TMA World Viewpoint 27 How Do Global Teams Develop?

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How do global teams develop or
more
importantly –
how do they
develop to be highly
effective cross-border units?
So
here’s
the
$64,000
question

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The nature of how we conduct our
business has changed dramatically over
the past twenty years and for a
significant number of us, that has meant
dealing with a new reality.
Being adept at collaborating with and
managing remote teams located globally
is an essential part of being an effective
player in this new arena.
How do global teams develop?

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When done right, global teams have
so many advantages over traditional,
co-located teams.
Just think of the variety of different
perspectives working within
multicultural teams can bring with the
benefit of utilizing time zones to their
maximum potential.
When the office in London is closed, San
Francisco is industriously beavering
away on a major software project.

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However, when done wrong, the
challenges can be significant.
Isolation, fragmentation and confusion
can lead to a breakdown in trust and
communication, leading to a lack of
effective collaboration.
This, of course, is not good for any
business.

6
Moreover, consider this
research by Tom Allen
from MIT:
People are not likely to
collaborate very often if they
are more than 50 feet apart.
When you look at it in those
terms, there needs to be
some real effort invested in
ensuring global teams
function efficiently.

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So let us explore what it takes to develop a global team.
Because of the unique challenges confronting global virtual teams, it’s
critical at the outset to build upon a strong foundation.
This means having a clearly defined purpose, complimentary roles and
responsibilities, very clear flows of frequent and honest communication
and the cement that holds everything together – a bond of trust.
Let’s take a deeper dive into these areas in order to get a
thorough understanding of how global teams develop…

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The cement that holds things together
Perhaps the most important ingredient when working in and developing
global teams is trust.
Without it you have nothing. Trust is a belief that there is a basic
order to things. In their book, “Why Teams Don’t Work”, Michael Finley
and Harvey Robbins write: ‘Trust is the blood of teams – the river that
carries it along, that pulses with life, that brings thought and power to
everything the team attempts.’
It isn’t that trust in teams is only ever important when working
virtually, but it is especially important to make a greater effort to
establish and sustain it when working in the virtual space.
So if you are responsible for leading and developing a global team,
think about how you build relationships with people you may never get
to physically meet and ask yourself these four questions:

9
1
Is there contractual trust i.e. do I keep
my word?
2
Have I established trust of competence
i.e. do I have the skills to support what I
say?
3
Does self-disclosure trust happen i.e. do I
share my thoughts and feelings?
4
Have I established a culture where people
do not feel persecuted and harassed i.e.
trust of intention?
If you can say
you have, then
you have gone a
long way already
in developing a
great global
virtual team.

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A clearly defined purpose
The importance of convergence cannot be overstated.
Without having and maintaining a clear purpose, direction and
shared set of priorities, pandemonium is likely to ensue.
Ask yourself these five questions:

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1 Does your team have a goal?
2 What is it?
3 Has it been communicated?
4 Does everyone understand it?
It may seem obvious but it’s critical that you fully
understand the purpose of your team and that your
activities totally support team purpose.
5 Has everyone bought into it?

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Some top tips to consider include the following:
 Create a purpose statement which includes a:
• Set of team principles
• Strategy plan
• Set of priorities
• Set of team performance measures
 Make sure everyone has the same understanding of team purpose,
etc.
 Eliminate activities non-aligned with purpose, etc.

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Some top tips to consider include the following:
 Lookout for surface alignment hiding team members on different
tracks.
 Manage local demands that could take members off-track.
 Revisit team purpose, etc., on a regular basis to:
• Reinforce
• Check understanding
• Check continued validity

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The more
elaborate our
means of
communication,
the less we
communicate
Excellence in communication
It’s especially important to have good clear
communication when working with global teams,
particularly when managing across cultures.
There are a multitude of circumstances when
communication goes awry, ranging from the
possible linguistic challenges some team
members may have if they don’t have English as
their first language.
Think about how you use your language.
“
”
so said Joseph
Priestley and he had
a point

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The more
elaborate our
means of
communication,
the less we
communicate
Do you check yourself when composing an e-mail
to a colleague who doesn’t speak great English or
do you fire it off, loaded with idioms and slang?
Do you modify the pace of speech on conference
calls or think about the cultural issues involved
when working with a culturally diverse mix of
colleagues?
“
”
so said Joseph
a point

