The Challenges of Working in Virtual Teams

VIRTUAL TEAMS SURVEY REPORT - 2012

55 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10003 Tel. +1.212.691.8900 RW-3.com Charlene.solomon@rw-3.com

2012RW3LLCAllrightsreserved.

CONTENTS
ExecutiveSummaryandAnalysis.................................................................................................................................. 3 KeyFindings............................................................................................................................................................... 4 KeyRecommendations.............................................................................................................................................. 5 Background.................................................................................................................................................................... 6 AboutRW3CultureWizard......................................................................................................................................... 6 SurveyPurpose.......................................................................................................................................................... 6 RespondentProfile........................................................................................................................................................ 7 LocationofRespondents........................................................................................................................................... 7 SizeofRespondingOrganizations ............................................................................................................................. . 8 SurveyParticipationbyIndustrySector.................................................................................................................... 8 DefinitionofVirtualTeam......................................................................................................................................... 9 DomesticallyandInternationallyBasedVirtualWork............................................................................................... 9 PercentageofVirtualTeamLocatedOutsidetheHomeCountry........................................................................... 0 1 SurveyResponseData................................................................................................................................................. 1 1 VirtualTeamSuccess............................................................................................................................................... 1 1 DifferencesBetweenVirtualandCoLocatedTeams.............................................................................................. 2 1 RatingGeneralChallengesFacedbyVirtualTeams ................................................................................................ 3 . 1 ChallengesYouFacePersonallyWhenWorkingVirtually....................................................................................... 5 1 MeetingVirtualTeamMembersinPerson ............................................................................................................. 6 . 1 ChallengesYouFaceDuringaVirtualTeammeeting.............................................................................................. 7 1 CharacteristicsofaGoodVirtualTeammate........................................................................................................... 8 1 SpecificTrainingforWorkingonaVirtualTeam..................................................................................................... 9 1 OnlineMeetingPlatforms....................................................................................................................................... 0 2 TechnologiesUsedtoCommunicateWithVirtualTeammates............................................................................... 1 2 OpenEndedComments.............................................................................................................................................. 2 2 RWCultureWizardsObservationsAbouttheOpenEndedComments ................................................................ 2 . 2 ParticpantsGeneralComments.............................................................................................................................. 2 2 AmbivalenceAboutWorkingVirtually:LoveItorHateIt ....................................................................................... 7 . 2 HowtoImproveVirtualCollaboration.................................................................................................................... 6 3 Conclusion................................................................................................................................................................... 0 4

2 Contents|RW3 LLC

EXECUTIVESUMMARYANDANALYSIS
InMarch2012,RW3CultureWizardsentout45,000surveyinvitationstoclients,colleagues,andothersengagedin globalbusinessactivity.Wereceived3,301completedsurveys,whichrepresentan8%responserate.Thatkindof responsetoasurveyofthissortisoutstandingandindicatestheimportanceofitssubject.Today,nearlyeveryone engaged in global business realizes that there are unique challenges in working virtually, relying on technology, andaddressingmultiplecultures. The most profound aspect of this survey is the seriousness with whichtheparticipants responded.We received completed surveys from participants in 102 different countries, and what is even more interesting is the mix of respondents. It is not surprising that the United States and the United Kingdom had the largest number of respondents23%and18%respectively.WhatissurprisingisthatIndiawasthethirdrankingcountrywith7%of therespondents.ItisonemorevalidationoftheprofoundandgrowingrolethatIndiaisassumingontheworlds economicstage.Italsoconfirmsthesignificanceoftheinformationtechnology(IT)sectortotheglobaleconomy. In addition tothe United States, United Kingdom,and India,the top15countries in the orderof their rate of response were Germany, Malaysia, France, Brazil, China, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Australia, Belgium, Ireland, and Poland. Together, these countries represented 2,102 participants (79% of the total). The remaining participantsrepresented87countries,supplyingmoreevidenceofoursurveysreachacrosstheglobaleconomy. Wecannotoverstatethesignificanceofasurveyofthissortattainingsuchahighresponseratefromsuchawide ranging population. Inthe global economy, working virtually affects everyone everywhere andit seems that everyoneisreadytoinvestenergyandtimeintogettingbetteratit. OneofthemostinterestingaspectsoftheU.S.,U.K.,andIndiatakingthetopthreepositionsamongrespondentsis thattheirrolesintheglobaleconomyaresignificantlydifferentfromeachother.TheU.S.hasadramaticallylarger domesticeconomythantheU.K.andIndia.Furthermore,whiletraditionallytheU.K.hashadasignificantglobal footprintandalwayshasbeenaglobaltradingpowerhouse,Indiaisnowemergingasoneandhasbecomeamajor exporterofintellectualprowessaswell. ItseemsthatbothU.K.andIndianparticipantsfelttheyhadagreaterchallengewithvirtualteamdecisionmaking than did their American colleagues. We have long suspected and observed that team members from the more directcommunication cultures would have an easier time working virtually than colleagues in indirect communicationcultures.Thesefindingsseemtocorroboratethatsuspicion.ParticipantsfromIndiaandtheU.K. founditsignificantlymorechallengingtomakedecisions,expressopinions,andmanageconflictthanAmericans. Thisisfurtherevidenceofthechallengesthatcultureswithmoreindirectcommunicationstyleshavewithvirtual teamwork. The magnitude of the challenge that virtual work introduces to productivity cannot be overstated. As human beings,wehavebeenendowedwithmultiplesensesandformsofexpressionthatwerelyoninourinterpersonal communication. When deprived of some of those senses and forms of expression, we must compensate with others. For example, when asking for directions in a foreign country, we find a way to get an answer by using gesturesandsignlanguagethatareseenandinterpreted.Inthevirtualworkworld,wearedeprivedoftheability toemployallofoursenses.Consequently,theinformationwereceivefromthesensesthatarebeingusedmustbe amplifiedandtranslated.Whenweapplythissituationtoateamconsistingofpeoplefrommultiplecultureswith differentpersonalstyles,thechallengegrowsexponentially.Tobesuccessfulintheglobalarena,however,each personmustbecomeaproficientandeffectivevirtualworker.Thissurveydemonstratesthatalargesegmentof theglobalworkforceagrees:becomingeffectiveinvirtualworkisalearnedcompetencythatmustbeacquired. RW3 LLC|ExecutiveSummaryandAnalysis

Interestingly,while theprevailing wisdomtells us that virtual teamsperform better if they meet face to face at leastonceayear,thesurveyfindingsdidnotsupportthis.Infact,therewasnostatisticallymeaningfuldifference between teams that met periodically and those that did not meet face to face at all. This is good news for the virtualworkworld.Why?Asthevolumeofglobalworkincreases,asitbecomesmorecommonplace,andastravel becomesmorelimitedbecauseofcostsandinconvenience,itisreassuringtoknowthattheperceptionsofpeople onteamsthatareentirelyvirtualarenotmarkedlydifferentfromtheperceptionsofthosewhomeetfacetoface. Fortunatelywearebeginningtorealizehowvaluabletraininginvirtualworkandinvirtualteambuildingis.

KEYFINDINGS
95% of respondents reported that they worked often or very often with people using the telephone, email,oranonlinetool. 87%ofrespondentsindicatedthatatleast25%oftheirproductivitydependeduponworkingvirtually. 33% of respondents indicated that at least half of their virtual teams were located outside the home country. 61% of respondents reported virtual work with individuals based both domesticallyand internationally; another22%reportedthatmostoftheirworkwaswithinternationallybasedindividuals;18%reported workingmostlywithdomesticallybasedindividuals. 66%reportedthattheirvirtualteamsweresuccessfulorverysuccessful,33%thattheyweresomewhat successful,and1%notsuccessful. Respondents reported that virtual teams were most different from facetoface teams in managing conflict(70%),expressingopinions(55%),andmakingdecisions(55%). Timezones(78%)presentedthegreatestgeneralhurdletovirtualteams,followedbythetimerequiredto makedecisions(74%),differentaccents(69%),culturaldifferences(59%),andlanguage(51%). The greatest personal challenges respondents faced were inability to read nonverbal cues (88%), difficulty establishing rapport and trust (75%), absence of collegiality (70%), difficulty seeing the whole picture(65%),relianceonemailandtelephone(57%),andasenseofisolation(47%). 41%ofrespondentsnevermetothervirtualteammembersfacetoface,and24%metonlyonceayear. The top five challenges faced during virtual team meetings were insufficient time to build relationships (79%), speed of decision making (73%), colleagues who do not participate (71%), different leadership styles(69%),andthemethodofdecisionmaking(55%). When respondents ranked the most important characteristics of good virtual teammates, they ranked beingproactivelyengagedfirst(19%),willingnesstoshareinformationsecond(18%),andtheabilitytobe collaborativethird(18%). Only 16% of respondents reported that they had received training to prepare them for working on a virtualteamanewquestion Regardingtechnologiesusedtocommunicatewithvirtualteammembers,28%reportedusingemail,27% thetelephone,19%instantmessaging,7%textmessaging(SMS),7%webcams,6%SkypeoranotherVoIP solution,3%othertechnologies,2%cloudstorage,and1%Yammeranewquestion. Regarding online meeting platforms used by virtual teams, 41% of respondents reported using Cisco WebEx,22%MicrosoftOfficeLiveMeeting,12%GoToMeeting,5%AT&TConnect,and4%AdobeConnect again,anewquestion.

