Ignite! Newsletter—March 2010 Article
Learning How to Lead in a Virtual Environment.
Experienced managers are often surprised that they have to relearn skills for managing performance in a virtual environment. Even the most successful face-to-face leaders have to fight an out-of-sight, out-of-mind, or micro-managing tendency that occurs when a manager is not able to see what a direct report is doing on a day-to-day basis.
It's a pattern that Blanchard's Senior Consulting Partner Carmela Southers has seen played out numerous times in working with hundreds of managers over the past ten years. The result is that managers either get shocked by poor performance because they don't have the opportunity to check in as frequently or they risk alienating employees with a domineering style.
As Southers explains, "I worked with one organisation where a remote employee went out on an extended medical leave. When the manager was deciding how to divide up the work among the remaining team members, she discovered that the remote worker was months behind in her projects. There were all sorts of things the manager had not noticed because of the remote relationship. There was a lot of work in the pipeline that had not even been started. As a result, other group members felt great resentment as they struggled to catch up. Both the co-worker and the boss were blamed because the manager had no idea that this person was so far behind.
"But you can make just as bad a mistake by overdoing performance management, without also managing the relationship. When that happens, people lose their level of engagement and feel that you only care about them for what they can produce. They can feel a lack of loyalty from, and to, the leader and the organisation. This can be particularly troublesome in a virtual relationship because remote workers can be more susceptible to leaving. Because they don't have a huge investment in a certain location, don't have to worry about relocating, and don't necessarily have to say good-bye to a group of people, it's not as big a deal for them to leave."
3 Strategies to Be More Successful.
To help managers and organisations do a better job of taking care of their remote workers, Southers recommends three strategies.
1. Be creative when it comes to relationship building. Sometimes you have to explore new options in getting to know people, and in sharing information. For example, a good leader will walk around in a face-to-face setting asking, "How is your project coming along? What else do you need?" At the same time they might ask - if they got to know you well, "How is the family?" The challenge for leaders is how to do this natural face-to-face behaviour in a virtual environment. As an example, Southers describes one call centre client she worked with who was sending a group of people home to work. "People were feeling a real sense of loss and missing that sense of community they shared such as when they were celebrating birthdays. So the manager had to get creative. She purchased everyone ?Happy Birthday mugs?. And they started a new ritual around birthdays. During their morning meetings she would have everyone have a cuppa and a cake, and most used their birthday mugs to celebrate a team member's birthday.' You've got to be really innovative and know what your team members think would be a fun and appropriate way to celebrate."
2. To improve productivity, focus on structure. Because a manager of remote employees can't see what people are doing, they need to be especially focused on managing outcomes as opposed to managing activities. And that means setting clear goals with specific outcome measures and ways to track progress. "It's also important for employees to be able to track their own progress. You need to have systems in place such as dashboards, or other data-gathering methods as projects progress. This helps managers get the data they need to know how the project is going. It also helps individuals doing the project keep track of how the project is going." As much as possible, organisations need to automate systems and allow employees to track their own progress. As Southers explains, "If you don't put automated, self-directed tracking programs in place, what often happens is that managers overcompensate by requiring manual reports. "Employees working virtually may feel that they are spending more time writing reports than they are performing work. Automated ways to track progress will free remote employees to spend their time on productive tasks and not just reporting out."
3. From an organisational standpoint, recognise that IT systems might have to change. In the same way that managers need to change and adapt, so too, organisations need to rethink some of the ways they approach technology resources. Individuals who are working remotely almost always require additional levels of technology support to be in place. Usually, the structures required to support people virtually will have to be beefed up. "And sometimes organisations don't realise that aspect of remote work,? says Southers. ?For example, imagine if people are sent home to work without additional computer support. It's difficult enough to be without your computer and in need of help when you're in the corporate office. When you're working from home or telecommuting and your computer goes down, it's a whole new level of challenge. Managers need to ensure additional systems and IT resources are in place for more immediate support."
"Many Benefits if Done Right".
Research over the last 10 to 15 years has shown consistently that individuals who are telecommuting, or working virtually, can be highly productive if systems are set up effectively. With proper management and support people can reach greater levels of productivity because they can more easily stay focused on the work at hand. By using creativity, structure, and support, managers can create a virtual environment that makes the most of the new opportunities that virtual work offers. It's a winning formula for the employee, the manager, and the organisation.
Would you like to learn more about Leading in a Virtual World?
Then sign up for the recorded webinar with Blanchard Ireland International!