 63.5 percent
Performance Consultant
countries we’ve never experienced first- of respondents said that managing
hand. For more and more leaders, this virtual teams will be an important future For over 20 years, eileen has
describes their work groups – teams of competency, but only 36.5 percent contributed to the development
unseen people dispersed among different believed their managers have mastered it. 5 of AchieveGlobal’s sales,
sites. And although the virtual team is united service, and leadership products,
by common business goals and facilitated Virtual leadership implies boundaries that and delivered these programs
by technology, in interviews with virtual can be demographic, geographic, cultural, at all organizational levels.
leaders, a frequent theme emerges: “The hierarchical, or across functions and eileen holds a B.A. in History
issue of mistrust—‘How do I know they’re expertise. Several years ago, Yip and Ernst and education, and a Master’s
working?’ is huge and not easily overcome.” 1 introduced the term “boundary spanning degree in counseling and
leadership.” To support its importance, they Personnel services from the
The Talk About Leading surveyed 128 senior executives. university of Maryland.
Virtually
Working from a distance is becoming one • 86 percent of senior executives believe
of the great challenges of 21st century it is “extremely important” for them to
leadership. Consider these statistics: work effectively across boundaries in
their current leadership roles, yet, only 7
• Intel Corporation conducted a study percent of these executives believe they
that revealed approximately two-thirds are currently “very effective” at doing so.
of their employees collaborated with • 91 percent cite working across
team members located at different sites boundaries as important at the middle
and in different regions. 2 management level, but only 19 percent
• McKinsey and Company estimate that agree that middle managers were
40 percent of the work getting done in effective at it.
the west happens through interactive • 43 percent say spanning boundaries is
communication rather than through important for the entry level manager,
physical production. Working side-by- but only 8 percent feel that these
side or face-to-face is less important managers effectively do so.
Developing the 21st
century workforce TM
2. The results indicate a clear gap between perceived diverse capabilities and insights. Others saw face-to-face
importance and effectiveness in “breaking boundaries” at communication—and the travel associated with it—as a
all levels of the organization.6 luxury by organizations focused on cost-cutting.
Challenges From the Virtual World Moving Beyond Technology
Today’s workforce has gone well beyond select employees Dispersed teams “can outperform their collocated counterparts
working from home a few days each week. It is now when they are set up and managed in the right way”. 8 But what
commonplace for work groups to be comprised of dispersed is “the right way”?
individuals. And while co-located team members in remote
Most agree it is important for leaders of virtual teams to
locations are not invisible to each other, these groups, to the
master traditional leadership skills that provide feedback,
leader, often seem out of reach—an unpredictable unknown.
give verbal recognition, foster development, and manage
However, the leaders of distance-based teams are charged performance against business objectives. And while having
with achieving the same results as a co-located workforce. the know-how and confidence to use a variety of technical
tools and platforms is helpful, leading virtually also requires
Research from MIT confirms the capacity for results, as
a broader skill set to productively span demographic and
well as the leadership challenge. A study of 80 software
geographic boundaries.
development teams from 28 labs worldwide showed virtual
teams offer tremendous opportunities despite greater Effective virtual leadership relies on individual
managerial challenges. The research also showed that even contributions and team effort. Current research reveals
small levels of dispersion (people working at different sites) that breakdowns in a dispersed team often stem from
can substantially affect team performance. 7 lack of planning—or from communication that fails to
encourage dialogue. So while traditional leadership skills
In April 2011, as AchieveGlobal conducted interviews with
are required, a traditional approach is not enough. It’s time
leaders of virtual teams worldwide, common concerns
to revamp and retool.
were evident:
“You have to be able to trust your virtual employees – A Framework for Virtual Leadership
that they’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing. But The productive virtual team works as a cohesive unit to
sometimes it’s hard to tell.” meet goals in support of the organization’s objectives.
At the same time, team members feel valued as unique
“When you’re not physically looking at someone, it’s hard individuals. They are committed to do their best work, and
to make sure that you’re communicating effectively. You even to perform beyond expectations.
don’t have a sense of their facial expressions and posture. AchieveGlobal’s framework for virtual leadership is focused
You have a sense of disconnecting.” on two key elements—group cohesion and individual
commitment. To achieve cohesion and commitment, it
“A lot of work is done because of relationships. And it’s is important that the leader recognize and support three
much more difficult to build relationships virtually.” psychological needs.
“My direct report is seven hours ahead of me, so I have
a finite window of opportunity to communicate with
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“When I talk with my remote team members over the Au
phone, I’m not sure if I’m feeling the emotion. I’m not
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always sure they’re getting the message—or buying in.”