4 ExecutiveSummaryandAnalysis|RW3 LLC

KEYRECOMMENDATIONS
Giventheimportanceofvirtualworkseffectiveness,itiscrucialtounderstandthechallengesthatvirtualteams share and the solutions that can be applied. The simplest and most farreaching solution is for virtual teams to havemorestructureandrulesforinteraction.Becausecultureandpersonalstylesdifferdramatically,andbecause participantsonvirtualteamsaredeniedpreciselythevisualandothersensorystimulithataremostneededfor sustaining a cohesive and collaborative team, people need to understand even more clearly what is expected, whatisappropriate,andwhattherulesare. It also is important to enable virtual teams to build trusting relationships. Trust builds incrementally, requiring consistent and continuous behaviors that encourage comfortable sharing and collaboration. Consequently, in additiontobuildingstructurefortheteam(mentionedabove),virtualteamleadersneedtocreateanatmosphere andculturethatwillfosterteamworkandcollegialityinatrustingenvironment. Participantsoftenexpressfrustrationaboutteammemberswhoengageinmultitaskingduringameetingandthe challengeofnotreceivingfeedbackfromcommentsbeingmade.Wehavefoundthatgoodleaderswillencourage teammemberstoprovideverbalfeedbackwithcommentsorothersignalsthatshowthattheyareengaged. We also have recommendations based on the openended comments provided by survey respondents. For example,manyparticipantswerefrustratedthateventhoughtheyregularlyconductedbusinessathomeduring offhours,thecompanyprovidedcomputerswerenoteffectivewhenoperatingoutsideofcompanynetworks. We also observed that participants from India and other countries beyond Western Europe and North America commentedmorefrequentlyontheimpactofcultureoncommunications,thechallengeoftimeszones,andthe absence of visible signals to aid in communication. It strikes us that if organizations want to obtain maximum performancefromvirtualteamsthathaveasignificantnumberofmembersfromIndia,specialcaremustbetaken toacknowledgetimezonedifferencesandtheirimpactonqualityoflifeaswellastheeffectofculturalinfluences oncommunicationstyles. Finally,wecannotconcludeoursetofrecommendationswithoutciting(1)theneedtoprovideemployeesinthe global work arena with a better understanding of the challenges they face when working virtually and (2) the tacticstheyneedtoemploytobesuccessfulinthevirtualworkplace.Inotherwords,trainingiscrucial,andsince virtual work is neither intuitive nor natural and by its very nature exacerbates cultural and personalstyle differencesitishardtoimaginethatenlightenedorganizationswouldnotinvestinbettervirtualperformance.

RW3 LLC|ExecutiveSummaryandAnalysis

BACKGROUND
ABOUTRW3CULTUREWIZARD
RW3CultureWizardisaninterculturaltrainingconsultancythatspecializesincreatingonlinetrainingtoolsande learningenvironmentsforitsclients.In2001,thefoundersofthecompanyrecognizedthatculturaltrainingwas neededbytheentirecorporatepopulation,notjustthepeoplewhoweretravelingandlivinginternationally.In responsetothatrecognizedneed,wecreatedCultureWizard.comtoserveasaculturaleuniversityandprovide tailored learning platforms for our client companies. As a result of the interests of our clients and general recognitionofthegrowingimportanceandcomplexityofvirtualwork,wesetabouttocreateanumberofcultural learningtools.Thesetoolsfacilitateglobalcollaborationandaddresstheimpactofcultureinvirtualworksettings. Thecurrentreportanditspredecessorin2010areproductsofthisendeavor.

SURVEYPURPOSE
The rapid pace of technological change and growing number of collaborative software options have facilitated virtual work to the point where it is now commonplace for teams of people from around the world to work togetherondifficultandcomplextasks.Mostoften,theseteammembersnevermeetfacetofaceinanysetting other than a virtual one. The efficiency of these virtual work teams has increased dramatically in recent years. Morerecently,thereductioninbusinesstravelbroughtaboutbytheeconomicdownturnandrisingfuelpriceshas madevirtualteamsmoreusefulthanever. Whileweallrecognizethebenefitsofaccessingtheintellectualpowerofaglobalworkforce,therehasbeenlittle focus on the challenges that come with working across time zones and across cultures. Nonetheless, there has been a growing awareness of the need for effective communication skills among virtual team members. This concernhasbeenvoicedbyourclientsandcolleagues.Inresponse,RW3CultureWizarddevelopedaVirtualTeam Tooltohelpimprovecommunicationskillsamongvirtualteammembers.Aspartofthiseffort,in2010weemailed apioneering17questionsurveyto28,034recipients.Itidentifiedkeyareasforimprovingcommunicationamong virtualteammembers.Sothatwecanmakeameaningfulcomparisonwiththatsurvey,wepresentedmanyofthe samequestionsthisyearinadditiontoseveralnewones.RW3analyzedtheresultsandpresentsthefindingsinthis report.Init,wehaveexaminedthefollowingkeytopics: Differencesbetweenvirtualandfacetofaceteamenvironments Generalandspecificchallengesfacedbymembersofvirtualteamsduringtheconductofvirtualmeetings Thecompositionofvirtualteams(homecountry,domestic,andinternationalparticipation) Relianceonvirtualteams Theuseofonlinemeetingplatformsandtechnologies Characteristicsofeffectiveinteractionamongvirtualteammembers Assessmentsofthesuccessachievedbyvirtualteamsandhowtoimprovevirtualcollaboration Theavailabilityofspecifictrainingsothatmembersofvirtualteamscanworkmoreeffectively

RW3 LLC|Background

RESPONDENTPROFILE
LOCATIONOFRESPONDENTS
The3,301surveyrespondentswerebasedin102countries(comparedto77countriesinthe2010survey).Inthe lefthandcolumnofthefollowingtable,wehaveidentifiedthepercentageofsurveyrespondentsfromthehome locationsidentifiedontherighthandsideofthetable.Countriesarelistedalphabeticallytomakethemeasierto locate. The figures in parentheses on the righthand side of the table indicate the participation rates of those locationsinthe2010survey.

Percent
30% 13% 7% 5% 3% 2% 1%

Country(2010percentagesshowninparentheses)
UnitedStates(23%) UnitedKingdom(18%) India(7%) Germany(5%) Brazil(3%),France(7%),Malaysia(1%) Australia (2%), Belgium (1%), Canada (4%), China 2%), Ireland (2%), Mexico (1%),Philippines(<1%),Poland(1%), Argentina(1%),HongKong(1%),Hungary(<1%),Italy(2%),Netherlands(1%), Russia(<1%),Singapore(1%),SouthAfrica(1%),Spain(1%),Switzerland(2%), Taiwan(<1%),Thailand(1%),Turkey(1%) Albania, Aruba, Austria (1%), Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bermuda (1%), Bolivia,Brunei,Bulgaria,Cameroon,Chile,Colombia,CostRica,Croatia,Cyprus, Czech Republic (1%), Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Mauritius, Moldova, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay,Peru,Portugal,Romania(1%),SaudiArabia,SerbiaandMontenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia South Korea, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago,Tunisia,Uganda,Ukraine,UnitedArabEmirates,Uzbekistan,Vanuatu, Venezuela,Vietnam,Zimbabwe * For countries with current survey participation levels below 1%, only those countries with previous survey participation levels of 1% or more have the previouspercentagesdisplayedinparentheses.

