Start with a Face-to-Face Meeting

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Starting with a Face-to-Face meeting is Tip #1 out of Four Tips for Virtual NPD Teams. 

Virtual teams have become a common way for cross-functional teams to achieve corporate goals in a cost-effective manner (1).  Advantages of virtual teams include cost savings, tax advantages, extended work hours, and ability to leverage subject matter expert (SME) knowledge among geographically dispersed employees.  However, it is well known that the quality of work tends to decline as the degree of dispersion increases.  With increasing distance, team members are challenged by the following (2).

• Difficulties in communication,
• Decreased task coordination,
• Lack of mutual support, and
• Declining cohesive actions.

Even low levels of dispersion (e.g. same building but a different floor) can lead to a decline in vital team functions (3). 

Because virtual teams need to be even more proactive, deliberate, explicit, and disciplined than traditional teams (4), formation of the team and initial kick-off of team activities plays a larger role.  The face-to-face kick-off meeting for a project should be held so that the team members can become better acquainted with one another.  As a last resort only if a face-to-face meeting is completely impossible and it is not feasible to temporarily or partially co-locate team members, a high-quality video conference can serve as a substitute for the face-to-face kick-off meeting (5).  Face-to-face communication is critical as the team forms and will enhance the team’s long-term effectiveness (6). 

The initial stages of any project are “make-or-break” for the team (5), whether it is a traditional, co-located, or dispersed team.  Teamwork is especially critical to generate high levels of creativity for breakthrough ideas (7).  Therefore, the kick-off meeting must include project definition and establishing team protocols or ground rules (5; 4). 

At the kick-off meeting, team norms should be established (5), including meeting and communication protocols, knowledge management standards, roles and responsibilities, and learning and growth goals for the organization.  Of course the team should define the project and agree on the expected delivery of the project outcomes at any kick-off meeting, yet these activities are even more important for virtual teams than traditional co-located teams.  These definitions and team behavior norms are typically captured in the team charter document. 

Communication and rapport among team members can be increased by a face-to-face kick-off meeting, including a “team-building” social activity (1).  Such social interactions are a necessity to effectively completing “real” project work (5).  Building trust among team members and establishing a common purpose far outweigh the selection of a set of technology communication tools.  Since social interactions are required to build trust and commitment among team members, the face-to-face kick-off meeting allows people to “put a face to a name,” resulting in improved working relationships.  This is also a great time to have team members participate in “trust-building” exercises using an expert facilitator.  Trust (1) is invaluable for the success of a virtual team (8). 

Any technologies that will be used for team collaboration, communication, or knowledge management should be introduced at the face-to-face meeting.  Adequate training on new tools and expected usage of these technologies should also be provided at the kick-off meeting.  To increase productivity of team members, this same technology tool set should be utilized continually throughout the project (9).  Any new or improved software should not be introduced during project execution until all team members have received formal training and agreed-upon communication protocols to utilize the new technology.

Other agenda items for the face-to-face meeting for a newly formed virtual project team follow.

• Establish and document common purpose (mission, vision, objectives, tasks, and expected outcomes).  Successful teams work toward a common goal with shared purpose and mutual accountability (1).  Project goals should be documented in shared group files or on a common team intranet. 
• Clarify stakeholder expectations.  This important step can eliminate later confusion during milestone development, project execution, and commercial launch.  If all stakeholders are unable to participate in the face-to-face or video conference kick-off meeting, their needs should be documented for the team via a stakeholder questionnaire, project summary, and/or team charter. 
• Understand team membership.  It is important for virtual teams, who may not have worked together previously, to understand the capabilities of other cross-functional team members (1).  For example, some team members play a core role in completing the project objectives, while others place ancillary or extended team roles (4).  Some team members are selected based on expertise and reputation (1), while others serve by diversifying the team to aid in brainstorming and innovation.

In addition to departmental representatives (e.g. marketing, engineering, R&D, and manufacturing), cross-functional project team members should cover a broad spectrum of behavioral styles, as well (5):

1. Direct / action-oriented,
2. Conscientious / analytical,
3. Influential / social, and
4. Steady / stable.

Team members should only be selected for participation in a globally dispersed team if they are qualified to do the work (10; 1).  A further advantage of a virtual team with diverse backgrounds is the ability to provide a broader knowledge base and increase cross-fertilization of ideas (11). 

Individuals from cultures valuing individualism (such as the United States) are more likely to participate in knowledge transfer than people from collective cultures (such as Thailand) (1).  However, a team member emerging from a collectivist culture is more likely to contribute to collaboration efforts(6).  Such behavioral differences need to be understood for dispersed teams to work effectively and to successfully complete project milestones.

• Building relationships and trust.  In all types of teams (traditional, co-located, cross-functional, and dispersed), trust becomes one of the most important elements for success (1).  Unfortunately, trust is also one of the most difficult characteristics for team members to build at a distance (5).  Certainly, the face-to-face kick-off meeting helps to accelerate trusting relationships between team members. 

As the story of Gung Ho! (12) illustrates, building an effective and cohesive team is not easy when team members are able to interact with one another in person, building successful virtual teams adds yet another set of challenges.  One practical method to help a dispersed team gain an advantage is to hold a face-to-face kick-off meeting for any project.  This will allow the team to get to know one another, build trust, and be ready to support one another as the project progresses.

GNPS Innovation members can donwload the full white paper Four Tips for Virtual Teams for just $3.95 (tax included), a discount of over 55% from the cover price.  If you enjoy this paper, upgrade your membership to GNPS Premier Membership for just the price of a venti mocha each month delivering dynamic thought leadership papers on innovation.  Don’t miss this special offer!

References

1. Greenberg, Jerald. Managing Behavior in Organizations. 5th . Boston : Prentice-Hall, 2010.

2. How Teamwork Matters More as Team Member Dispersion Increases. Hoegl, Martin, Holger, Ernst and Luigi, Prosperio. 2007, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Vol. 24, pp. 156-165.

3. Team Member Proximity and Teamwork in Innovative Projects. Hoegl, Martin and Proserpio, Luigi. 2004, Research Policy, Vol. 33, pp. 1153-1165.

4. Noble, Stu. Teambuilding Inc. teambuildinginc.com. [Online] 2009. [Cited: June 15, 2011.] http://www.teambuildinginc.com/article_virtual.htm.

5. From Experience: Leading Dispersed Teams. Smith, Preston G. and Blanck, Emily L. 2002, Journal of Product Innovation Management, pp. 294-304.

6. Multinational and Multicultural Distributed Teams. Connaughton, Stacey L. and Shuffler, Marissa. 3, 2007, Small Group Research, Vol. 38, pp. 387-412.

7. A Primer: Managing Dispersed Work Effectively. Adams, John D. 1, 2001, OD Practitioner, Vol. 33, pp. 9-15.

8. Managing Global Design Teams. Monalisa, Mitali, et al. July/August 2008, Research Technology Management, pp. 48-59.

9. Ketch, Ken and Kennedy, Jon. Unleashing the Power of the Group Mind with Dispersed Teams. s.l. : GroupMindExpress.com, 2004. White Paper.

10. An Empirical Study of Best Practices in Virtual Teams. Lurey, Jeremy S. and Raisinghani, Mahesh S. 2001, Information & Management, Vol. 38, pp. 523-544.

11. Managing the New Product Development Process: Strategic Imperatives. Schilling, Melissa A. and Hill, Charles W.L. 3, 1998, Academy of Management Executive, Vol. 12.

12. Blanchard, Ken and Bowles, Sheldon. Gung Ho! New York : William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1998.

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