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In addition to the difficulties of collaborating from a IV
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distance, we also heard that some leaders feel handcuffed UA L IT M
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by cultural differences, unschooled in drawing upon
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3. Three Psychological Needs Individual Commitment – Engage virtual
More than 30 years of research conducted team members and support their efforts.
by Dr. Edward Deci and others—
collectively called “Self-Determination • Provide opportunities for success.
Theory” (SDT)—confirms that people • Take the initiative to communicate
share three fundamental psychological often and encourage team members to
needs, regardless of culture: competence, do the same.
relatedness, and autonomy. Satisfaction • Empower the group and individuals.
of these needs optimizes employee Encourage self-leadership. Resist the
motivation and raises productivity. temptation to micro-manage virtual
When these needs are thwarted, healthy employees.
functioning plummets.
In essence, make the invisible workforce
• Competence – Feeling valued as tangible to the leader and to each other.
knowledgeable, skilled, and experienced
Consider the Possibilities
• Relatedness – Collaborating with
Current trends suggest that virtual teams— Kate Lister & Tom Harnish, The State of
1
trusted colleagues and co-workers Telework in the U.S., June 2011
and the dispersed workforce—are here to 2
Principles for Effective Virtual Teamwork, Jay
• Autonomy – Exercising self-control, stay and will continue to grow. Organizations F. Nunamaker Jr., University of Arizona, Tucson;
within guidelines, to achieve business are counting on them to provide a level of
Bruce A. Reinig San Diego State University;
Robert O. Briggs, University of Nebraska at
goals expertise, diversity, and flexibility not always Omaha. Communications of the ACM
Magazine, vol. 52 no. 4, April 2009.
The role of the leader is to create the attainable in co-located teams. 3
Closing the Gap, Leadership in the virtual
conditions that allow team members to Consider the possibilities: One study found
environment, Commentary with Richard Harris
& Kate Cowie, Emerald Group Publishing,
satisfy these needs.9, 10 that virtual workers are “16 percent more Nov. 2009
How does this apply to the invisible productive than tethered counterparts.”11 4
Managing Virtual Teams, Bill Leonard,
HR Magazine, Society of Human Resource
workforce? Yet other research concluded, “In general, Management, Vol. 56 No. 6, June 2011
team performance tends to drop with 5
Developing Successful Global Leaders,
In many respects, creating the conditions increasing member dispersion.”12 Training Magazine, May/June 2011
to meet each team member’s needs is 6
Yip, Jeffrey, Ernst, Chris, and Campbell,
more difficult with a dispersed workforce. Which of these describes your virtual team? Michael. Boundary Spanning Leadership.
Mission Critical Perspectives from the Executive
Recognizing this, implementing strategies We know effective virtual leadership
Suite.Center for Creative Leadership
Organizational Leadership White Paper
and tactics to build cohesion and requires working across boundaries, Series, 2009.
commitment becomes a critical success however firsthand accounts and research
7
Siebdrat, Frank, Hoegl, Martin, and Ernst,
Holger. How to Manage Virtual Teams, MIT
factor for the virtual leader. These include: indicate a clear gap in the importance Sloan Management Review, 2009.
Group Cohesion – Provide the structure of virtual leadership skills and the 8
Siebdrat, Frank, Hoegl, Martin, and Ernst,
Holger. How to Manage Virtual Teams, MIT
required to get the work done. competencies currently demonstrated by Sloan Management Review, 2009.
leaders of the virtual workforce. 9
Edward L. Deci, “Why We Do What We
• Build a shared picture of success Do” 1995.
Leading the invisible workforce is no
to positively impact virtual team 10
Christopher P. Niemiec, Optimizing
easy task, but virtual leaders can begin to Employee Motivation through Support for
productivity. Basic Psychological Needs: An Approach
provide the structure and engagement to Organizational Coaching for Front-Line
• Make it personal. Help team members that has a positive effect. Building group Supervisors, University of Rochester
at a distance recognize how the work cohesion and individual commitment helps 11
Virtual Workplace Dos and Don’ts, How to
reap the benefits of encouraging employees
matters—that it leads to meaningful team members work productively from to work from outside the office and avoid
outcomes. a distance and achieve business goals. It developing a disconnected workforce by
Rachael King; Business Week’s CEO Guide
• Communicate clear direction and a can diffuse mistrust of people we cannot to the Virtual Workplace, 2007
consistent message. Set expectations that see and, ultimately, answer the leader’s 12
Siebdrat, Frank, Hoegl, Martin, and Ernst,
Holger. How to Manage Virtual Teams, MIT
encourage inclusion and responsibility. question: ‘How do I know they’re working?’ Sloan Management Review, 2009.