Other countries represented (<1%)*

7 RespondentProfile|RW3LLC

SIZEOFRESPONDINGORGANIZATIONS
The largest group of respondents (46%) represented organizations with more than 50,000 employees. The next largestgroup(24%)wasfromorganizationswithlessthan5,000employees.Together,theyconstituted70%ofthe survey participants. Representatives of midsized companies (5,000 to 50,000 employees) constituted the remaining30%ofrespondents.

SizeofOrganizationbyNumberofEmployees

24% 46% 10% 10% 10% Lessthan5,000 5,000to10,000 10,001to25,000 25,001to50,000 Above50,000

SURVEYPARTICIPATIONBYINDUSTRYSECTOR
More than onethird of the survey participants (34%) were from the finance, insurance, legal, and accounting sector. This was followed by participants from the information technology sector (23%). In addition, 10% were fromthepharmaceutical,medicaldevice,andhealthcaresector.

8 RespondentProfile|RW3LLC

DEFINITIONOFVIRTUALTEAM
Tohelpestablishadefinitionofwhatitmeanstobepartofavirtualteam,weaskedparticipantshowoftenthey workedonprojectswithotherpeopleusingthetelephone,email,oranonlinetool.Seventytwopercent(72%)of respondentsreportedveryoften,andonly5%reportedhardlyever.Inaddition,61%ofrespondentsindicated thatmorethan50%oftheirproductivitywasdependentuponworkingvirtuallybytelephone,email,chat,oran onlinemeetingplatform.Consequently,mostrespondentsappearedtoagreethatagroupofpeoplethatrelieson remotecommunicationtoolsis,indeed,avirtualteam.

HowOftenYouWorkbyPhone, Online,orEmail

PercentageofProductivity DependentonWorkingVirtually

5% 23% 72% Veryoften Often Hardlyever

10%

3% Over50%

26%

61%

25%to50% 10%to25% Under10%

DOMESTICALLYANDINTERNATIONALLYBASEDVIRTUALWORK
Sixtyone percent (61%) of respondents reported that they conducted their virtual work mostly with individuals whowerebasedbothdomesticallyandinternationally.Another22%indicatedworkingmostlywithinternationally basedindividuals,and18%reportedworkingmostlywithdomesticallybasedindividuals.

DomesticallyandInternationallyBased VirtualWork

18% 22% 61%

Domestically& internationally Internationally Domestically

RW3 LLC|RespondentProfile

PERCENTAGEOFVIRTUALTEAMLOCATEDOUTSIDETHEHOMECOUNTRY
Thirtythreepercent(33%)ofrespondentsindicatedthatatleast51%oftheirvirtualteamswerelocatedoutside ofthehomecountry.Inthe2010report,44%ofrespondentsindicatedthat61%ormoreoftheirvirtualteams werelocatedoutsideofthehomecountry.

PercentageofVirtualTeamLocatedOutsideofYourHomeCountry

Zero 1to25% 26to50% 51to75% 76to100% 0% 5% 10% 15%

15% 32% 20% 17% 16% 20% 25% 30% 35%

10 RespondentProfile|RW3LLC

SURVEYRESPONSEDATA
VIRTUALTEAMSUCCESS
Whenaskedaboutthesuccessoftheirvirtualteams,66%ofrespondentsreportedthattheyweresuccessfulor verysuccessful(combined).Thisresponsewasmorepositivethanthe2010surveys60%.Whilethisinformation confirmstheeffectivenessofmanyvirtualteams,33%stillreportedthattheywereonlysomewhatsuccessful,and 1%reportedthattheywerenotsuccessfulatall.

HowSuccessfulIsYourVirtualTeam?
1% 33% 54% 12% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Notsuccessful Somewhatsuccessful Successful Verysuccessful

11 SurveyResponseData|RW3LLC

DIFFERENCESBETWEENVIRTUALANDCOLOCATEDTEAMS
Virtualteamsweremostdifferentfromcolocatedteamsinthreeareas:managingconflict(70%),makingdecisions (55%), and expressing opinions (55%). The absence of visual and auditory cues seriously inhibits the ability to manageconflict,makedecisions,andexpressopinions.Itshouldbenotedthattheteammemberswhofindvirtual communication most challenging come from cultures where people are (1) more indirect in how they communicate and (2) where they rely heavily on body language and facial expressions. Consequently, in the absence of an ability to express opinions or manage conflicts among members, it is not surprising that virtual teamsfinditchallengingtomakedecisions.

DifferencesBetweenVirtualandFacetoFaceTeams

10% Managingconflict 6% Makingdecisions 10% Expressingopinions 9% Deliveringqualityoutput 11% Generatinginnovativeideas 0% 20% 40% 35% 39% 39% 20% 55%

70%

Lesschallenging 55% Morechallenging Nodifference 52%

45% 44% 60% 80%

Respondentsalsoreportedthatgeneratinginnovativeideaswasmorechallenginginavirtualenvironmentthan whenworkingfacetoface.Asseriousasitis,thischallengeisnotsurprisingbecausevirtualteammemberswho arelocatedoutsideoftheirhomecountriesmayfacethecombinedhurdlesoflanguage,culture,andtimezone differenceastheytrytocompletetheirwork.

12 OpenEndedComments|RW3LLC

RATINGGENERALCHALLENGESFACEDBYVIRTUALTEAMS
Thisyear,weexpandedthelistofgeneralchallengespresentedtosurveyparticipantsaddingthefollowingthree challenges:understandingdifferentaccents,culturaldifferences,andtimerequiredtoreachdecisions.Amongall ofthechoices,timezones(78%)presentedthegreatestgeneralchallengetovirtualteams.Thiswasfollowedby the three new survey choices: the amount of time required to make a decision (74%), understanding different accents (69%), and cultural differences (59%). Language was in fifth position (51%), followed by holidays, local laws,andcustoms(47%),andtechnology(46%).

RW3 LLC|SurveyResponseData

13

GeneralChallengesYouFaceonYourVirtualTeams

12% 22% Timezones 8% 8% 24% Timetoreachdecisions 4% 6% 15% Differentaccents 6% Verychallenging 4% 14% Culturaldifferences 7% 4% 11% Language 10% 2% 9% Holidays,locallaws,customs 9% 2% 10% Technology 8% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 34% 46% 36% 44% 36% 39% 41% 34% Challenging Somewhatchallenging Notchallenging Notapplicable 48% 25% 42% 22% 44% 14%

14 OpenEndedComments|RW3LLC

CHALLENGESYOUFACEPERSONALLYWHENWORKINGVIRTUALLY
Respondentsindicatedthatthegreatestvirtualchallengetheyfacedwasinabilitytoreadnonverbalcues(88%). Thiswasfollowedbydifficultyestablishingrapportandbuildingtrust(75%),absenceofcollegiality(70%),difficulty seeingthewholepicture(65%),relianceonemailandtelephone(57%),andasenseofisolation(47%).Inthe2010 survey,respondentsindicatedagreaterdegreeofdifficultywiththetopthreechallenges. Our own studies and additional anecdotal evidence indicate that the inability to read body language (which accordingtosomestudiesrepresents70%ofthemessage)leadstothebiggestchallengesthatvirtualteamsface. Inthissurvey,theinabilitytoreadnonverbalcueswasachallengeofvaryingdegreeto88%ofallteammembers. Furthermore, we believe it is closely linked to reliance on email and telephone communications and the lack of facetofacemeetings:wefoundthat41%ofvirtualteammembersnevermeetinperson.

VirtualChallengesYouFace

24% Inabilitytoreadnonverbalcues 2% 10% 9% Difficultyestablishingrapport& trust 2% 8% Absenceofcollegiality 6% 6% Difficultyseeingwholepicture 4% 5% Relianceonemail&telephone 2% 4% Senseofisolation 13% 0% 10% 20% 30% 12% 18% 17%

32% 32%

24% 23%

42%

21% 24%

41%

Verychallenging Challenging Somewhatchallenging

31%

42%

Notchallenging Notapplicable

34%

41%

31%

40%

40%

50%

RW3 LLC|SurveyResponseData

15

These findings indicate the importance for virtual teams to establish clearly defined structures, procedures, and processes. In addition, it is important for team leaders to be cognizant of the need to build team trust and establishrapportamongteammembers.