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The more
elaborate our
means of
communication,
the less we
communicate
Are you too implicit when writing e-mails to your
German team and too explicit when
communicating with your Japanese colleagues?
Are you mindful not to interrupt and do you
paraphrase to ensure the message you have
conveyed has been understood?
There really isn’t an excuse for not being mindful
when communicating with global teams. Invest
time focusing on this and strategize your
communication.
“
”
so said Joseph
a point

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Here are a few tips to think about:
 Make sure the right information is getting to the right people at the
right time and in the right format
 Role model constructive communication
 Communicate one-on-one and not just with the whole team. Ask how
people are doing, and offer support
 Encourage social networking and spontaneity
 Develop agreements on a meeting process (Before, During and
After), and meeting protocols, e.g., turn-taking
 Recognize the strengths and limitations of available communication
technologies and select the right technology for the right job
 Develop shared protocols for using communication methods most
effectively, e.g., e-mail, teleconferences
 Develop consensus on shared protocols for different types of
communication, e.g., verbal, written

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Here are a few tips to think about:
 Encourage learning conversations (dialogues) not unproductive
debates
 Provide frequent and timely information and feedback
 Make decision making processes and outcomes clear

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The way we do things around here
When working with and developing global
teams, think about the variety of cultures
you will be dealing with.
There are many definitions of culture but the
one I like is a simple one. Culture is the way
we do things around here.
Each culture has its own set of values and
beliefs and that will be manifested in how
people interact, manage and reason.

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The way we do things around here
Reflect on your team and ask yourself this
simple question: Am I culturally savvy?
There may well be areas that you need to
focus on.
Stop being too direct with colleagues who
come from less direct cultures –
communication-wise. You’ll only be perceived
as rude. Don’t cut out the small talk and get
down to business with your Japanese
colleague. They won’t appreciate it as the
Japanese come from a culture where
relationship building is important.

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Managing across cultures:
Get to know the cultures you work with and improve your
cultural intelligence.
 Support a climate in which people feel respected, fairly treated and
valued
 Role model inclusive language, e.g., ‘we’ rather than ‘I’
 Role model inclusive behaviours, e.g., listening with an open mind,
flexibility etc.
 Show interest in other team member countries and cultures
 Be careful of denying or minimizing differences
 Work at developing cultural self-awareness

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Managing across cultures:
Get to know the cultures you work with and improve your
cultural intelligence.
 Prepare yourself for cultural differences, but focus on understanding
individuals on the team
 Try to work with the values/beliefs of a culture. Be creative
 Co-create shared agreements in areas where it is important to
establish common ground
 Look for opportunities to leverage differences to create value

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So these are just a few considerations when working with
and managing virtual teams.
Other things that inform on how global teams develop include
ensuring that work is aligned through clearly defined roles and
responsibilities and that technology and tools are used wisely.

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And ask yourself this
question:
How do global teams develop if
there is no way of understanding
how to leverage the knowledge,
skills and experiences of global team
members?
Think about the importance of
conducting a capability audit so you
have a much better appraisal of
individual skills and capabilities
within a team.
Where are the gaps and where are
the development opportunities?

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Where are the gaps and where are
the development opportunities?
Is there an opportunity to create a
global mentoring programme and
will this, in turn help build
relationships?

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All of these factors provide an
insight into how global teams
develop and develop they do –
some to a greater degree of
cohesiveness than others.

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Nothing in this life is guaranteed but
if you are in a position to implement
what has been discussed here,
there’s a very good chance that
you’ll increase the likelihood of
developing a great global team.

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and articles
Publications Written by Terence Brake, Director of Learning &
Innovation at TMA World.
Our new Borderless Working e-book series
About Us
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to discover the latest thinking
from our experts on global,
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and virtual working. There
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directly, so please don’t hesitate to send
any comments, questions or feedback
to us at: enquiries@tmaworld.com
Or visit our website:
www.tmaworld.com
About Us
Visit
www.tmaworld.com/insights
to discover the latest thinking
from our experts on global,
collaborative, cross-cultural
and virtual working

TMA World Viewpoint 27 How Do Global Teams Develop?

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TMA World Viewpoint 27 How Do Global Teams Develop?