Virtual Teams Report

AIM STRATEGIES ®
VIRTUAL TEAMS
TRENDS REPORT :

CHALLENGES OF VIRTUAL TEAMS

Copyright© 2010 AIM Strategies® Applied Innovative Management®. All rights reserved. www.aim-strategies.com

Table of Contents

• Report Background
• Key Findings
• Demographics
• Future of Virtual Teams
• Upcoming Events
• About AIM Strategies ®


Report Background

The lessons learned from past clients inspired us to
submit a book proposal in August of 2009 regarding
difficulties and techniques in managing a virtual
team. A month later the proposal was accepted
and we began interviewing virtual team members
and leaders to collect their stories for the book.

The interviews were conducted to enhance our
knowledge of virtual teams and the challenges that
they face in preparation for writing our upcoming
book A Manager’s Guide to Virtual Teams.

At the completion of the interviews we began an
analysis of the trends summarized in this report.
Their stories confirmed our experiences and our
findings from our past client work. However, we
also learned some surprising new trends around
how virtual teams communicate and the conflicts
and challenges they face.


Report Background
Data Gathering Data Analysis

• Use qualitative data as it provides a • Label the 150 interviews with a set
richer amount of information
of common key words and concepts
such as “misunderstanding”, in an
• Each interview was approximately
electronic format
1 hour, and limited to 2 hours
• Use a custom computer program
• 19 open-ended questions were developed onsite utilizing Extensible
Markup Language (XML) to
asked in a semi-structured format that
automatically categorize the data
allowed for a natural flow of
conversation
• Calculate statistics regarding how
many interviewees mentioned a
• Interview topics include:
particular issue or concept
communication, conflict, trust,
accountability, cross-cultural
communication, team set up, lessons
learned, and the future of virtual teams


Key Findings
Trend 1
Top Challenges – Communicating when every time zone is your time zone

With teammates located worldwide, members observed fewer
established time boundaries and often worked around the clock
(52%). Coordinating across time zones caused communication
problems (44%) while another obstacle was excessive multitasking
(18%) during conversations.

Trend 2
Building a Human Connection while replacing hallway chats

Even in the virtual environment, occasional face-to-face
communication was found to be vital for certain aspects of team
interaction, such as team set-up (24%) and conflict resolution (27%).
On the other hand, one aspect of building relationships, through
trust, did not require face to face communication as trust was
reportedly enhanced through regular contact with other team
members (63%), among other techniques discussed.


Key Findings
Trend 3
Conflict – When conflict arises, VT members do not hide behind their screen

The sources of conflicts differ from on-site teams, as the lack of visual
cues cause an increase in miscommunication (33%) or inconsistent
expectations (21%). Virtual team members used a variety of resolution
styles such as using the phone (40%) and mediation (18%).
As easy as it is to hide behind a screen and ignore phone calls and emails
when a conflict arises, only 7% of respondents used avoidance techniques.

Trend 4
Cross Cultural Communication – Lost in Translation

Cross cultural elements play a role in the effectiveness of virtual teams.
The most common communication barrier found stemmed from
misunderstandings related to the use of English (47%) which included
both varying interpretations of the same words in different cultures
as well as differences in overall competency levels.


Key Findings
Trend 5
Speed of virtual team delivery – slow and steady does not win the race

The speed of communication and timelines of deliverables vary
significantly as compared to on-site teams. Virtual teams
experience shorter deadlines (17%) often on a weekly or even
daily basis, as well as more frequent checkpoints in between
deadlines. Ninety percent (90%) of teams met “all hands” once
per week, while some met team-wide three or more times per
week (8%).


Future of Virtual Teams
Looking toward the future, the global economy is fundamentally transforming the way
business is conducted. According to 70% of respondents, virtual teams will increase in
prevalence and will be considered the norm (9%) in conducting business.
This trend will be experienced in part due to increased cost effectiveness
and the pressure of globalization. As this shift occurs, new technologies
will improve the performance of virtual teams (47%).
In addition, new techniques will be developed to overcome the unique
challenges encountered by virtual teams (11%), as more business
leaders become exposed to this type of environment.

The Future of Virtual Teams

Increasingly Prevelant 70%
Technology 47%
Improving 11%
Flexibility 9%
Increasingly Important 6%
Outsourcing 4%
Decreased Quality 2%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%


Upcoming Events

Book Campaign Date, Location, NY

Presentation Date, Location, NY

Book Publishing Date, Location, NY


Stay Connected
VT Book this August www.amazon.com/Managers-Guide-Virtual-Teams

VT Trends Report www.aim-strategies.com/AIMVTTrendsReport.pdf

AIM Company Website www.aim-strategies.com

Email: yael@aim-strategies.com
Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/yaelzofi
Facebook: www.facebook.com/yael.zofi
www.facebook.com/AIMStrategies
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/yaelzofi


About AIM Strategies®

AIM Strategies® Applied Innovative Management® is a results-driven Human Capital
Consulting firm specializing in the areas of: Virtual Team Training, Cross Cultural
Coaching, Team Building Facilitation, Global Leadership Development, and general
Transformational Change Services. Known for an innovative approach, which clearly links
with the client’s business strategy, AIM Strategies® can help you to develop global leaders
with the skills necessary for business success in the 21st Century. We are confident that
the solutions we develop fit your needs and culture. Please visit www.aim-strategies.com
to learn more about how our services unlock the people potential of your organization.


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