MEETINGVIRTUALTEAMMEMBERSINPERSON
Theinfrequencyofmeetingsamongvirtualteammembersunderscoredtheirvirtualnature.Forexample,41%of respondents never met the other virtual team members, and 24% met only once each year. Thirtyfive percent (35%)ofrespondentsmettwoormoretimeseachyear.Comparedtothe2010survey,agreaterpercentageof respondents met more frequently, and a lower percentage of respondents indicated that they never met in person.Thisisanencouragingsignbecauseitisgenerallyacceptedthatsomefacetofaceinteractionenhances theeffectivenessofvirtualteams.Theopenendedquestionselicitedevenmoreinformationaboutthisaspectof virtualteams.Againandagain,respondentsvoicedadesireformorefacetofacemeetings. Wedontrealizehowmuchinformationwemisswhenourconversationsareexclusivelyvirtual.Forexample,we recentlyconductedateambuildingsessiononafacetofacebasisfor20peoplewhohadnevermet.Wecannot overstatethevalueofthatsessionforbringingthisintohighrelief.Duringthesession,criticalinformationsurfaced that revealed longstanding confusion about holidays and the hours in a work schedule everyday items about whichweassumeeveryoneisalreadyaware.Asaresultofthisteambuildingexercise,werealizedonceagainhow during facetoface conversations and informal chats a vast amount of critical information that affects workplaceinteractionsistypicallytransferredinacasual,unconsciousmanner.

HowOftenDoesYourVirtualTeamMeetinPerson?

Never Onceayear Twiceayear Threetimesayear Morethanthreetimesayear 0% 5% 10% 15% 6% 18% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 11% 24%

41%

45%

16 OpenEndedComments|RW3LLC

CHALLENGESYOUFACEDURINGAVIRTUALTEAMMEETING
The accompanying chart lists virtualteam meeting challenges by the severity of the challenge. As in the 2010 survey,thetopchallengeswereinsufficienttimetobuildrelationships(79%)andspeedofdecisionmaking(73%).

VirtualTeamMeetingChallengesYouFace

Notenoughtimetobuild relationships Speedofdecisionmaking

11% 4% 7% 3% 8% 18%

28%

40%

22% 25% 22% 23% 19% 32%

44%

Colleagueswhodonotparticipate 6% 4% Methodofdecisionmaking 3% 8% Differentleadershipstyles 3% 3% Abilitytotakeinitiative 3% 3% Alignmentofobjectives 3% Dedicationandfollowthroughof members Needingtolistentomany opinions Qualityofperformance 3% Joiningmeetinglateorleaving early Adheringtoanagenda 5% 7% 2% 9% 14% 3% 3% 4% 3% 3% 13% 14%

41%

42%

21% 40% 28% 16% Verychallenging 35% 43% Challenging Somewhatchallenging 37% 42% 41% 38% 38% 40% 37% 44% 38% 36% 31% Notchallenging Notapplicable 15%

16%

5%

52%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% RW3 LLC|SurveyResponseData

17

Inthecurrentsurvey,thetoptwochallengeswerefollowedbycolleagueswhodidnotparticipateintheprocess (71%),methodofdecisionmaking(65%),anddifferentleadershipstyles(69%).Tohelpusdeterminetheranking sequenceforthesechallenges,weweightedtheresponsestoreflecttheirdegreeofseverity.Forexample,very challengingresponsesreceivedmoreweightinourcalculationsthanchallengesthatwereidentifiedaschallenging oronlysomewhatchallenging. Whiletheremainingteamissuescitedinthechartweresomewhatlesschallengingforrespondents,upto59%of participantshadsomedegreeofchallengewiththeremaininghurdles.Theresponsesunderscoredtheimportance invirtualteamsofteamstructuresanddefinedprocesses.Introducingthemwillnotonlyenhancethecomfort levelofparticipantsbutwillhaveamarkedimpactonperformance.

CHARACTERISTICSOFAGOODVIRTUALTEAMMATE
When we asked aboutthecharacteristicsthat made good virtual teammates, respondentsprovided results that resembled those in the 2010 survey. The most important characteristic was being proactively engaged (19%), followedbyawillingnesstoshareinformation(18%),beingcollaborative(18%),organized(16%),providinguseful feedback(11%),havinggoodsocialskills(10%),andofferingassistancetoteammates(8%) Perceptions about good teammates are culturally rooted. For example, in some cultures, sharing information is both a manifestation of power and a way of building relationships. Furthermore, in some cultures the bulk of informationsharingtakesplaceinofflinesettings,whicharehamperedinthevirtualenvironment.Furthermore, direct communicators (who are also low context) focus on sharing just the facts, which will leave highcontext communicatorsfeelingunderinformed.Globalteamleaderswouldbewelladvisedtodevelopplanstosharethis offlineinformationwiththeirteammembers.

AssumingCompetence,WhatMakesaGoodVirtualTeammate?

Isproactivelyengaged Sharesinformation Iscollaborative Isorganized Providesusefulfeedback Hasgoodsocialskills Offersassistancetoteammates 0% 5% 8% 10% 15% 11% 10% 16%

19% 18% 18%

20%

18 OpenEndedComments|RW3LLC

SPECIFICTRAININGFORWORKINGONAVIRTUALTEAM
When we asked if they had received specific training to prepare them for working on a virtual team, 84% of respondentsreportedthattheyhadnone,and16%reportedthattheyreceivedtraining.Thiswasanewquestion, andweweresurprisedthatthepercentageofteammemberswhohadreceivedspecialtrainingwassolow.Itis possible, however, that in many contexts, working on a virtual team is not perceived as an activity that incorporates new andpowerful psychological, intercultural, languagebased, and timezonerelevantfactors that haveanimpactonthelongtermproductivity,cooperation,andeffectivenessofteammembers.Areviewofthe many challenges and personal characteristics cited as desirable in a good virtual teammate, however, demonstratestheimpactthatthesecontextualfactorshaveonvirtualteammembers.

TrainingforWorkingonaVirtualTeam

16% Yes 84% No

RW3 LLC|SurveyResponseData

19

ONLINEMEETINGPLATFORMS
Whenweaskedwhichonlinemeetingplatformswereused,41%ofrespondentsreportedusingCiscoWebEx,22% Microsoft Office Live Meeting, 12% GoToMeeting, 5% AT&T Connect, and 4% Adobe Connect. This was a new question,andwethoughtitwouldbeimportanttoaskbecausevirtualteamsrelaysoheavilyoncommunication technologies.Withthisinmind,itislikelythatvirtualteammemberstendtorepresentthemoretechnologically savvyemployeesatmostcompanies.Consequently,itispossiblethattheirculturalandbehavioralprofilesarenot representativeofotheremployeesatacompany.

OnlineMeetingPlatformsUsed

CiscoWebEx MicrosoftLiveMeeting GoToMeeting AT&TConnect AdobeConnect 0% 5% 4% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 12% 22%

41%

45%

20 OpenEndedComments|RW3LLC

TECHNOLOGIESUSEDTOCOMMUNICATEWITHVIRTUALTEAMMATES
When we asked which technologies were used to communicate with virtual teammates, 28% of respondents reported using email, 27% the telephone, 19% instant messaging, 7% text messaging (SMS), 7% web cams, 6% SkypeoranotherVoIPsolution,3%othertechnologies,2%cloudstorage,and1%Yammer.Again,thiswasanew question posed because of the central role played by technologies in the daytoday activities of virtual teams. While it is surprising that the use of telephony has fallen to second place, the obstacle presented by time zone differencesandconcernsaboutinterruptingteammatesduringtheworkdayhavepropelledemailcommunication tothetopofthelist.

CommunicationsTechnologiesUsed

Email Telephone Instantmessaging(IM) Textmessaging(SMS) Webcams SkypeorotherVoIP Other Cloudstorage Yammer 0% 3% 2% 1% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 7% 7% 6% 19%

28% 27%

30%

RW3 LLC|SurveyResponseData

21

OPENENDEDCOMMENTS
RWCULTUREWIZARDSOBSERVATIONSABOUTTHEOPENENDEDCOMMENTS
UNEVENVIRTUALPARTICIPATION
Basedonmanycommentswehavereceived,whensomemembersofavirtualteamarecolocatedandothersare virtual and independent (talking on the phone, for example), the challenge for people working independently is multiplied because they must interpret communication cues without the facetoface advantages that their co located colleagues have. In addition, if there is bilateral communication between members of the colocated team,itaddstothechallengefacedbyremoteparticipants. Virtual work requires a significant amount of flexibility in the corporate structure. It also requires granting employeesadegreeofflexibilitythatischallengingforsomeorganizationsespeciallyfororganizationsthatare moretraditionalintheirapproachtoworkhoursandschedules.Someorganizations,forexample,haveembraced virtualworkand,infact,requireemployeestoworkremotelyatleastpartofthetime.Thoseorganizationsareat home with the flexibility required by virtual groups working across multiple time zones. In contrast, other organizations simply require employees to work on global virtual teams while maintaining traditional work schedulescreatingnewchallengeswithoutgrantingemployeesthemeanstomitigatethesechallenges. Whatistheresult?Notonlyaresomeemployeesexpectedtomaintainatraditionalworkscheduleintheoffice setting,buttheyalsoarerequiredtobeavailabletomeetthedemandingtimeschedulerequirementsoflatenight andpredawnphonemeetingsconductedfromhome.Evenorganizationsthatallowemployeestocompensateby reducingtheirtraditionalinofficeworkinghourshavediscoveredthattheiremployeeshaveahardtimeleaving theofficeearlyorcominginlate.Furthermore,additionalflexibilitymustbesupplementedbycompanyprovided laptops that operate efficiently and have adequate technical support when used outside the office. Numerous openendedcommentsreflectedthesechallenges.Toparaphrase,respondentsweresaying,Icanttakemyoffice computerhome,andmypersonalcomputerhastroublegettingontosomeofthewebmeetings.

