{"id":20746,"date":"2017-03-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-03-21T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/global2020prd.wpengine.com\/insights\/how-team-leaders-get-buy-in-to-a-virtual-team\/"},"modified":"2025-12-08T16:05:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T16:05:12","slug":"how-team-leaders-get-buy-in-to-a-virtual-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.global-integration.com\/insights\/how-team-leaders-get-buy-in-to-a-virtual-team\/","title":{"rendered":"How team leaders get buy in to a virtual team"},"content":{"rendered":"

In today\u2019s Matrix Monday review (#MatrixMonday on Twitter) , senior consultant John Bland looks at ‘Strengthening Identification with the Team in Virtual Teams: The Leaders’ Perspective’ by Anu Sivunen.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

\"PhoneOne of the most common questions asked by leaders of virtual teams is\u00a0\u201cHow do I get good buy in to my team?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

At Global Integration, we have developed a range of tools and tips that help our participants deal with this challenge \u2013 tools that we know (intuitively) work and that our participants tell us they find useful and pragmatic.<\/p>\n

What caught my attention this this week was an article which was published in\u00a0Group Decision and Negotiation<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0in 2006, and which researched, albeit on a rather small sample, what leaders did to\u00a0\u201cstrengthen identification with the team in virtual team working\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Or to put it into our language – what leaders did to\u00a0engage their team<\/strong>, and how they\u00a0created a sense of community<\/strong>\u00a0within their team.<\/p>\n

In her work she focused on teams where the team members\u00a0\u201chave different cultural backgrounds, [\u2026.] often work in different countries and are professionals in their own fields [and] mainly communicate through technology\u201d.\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0So this is very relevant research to us.<\/p>\n

Written by Anu Sivunen from the University of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4, the article summarises her research work on four separate virtual teams.<\/p>\n

She found that successful leaders did four key things to create this sense of community within the team. They: –<\/p>\n

1. Cater for the individual<\/strong><\/p>\n

This means treating people as individuals.\u00a0 It means coaching and supporting them.\u00a0 And it means understanding and relating to their needs as individuals. \u00a0This doesn\u2019t have to be big things.\u00a0 For example one leader simply showed he understood the time difference:\u00a0\u201cIt must be awfully late for you\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

2. Give Positive Feedback\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

As an example here, Anu stresses the importance of focusing on what has been achieved, rather than what has not. Sharing good news and progress with the team is another simple way of doing this.<\/p>\n

3. Bring out Common Goals and Workings<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is all about knowing where you can jointly add value. \u00a0(For more on this topic Chapter 1 of our book Speed Lead on Star group and Spaghetti team is invaluable reading.)<\/p>\n

4. Talk up the Team Activities and Face-to-Face Meetings<\/strong><\/p>\n

What works here is to do specific team building activities \u00a0– or anything else which creates positive feelings about the team and the team members.\u00a0 This is best done (possibly it can only be done) face-to-face.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

All in all, I found the article a very useful reminder of what to do – plus, it\u2019s nice to have some research to back up our experience.\u00a0 If you\u2019d like some practical tips on how to do these four things even better, then please contact me.<\/p>\n

Why not…..?<\/h3>\n