COMMUNICATIONLANGUAGEANDQUALITY
Many respondents commented on the quality (or lack of quality) in virtual communications. Even people who foundgreatvalueinworkingvirtuallycommentedrepeatedlyonfourtopics: TheunevensoundqualityoftelephonecallsandVoIParoundtheworld Interactinginlanguagesotherthantheirownnativetonguesanddifficultyinterpretingaccents Developingtrustingrelationshipsusingonlywords Frustrationwithparticipantswhoweremultitaskingduringameeting

Thesefourcommunicationbarriersmakevirtualmeetingsfarmorechallengingthanfacetofacemeetingseven forpeoplewhoarepositivelypredisposedandcomfortablewithvirtualwork.

PARTICPANTSGENERALCOMMENTS
Weaskedsurveyparticipantstoaddtheircommentsattheendofthesurvey.Theyrespondedbydepictingtheir ownsuccesswithvirtualcollaboration,theneedfortrainingandleadership,bettergroundrulesandmanagement, morefacetofacemeetings,bettermatchingofpeopleandskills,predictionsaboutthefuture,oppositiontothe virtualworkplace,andsuggestionsaboutthesurveyitself.

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SUCCESSWITHVIRTUALCOLLABORATION
I am naturally an introvert, and having the ability to work from home but correspondanddirectprojectsinvolvingpeopleallovertheworldisaperfect compromise. The projects have all been hugely successful, and it's a joy to collaboratewithbrilliantpeopleinadozenothercountriestowardacommon goal.Acultureofmutualrespectmustbesetuponaprojectfromthestart. Its a great way to work, reducing a lot of stress (as travel consumes time andisstressful).Atleastafewdaysinamonthshouldbededicatedtovirtual workorworkfromahomeoffice.Internetchargesshouldbereimbursed. Virtualworkinghasmademylifesomucheasier.ButIworkmorehours.It isadoubleedgedsword. Remoteandvirtualworkisbeneficialforbothparties:thecompanyhasthe job/servicedoneviaaccesstocompetence. I love working virtually! It helps me to manage my life and raise two little boysatthesametime.Iwouldn'twanttogobacktobeinginanofficefrom9 to5everagain! I am a very social human and was hesitant about the offer to work from home.OnceItriedit,Irealizeditwasperfectforme.WhetherI'mintheoffice orathome,myteamisvirtual. We have created a virtual lunch once a month that coworkers can voluntarilyattend.Thishashelpedinbuildingrapportwithcoworkers. Virtualteamsrequireagoodinfrastructuretoovercomethelackofpersonal interaction. We use chats, videoconferencing, and audioconferencing constantlyinadditiontooneononeconversationsandemail.

TRAININGANDLEADERSHIP
Ithinktheimportanceofunderstandingandappreciationofcountry,culture differences, functional differences, and style differences is hugely important to making an effective team, along with a leader who appreciates and recognizesthechallengesvirtualteamsfaceanddoeseverythingtheycanto supporttheintegrationofworkandpeople. Continuoustrainingfortechnicalcompetenceisimportant. It is essential the managers drive virtual team collaboration; without managementbacking,peopletendtoonlyworkwiththeirownregions. Our team is successful because the leadership facilitates virtual collaborationandbelievesinit.

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Iattendedmyfirstvirtualleadershiptrainingacoupleofweeksagoandam alreadyimpressedwiththeimpactit'smadeinme. Cultural differences in online communication are the biggest driver of inefficiency.Specifically,manyculturesseemfeelrequestsoveremailarenot as high priority as verbal instructions. Also, asking questions or discussions are not common in many cultures. They are taken as a sign on incompetence.

GROUNDRULESANDMANAGEMENT
Beingvirtualcanmakeabadteamworseifnoonehastheperceptionand managerialskillstoperceiveshortcomingsandremedythem. Youmustbeorganizedandrespectfuloftimelinestobesuccessful. OurvirtualteamsareintheUSandIndia.AlthoughourIndianteammates clearly have a different management style, their ability and work ethic is outstanding. I would like to learn how to foster the same attitudes on our Americanteam. Feedbackplaysastrangeroleinvirtualcollaboration,asitisbasedonmany variablesthattakeawayfromitsaccuracyandeffectiveness. Myteamstendtoworkwelltogetherandgenerallyproduceagoodproduct. Why? I am not sure what the success is, but I am sure that it makes a difference to have a facilitator who is familiar and knows how to stimulate workacrosscultures,boundaries,andtechnologies.

FACETOFACEMEETINGS
I feel that a strategic mix of virtual and facetoface would be a successful andsustainableworkflow. It is hard to work in virtual teams, but in my experience, it is easier if you knowtheteamwellandregularlyspendsometimewiththemfacetoface. Meeting your team in person every couple of months helps tremendously. Youthenhaveyourchancetobuildrapportandgettoknowyourteam.

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MATCHINGPEOPLEANDSKILLS
Virtualteamsaregoodifthepeoplehaveaveryhighlevelofdiscipline.Itis veryeasytolosetrackofteamperformancewhenyouarethousandsofmiles away.Averyimportantpartisthetechnologicalfacilitiesyouhavetoachieve efficientteamwork.YourteamneedstobequiteskillfulinWebEx,fileservers, web cams, cloud computing, VoIP, etc., because if not, this will hurt productivityalot. I work on several virtual teams interacting with staff in the US and internationally (mostly in India, but also in other locations). The success of virtual teams seems directly correlated to the language skills of the participants(abilitytounderstandeachother). I've worked in a virtual international team for nearly 10 years. I cannot imagine working in a "real" office with people physically present. Weird.... Wishthetechnologymatcheduptopeoplesdesiretoworkwelltogether. Thechemistryofvirtualteamsisveryimportanttotheirsuccess.Youneedto choose the team members very carefully. It is important that they be proactiveandgoodteamplayersalwayswillingtohelpothers. Mytwoclosestcollaboratorsoneachprojectteamareinthesameofficeas me,soeventhoughthemajorityofmyteamisnotonsite,thecoreteamis. Thisprobablyimprovesmyexperience! I find that international teams are much easier to work with than US domesticteams.Ithinkitsbecauseitsexpectedthatwhenaninternational teamcomestogether,thecosttomeetfacetofaceisprohibitivesoeveryone quicklyfindsawaytoworktogethereffectively. There is not a onesizefitsall solution. Meeting face to face is useful for most teams. Having shared objectives and/or management goals also is useful.

PREDICTIONSABOUTTHEFUTURE
Virtualworkingisheretostayandwillbecomemoreprevalentasthequality of broadband connections increases. There is a huge cost savings for companiesandfortheenvironmentwithincreasedvirtualworking. Weseeahugeneedtoallowmorevirtualworkingforourstaff,butdueto technology,resources,andoldschoolthinkingatoursite,itgetsputonthe backburneryearafteryear. The tools are improving for this all the time, and peoples experience and [knowledge of] how to participate in virtual teams is improving as well. It doesneedtobebackedupwithrealfacetofaceteambuildingaswelltore enforcingtheteamcultureandrelationships. RW3 LLC|OpenEndedComments

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Until such time as global deliverables have a documented yearend local performancemanagement impact [and] accountability, [it is futile]]. [For example],ifIamrewardedbylocalmanagement[only]fortakingcareofour own back yard but do not feel any [positive] impact [for] having sat in on global team meetings all year and produced nothing, well, the impact from that behavior is felt globally across all regions. What a waste of time and resources. Yet every region will complain about the same 'head office' problems. Selffulfilling prophecy. We are creating the problem that we complainaboutbynottrulysupportingglobalinitiatives. Thepositiveenvironmentalimpactofvirtualworking,inreduceduseofcars andothermeansoftransport,shouldbekeptinmind.

OPPOSITIONTOTHEVIRTUALWORKPLACE
Peopleexpectimmediatefeedbackbecauseofthetechnology.Thisisoften unrealistic, as is the endless gathering of data , much of which is duplication...Also, over a year, there is so much stress through issues with clunky systems, poorly constructed online training modules, computer slowness,andfreezesthatIwouldprefertowritealetter!Icravethemoment whenIleaveworkandonlyuseacomputertolookatfamilyphotos.Ihate computers not the technology itself, but the oppressive way it is used in workplacestoaddtopeople'sstresslevels. The trend will not reverse, and technology is not keeping up with expectationsanddemands. People who have a job are working incredibly long hours. It is not sustainable,andcompaniesneedtorecognizeanddealwiththestresslevels, whicharequiteevident. VirtualWorkisapainintheneckperiod.Differentcultures,differentwork ethics, different business processes, different philosophies all get in the way ofgettingthingsdone.Prefertoworklocallywherepeoplecan'thide. Seeking low cost employees in differing regions doesn't solve all your companysneeds,anditbringswithitmanymoreobstaclesthanbuildingon establishedprocessesyouhavealreadyspentyearsestablishing.Soonallthe big companies will have lost so much knowledge, experience and loyalty, I foreseeproblemsinthefuture

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SUGGESTIONSABOUTTHESURVEYITSELF
Huge need to improve the quality of culture wizard and to give a non US centricopinion!Currently,ithasanegativeimpact! Again I don't think the survey is very good at explaining if the question is askingabouthowmyperformanceiseffectedorifthequestionisaskinghow Iviewtheperformanceoreffectonthevirtualteam. The survey has asked only nationality. It should also consider people who workinaforeignlocationanddealwithvirtualteams. On the final report, if there could be some useful links to virtual team management or team building info, tips, discussions, etc., that would be great. My nationality is British, not United Kingdom; the list you have given for nationalityisalistofcountrieswhichisnotthesamething. Survey should be designed more efficiently with progress bar and status. Mostusersmightleavethesurveymidway. Youdescriberemoteworkingmorethanvirtualworking.

AMBIVALENCEABOUTWORKINGVIRTUALLY:LOVEITORHATEIT
Wereceived1,677commentstothisquestion,andthefollowingselectionattemptstodisplaytherangeoftopics thatwereraised.Afterreviewingthevastnumberofcomments,itbecameclearthatthepersonalpreferencesand characteristicsofteammembersdeterminedthesuccessorfailureoftheteam.Althoughmanyrespondentswere abletodistinguishboththepositiveandnegativeaspectsofbothtypesofworkingenvironments,attimesthere seemedtobetwodistinctsetsofrespondents: For some, the virtual work environment was fraught with delays, long or inconvenient hours, a lack of needed body language and other visual cues, a heavy load of followup tasks, communication with unknown or faceless workers who seemed less important as a result, long email chains that were confusinganddifficulttointerpret,poorqualitysoundandvideosystems,computersnafus,andtheusual mishapsofwrittencommunicationwhenlanguagechallengesarose. Forothers,however,thevirtualenvironmentprovidedgreaterpersonalfreedom,costsavings,andtime efficiencies.Italsorelievedthemofthepersonaldiscomfortofinterpretingdifficultaccents,engagingin awkward or imprecise verbal communication, experiencing personal hearing problems during conversations,andthediscomfortofassertingoneselfinfacetofacepublicsettings.

Withsuchanoticeabledisparityinperceptions,wedecidedtofirstdisplaythecommentsofpeoplewhofoundthe virtualworkplacetobemorechallengingthanfulfilling.

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LACKOFPARTICIPATION,INNOVATION,OPENCOMMUNICATION,ANDTEAMDYNAMICS
many people multitask while on phone calls or WebEx; thus it is more difficulttogetfocus. theissueofmakingeveryonefeelequallyinvolved. Onaconferencecall,itshardertoparticipate. Somecolleaguesaremorewillingtobecandidinfacetofacemeetings. need to brainstorm and the impromptu discussions and personal relationshipdevelopment. more difficult to work outside of the meetings informally. You cant just walkovertosomeonesofficeandchat. The thing I miss most working remotely is picking up important details throughoverheardofficeconversationsorinthelunchroom.Nobodywould thinktoputthesethingsinanemail. Thereisnospontaneity,noimmediatewayofbouncingideasoffoftheteam members. Discussing subjects by phone is easier when you know your contact and knowhowhebehaves. Facetofacecreatesmore[ofa]teamenvironmentandtrustfactor. Fluidityoforalcommunicationishamperedbythevirtualenvironment. Cannotpickupbodylanguage. Workingfacetofacefeelsmorehuman. Socialisolation. Buildingrapporttakesmuchlonger. The abilityto interactandbounce ideas/concepts [around] with colleagues when the thought occurs, making assumptions about what others are thinkingordoing,managingdeadlines,culturaldifferences

INEFFICIENCYANDTHENEEDFOROVERSIGHT
[The]needforfollowupismorecritical,withthedelugeofemail. Facetoface meetings or online meetings bring urgency to complete a task/project. Muchmoremanagementoversightisrequiredasitiseasytohaveactivities slip and inefficiencies happen due to offline communications and time differences.

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You must manage the time you have with your virtual team by setting up clearagendas,sendingthemoutaheadofthemeeting,withmorefollowup between meetings to ensure the meetings are productive [with] joint understandingofexpectationsandaccountability. Participantsinaphysicalmeetingaremorefocusedonthetaskathandand wanttoreachaconclusionandgetout. It is more difficult to stick to urgent timelines in virtual projects since it's much easier to ignore an email than a person who comes to your desk to demandaresponse! Thingsgetdonefasterandaccuratelyfacetoface. Facetofacecommunicatingismoreefficientasthevisualcuesareeasierto pickup.

LANGUAGECHALLENGES
InenvironmentswhereEnglishisasecondlanguage,itisimportanttofocus ontheintentofthediscussionandnotjustthewords. When English is not everyones first language, there are instances of misinterpretation, especially working virtually. Virtual working loses the added inputs of facial expression and body language, which significantly improveclarityofmessage,judgmentofmood,andunderstanding. tounderstandthedifferentaccentofEnglishinadifferentcountry.

DELAYSANDLIFEBALANCEPROBLEMSCAUSEDBYTIMEZONEDIFFERENCES
The time difference between the various regions of the world restricts the quality as sometimes you are calling late in the evening to connect with someone in their morning (or vice versa). The coordination of this in additiontothelongdaysmakesITachallenge. Hardtogetrealtimefeedback. availabilityofpeople. It is also a challenge [with] time zone difference and having to wait for a response. Complexityincreasesexponentially.Forexample,theapprovalprocess. Scheduling meetings or phone calls across different time zones adds stress forteammembersthathavefamilies. Withvirtualenvironments,theworktimeisbasically24hoursaday.

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Lossofwork/lifebalanceworkingwithdifferenttimezones. Longerresponsetimewhenthingsarereallybad,andyouwantaresponse rightaway.Youareattheirmercytocontactyouback,andsometimesthey dont. Time zone challenges can make certain types of work take longer because thereisonlysomuchtimeinthedaythatoverlaps.Alsoitcanbechallenging to accomplish tasks that require lots of time working together over a short time period for example, in innovative work where we need a week of working together all day.That is more effectivein person unless people are willingtoworkoffhours. ItiseasytoworkbetweenEuropeandtheUnitedStates,becausewehave half a day together. It is more challenging to work with colleagues in India because all meetings need to occur before 8:30 a.m., and some members of my team have childcare issues where they are unable to work before this time.

DIFFICULTYGAUGINGCOMPREHENSION,ASSENT,ANDOFFENSE
One must be careful of the language used when emailing as it can be construedinadifferentwaythanyourintention. Miscommunication occurs more often in virtual environments compared to facetoface. It is easier to resolve/learn how to resolve troubleshooting/system issues whenIamfacetoface. Contextwhenyoucannotseesomeonesfaceandbodylanguage. Youhavetotellyourcolleaguesabouteverythingyouaredoingratherthan themjustnoticing.Thiscanaffectthevalidationthatworkersneedasakind ofassurancethattheyareontherightpathorthatpeoplevaluethework. Infacetoface,IcanreadexpressionsandknowifImbeingunderstood. withoutthefacetoface,ittakeslongertoverifythattheotherpartyhas fullygraspedwhatisbeingexpressed. Body language and facial expressions are key to human communications. We naturally react to these tells from others without even knowing it. Technology removes much of this, requiring what comes natural to be convertedintowords.Muchislostintranslation.IfIdontseeyourollyour eyes during ateam conferencecall,Ihave noclue youmay have influenced someatyourlocationsittingaroundthesametable.Thisleavesmepowerless toadjustmyposition/argumenttowinyouandthoseyouveinfluenced.

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Inthevirtualenvironment,Ican'tjustsitwithmycolleagueandtalkthrough somethingaseasily.Ifinditmoredifficulttounderstandwhattheysayonthe phone,duetothedifferentaccent,soIusevideoconferencequiteabit.Ithen can understand what they say more clearly, but importantly Ican usea flip chartorwhiteboard,andthisisliketalkingsomethingthroughwithapieceof paperinfrontofustodrawthediagramaswechatetc. Lack of Participation, Innovation, open communication, and team dynamics. Lessopportunityforwatercoolermoments,whenyoumakebreakthroughs inideas,orunblockingroadblocksbyinterpersonalreaction. You need to connect with people. There is no way to connect with people virtually.Itisinefficientwhenconflictsariseortobrainstorm.Byexperience, wehavedoneintwodaysoffacetofacemeetingwhatwecouldnotachieve intwomonths.

MANAGEMENTANDCULTURALDOMINANCE
Offshoreworkerstendtogetpigeonholedintotasksthatthelargestgroup knowstheycandoefficiently,thenignored.Wecanfightthistendency,but the focus of decisionmaking and planning is always with the largest group thatcanmeetfacetoface. When your supervisor is not in the same place you are, it is going to be difficult to be considered for a promotionthe [person who gets the] promotionisbasedinthesamespotasthesupervisor. Imuchpreferfacetoface,especiallywithinternationalpartners.Weknow from numerous studies that non verbal communication is extremely important and this is completely lost over the phone and is only somewhat recovered by video conferencing. Also, I find that decisions that could be madein15minutesfacetofacesometimestakeweeksoverthephone.Itend tobelievethatsomeexecutivesinourbusinessarelosingthetalentnecessary to effectively manage and build relationships because they do not get the necessary facetofacetimewith their direct reports and colleagues.Instead of people talking to each other one on one to solve problems, we build PowerPointpresentationsthataretimeconsumingtobothcreateandreview, andthenweshowtheminsteeringcommittees.Often,itisnotthebestidea that wins but rather the best deck (which may or may not be an accurate representationoffacts).Additionally,Ihaverecentlyseensituationsinwhich keycommunicationpointsareavoidedwhenapprovingandthendeploying certaininitiativeswhichmakestheprocessdeceptivelyeasyupfrontonlyto causehugeproblemsdownstream.Thisiseasilydonevirtually,butyouwould behardpressedtogetawaywithitinafacetofaceenvironment.

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When you are leading teams and projects, it is not the same to make an impression on a team in person as virtually very important moments and keydecisionsarebettertobemadefacetoface. Peopletendtospeakinhighervoicetoneandwithstrongerwordsespecially duringconflictsituationswhenhavingnonfacetofacemeetings. People in Europe and Americas or outside South Asia do not stretch at allNomatterwhatissaidaboutworklifebalance,peoplejustpaylipservice toitwherefolksinIndiaandSouthAsiaareconcerned. Inafacetofaceenvironment,itismucheasiertofullyunderstandpeoples contributions. Workingvirtual[makesit]difficulttoholdtheteamtogetherandontrack particularlywithprojectsacrossdisciplines. Greaterneedtorevisittopicscoveredinpreviousconversationsusuallydue topartiesinterpretingdiscussionsdifferently. Bureaucracy,redtape,delaysinresponsetimes. Requiresmuchmoreplanningandtightschedules,generatesadministrative overhead. Invirtual,ittakesactivemanagementtoensurethateveryonewhowantsor needstobeheardisheard.

TECHNOLOGYBASEDCHALLENGES
Technologysometimesconnectivity(phonelines,Internetserver,etc.)may beslowornonfunctional. Ihavenotyetseenonlinewhiteboardtoolsthatareasatisfactorysubstitute forbeinginaroomwithawhiteboard/flipchart. The worst part is the VPN [virtual private network] connection and not havinganITpersonavailabletoworkonmycomputerinperson. Conflicts for resources [are a problem], for example, video conference facilitiesdifficultiesinunderstandingbothsideswhenvideoconferencingto Chinabetter[touse]telephonealone. systemperformanceandeaseofretrievingdocuments. havingaccesstotherighttools. Phonesnotworkingproperly.

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Instarkcontrasttothosewhodidnotthriveinavirtualworkenvironment,manyrespondentsfoundthevirtual environmenttobefulfillingandpositivebothprofessionallyandpersonally.

TIMEANDCOSTSAVINGS
Insomecases,however,thesetimezoneshiftsenableustoworkfastersince work can be performed while one team is out of the office. They see the resultsofotherteamswhentheyreturntoworkthenextday. Commutetimeisspentactivelyworkingasopposedtononproductivetime. mucheasiertomanagemytimeefficientlywhenworkingvirtual.Nobody stopping by to ask questions or chat. I can ignore an instant message for a momentsothatIcancompleteanemailmessage.Thingslikethat. greatercontrolovertimemanagement.Youdon'tgetcaughtupinoffice gossiporpoliticsasoftenasyouwouldifyouwereinanoffice. People say that you cannot and should not multitask, but I disagree. If all mymeetingswerefacetoface,Iwouldneedatleast3morehoursinadayto geteverythingdone.BybeingabletositatmyPCwhileIamonthephone,I canworkalotmoreefficiently.Ifinditperfectlypossibletodotwothingsat once. Virtual communication is a far more efficient way of communicating messages. You can express your thoughts clearly and precisely, without interruption and without being influenced by the moods, attitude, and sometimes stressful reactions of the person you are communicating with. Also,youhaveapreciserecordofyourcommunication. Cost savings are significant. Workloads have increased but are easier to manage. Lesstravelandmorefamilytimeispossibleworkingvirtually. Itsavesalotoftravelcost. working remotely allows me to concentrate on my tasks and be more productivebyworkinginalessdistractingenvironment.Workingfacetoface inthebranchenvironmentisnecessary,butasamemberofmanagement,I findmyselfcontinuallyinterruptedanddistractedbywalkinclientsandstaff questions. Many times I have to remove myself from the branch lobby to concentrateandfinishmydutieswithquality. Im more productive working virtually as there are fewer interruptions and watercoolerchitchatsthatcanwastetime.

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GREATERPARTICIPATIONANDVARIETYOFVIEWPOINTS
Working virtually also allows you to develop fuller working relationships with people geographically further away than you would be able to do otherwise. Working virtually leaves freedom for open discussion, which sometimes seemsdifficultinfacetofaceenvironments. I can sometimes reach more people more often than if I wait to see them face to face. It allows theclient to respond on their own time versuson my time.

BENEFITSFROMLEADERSHIPANDFLEXIBILITY
if you want to have a global team that achieves excellence (rather than just getting by), a lead in particular has to have very flexible hours, [for example],beingonlineintheeveningsandabletohoponWebExwhenever neededtoprovidetraining,guidance,etc.,whichshouldmeanthatyoumight takeofffromtheofficeacouplehoursearlythenextdaytomakeupforit. conferencecallscoveringmultiplelocationshavebeenanacceptedpartof mybusinesslifeforquiteafewyearsandareeffective.Theyrunsmoothest and any differences from inperson meetings are especially mitigated when mostoftheparticipantsareusedtoworkinginthisway.

SUPERIORACCURACYANDUNDERSTANDING
When using instant messages or emails, I have no problem understanding whathasbeensaid.Ihavetroubleunderstandingsomevoices. virtual projects almost always have a written record of every step. In a company where we do a lot of our discussing around the coffee machine, having a written trace of the decisionmaking process is an unexpected bonus! I have the greatest respect for people who can communicate in more than one language (and am frustrated by my inability in that area!). However, sometimeswritten/emailcommunicationsworksbetterthanconversation,if thelanguageisnotfluent. Since I am an expat working in Japan, I find that dealing virtually with colleaguesinotherglobalofficesiseasierbecausetheyhaveasimilarcultural style to mine. I am unsure about a lot of the rules to deal with Japanese colleaguesinmyoffice.

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GREATERTEAMMOTIVATIONANDBETTERWORKLIFEBALANCE
Sometimes the group really appreciates not having to travel so they are moremotivatedtomakeitworkvirtually.Theoptiontoworkvirtuallycan be motivating if it provides the people involved better work/life balance (flexible hours, limited travel, etc.) and if they have the right tools to collaboratevirtuallyeffectively. thereislesschallengeinworkingvirtuallyifyouhavegreatcollaboration toolsandteamswillingtoworkduringvariedhours(tomaximizeoverlapping work hours). This can also be a huge benefit for people that prefer to work nonstandard work hours. Across the board, I would say that the more challenging and less challenging ratings above depend significantly on the peopleandtechnologyinvolved. Ifyouareaselfmotivatorandcreative,workingvirtuallygivesyouroomto move at your own pace without being slowed down. On the other hand creativity often comes through [the] stimulus between people who have developedacertainlevelofconfidenceandtrustthatcanonlybedeveloped fact to face. In my experience, working virtually is most effective when you areconnectedtopeopleyouhavehadanopportunitytoworkwithandknow eachotherfacetoface. Virtual work allows for more asynchronous communication, which I personallyammorecomfortablewith.Itallowsindividualstogeneratetheir ownideasthentheteamcomestogethertodiscusseachofthem,creatinga muchmorecreativeandinnovativeenvironment.

GOODTECHNOLOGYGETSRESULTS
the technology we are provided, for example, the company laptops, are woefully insufficient, and using them to do your remote/evening work is guaranteedtodrasticallydiminishyourproductivity.Ifindthisunacceptable, andsoIusemyownMaclaptoptodoallofmyworkfromhome.Becausethis is unusual in my department and there has not been a history of telecommuting, which would have made it seem less odd, I have endless troublesgettingthingsImightneedifIwantmyproductivitytoremainhigh suchastheOfficeSuiteforMac.ThefundamentalattitudeisWhyshouldwe payforthisforyourpersonalmachine,whenyoucouldbeusingacompany machine? This attitude is laughable to anyone [with] any technological savvy,asusingthecompanymachinesisasurewaytohaveyourproductivity dropdrastically.

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HOWTOIMPROVEVIRTUALCOLLABORATION
Whenweaskedwhatwouldimprovevirtualcollaboration,respondentscitedtheneedformoredependableand easytouse technologies, less collaborative work between teams based in widely separated time zones, mutual cooperation between headquarters and local teams, more facetoface meetings, better management of virtual teams,trainingandobservanceofgroundrules(oftentoreduceconflict),andimprovedlanguageskills(although thislastsuggestionhadanEnglishspeakersbias).

BETTER,MOREUSERFRIENDLYTECHNOLOGIES
Aneasytousevideoconferencetool. Reliabletechnology. Morewidespreaduseofwebcams. Agloballyusedcommonsoftwarethatisstableandallowsvideo,document, andVoIPsharing!Sofar,manydifferent[kindsof]softwareareused. Havevirtualdrawingboards. Abetterandmoreefficientcollaborationplatform. Bettertechnologymorewidelyavailable. High sound quality on all virtual exchanges; easy use of mechanisms that providenonverbalcues,[suchas]highdefinitionvideoforteamcalls. MorevideoconferencingandwebcamusageoverWebEx. SimplifiedITsolutions. Better integration of collaboration services and software into standard desktopsystems,suchasaneasyscreensharewithouttheneedforloading uporloggingintoseparatesoftwarepackagesorwebbasedmeetings.

LESSWORKBETWEENTEAMSINWIDELYSEPARATEDTIMEZONES
[workinginthe]sametimezone. Beingin[the]sametimezonesothatwecouldspeakbyphone. Videoconferencingwithvirtualwhiteboardhookup. Tohavemorepeopleatthesameplaceorinfewertimezones. Alltheteamworksinthesametimezone,especiallyinthetestphase.

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COOPERATIONBETWEENHEADQUARTERSANDLOCALTEAMS
Team members tend to have local bosses with their own agendas. Getting full buyin from a virtual team member requires full support from the team memberandhisorhersupervisor. Morebalancebetweenregionsandlessconcentrationintheheadquarters. Forbid local meetings during businesshour overlap. Only international meetingsallowed.

MOREFACETOFACEMEETINGS
ThereisalotofdifferencebetweencooperationwithcolleaguesI'vemetin personandthoseIhaven't,sothisiskeyfortrust,opencommunication,and goodcooperation Knoweachotherpersonally.Haverealmeetingsfromtimetotime. Including virtual members periodically in facetoface meetings would be helpfultobuildrelationshipsespeciallyonnewkickoffprojectsor[tohave] onetotwoteammeetingsperyear.[Thisis]especiallyimportantwhennew membersarebroughtinorwhendoingnewbusinesswithothers. Afacetofaceteammeetingonceayear. Morefacetofacemeetings.

BETTERMANAGEMENTOFVIRTUALTEAMS
Thebestwaytoimprovevirtualcollaborationistoensurethatitisusedonly when necessary instead of at the convenience of the work force (and thereforetakenforgranted). Smartobjectives[being]set,[a]trustrelationship,takepersonalownership, and[have]regularcheckin. I think that the studies ofdiversity, integrity, ethics, [and] cultures which show discrepancies, mistrust and misunderstanding are often an excuse forfirms [failing] to be accountable [for] their lack of vision, trust, and coherence.Weartificiallyputpeopletogether,weletthemmixthemselves, andfirmsarewaitingfortheresultthattheythinktheyarenotresponsible [for][This]isnotacceptable. Morefollowupsessions. Alignmentofobjectives.

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Fewer calls, but more effective meetings, where the chair person has properly prepared and all attendees have had time to prepare. This would hopefullyaidindecisionmakingduringthecallifthechairandfacilitatorsare abletodrivetheagendaforwardappropriately. Effective virtual leadership with focused preparation for meetings agendas,minutes,documentedactionitemsfollowingthemeetings,etc. Aregularmanagementvisittobuildtrustandbringastrongteamfeeling. Uppermanagementtrust Thesamelevelofperformancereviewsandpromotionsbymanagementfor thesameteam. Havingtherightpeopleontheteamwiththerightskills.

TRAININGANDGROUNDRULESTOREDUCECONFLICT
Agreeingtomutualbehaviorrulesforexample,notbeingafraidtoaskif something isnot clear, open and honestfeedback, native speakers to speak slower and clearer, etc. I believe that only physical meetings and common achievements help to build trust, create a partnership, and a teamfelling andultimatelystrengthentheteamandleadtobetterresults. Moreadherencetotheagendaandrealizingthateveryonehassomethingto add,notjustthesocialmediapeople. Better understanding of skills, expertise, and communication style of teammates,andbetterleadershipandsponsorship. Opennessoftheteamandadheringtotimelinesandcommunication. Peopledoingtheirworkasassigned. Morefollowupsessions. Peoplebeingprepared,turningupontime,andfollowingtheagenda. Timelinessinresponding. Relationshipbuildingexercisesforvirtualworkers. Communication[before]anissue[develops]. Iftherewassomekindofmethodthatifyouwantedtospeak.[Forexample, if] you press a button that only allows you to speak until finished or are interruptedbyanotherpersonpressingabuttonforlargeconferencecalls. Goodsystems,competence,understanding,andcooperation. Better manners of participants; allowing others to have the floor and not interrupting.

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Timely email monitoring [or] checking. Answering calls when we reach them. understandhowimportantitistobeconsiderateofthoseontheotherend oftheline. Lessdemanding,[more]compromise. More understanding for cultural differences. Only include people necessary toreachadecisioninjointmeetings. Betterunderstandingofrequirements. Understanding when things are urgent and need a response versus unimportant.

IMPROVEDLANGUAGESKILLS
IfallmembersarefluentinEnglish. Languagetraining.

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CONCLUSION
Workingvirtuallyisnotnaturalorintuitive,andwhatworksincolocateddomesticteamswillnotworkonvirtual ones. Imagine an environment where being virtual or working across cultures is not a barrier. Imagine how productiveanorganizationcanbewhenitmasterstheabilitytoeliminatetheobstaclestoeffectivevirtualteam work. Judging by the response to this survey, training for virtual effectiveness will be very well received by the global workforce.Thereisalotofroomforimprovement,anditissafetoassumethatsignificantgainsinproductivitywill resultwhenwemastertheskillsrelatedtoworkingvirtually.

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