virtual teams trends report

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

AIMAIM SSTRATEGIES TRATEGIES ®®

VVIRTUAL IRTUAL TTEAMS EAMS

TTRENDS RENDS RREPORT :EPORT :

CCHALLENGES OF HALLENGES OF VVIRTUAL IRTUAL TTEAMSEAMS


• Report BackgroundReport Background

• Key Findings Key Findings

• DemographicsDemographics

• Future of Virtual TeamsFuture of Virtual Teams

• Upcoming EventsUpcoming Events

• About AIM Strategies About AIM Strategies ®

Table of ContentsTable of Contents


Report BackgroundReport 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.


• Use qualitative data as it provides a richer amount of information

• Each interview was approximately

11 hour, and limited to 22 hours

• 1919 open-ended questions were asked in a semi-structured format that allowed for a natural flow of conversation

• Interview topics include: communication, conflict, trust, accountability, cross-cultural communication, team set up, lessons learned, and the future of virtual teams

Data GatheringData GatheringData GatheringData Gathering

• Label the 150150 interviews with a set of common key words and concepts such as “misunderstanding”, in an electronic format

• Use a custom computer program developed onsite utilizing Extensible Markup Language (XML) to automatically categorize the data

• Calculate statistics regarding how many interviewees mentioned a particular issue or concept

Data AnalysisData AnalysisData AnalysisData Analysis

Report BackgroundReport Background


Key FindingsKey Findings

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

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

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.

Trend 2 Trend 2 Building a Human Connection while replacing hallway chatsBuilding a Human Connection while replacing hallway chats

Trend 2 Trend 2 Building a Human Connection while replacing hallway chatsBuilding a Human Connection while replacing hallway chats



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.

Trend 4Trend 4Cross Cultural Communication – Lost in TranslationCross Cultural Communication – Lost in Translation

Trend 4Trend 4Cross Cultural Communication – Lost in TranslationCross Cultural Communication – Lost in Translation

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

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



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%).

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

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


Future of Virtual TeamsFuture 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

2%

4%

6%

9%

11%

47%

70%

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

Decreased Quality

Outsourcing

Increasingly Important

Flexibility

Improving

Technology

Increasingly Prevelant


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

VT Book this AugustVT Book this August www.amazon.com/Managers-Guide-Virtual-Teamswww.amazon.com/Managers-Guide-Virtual-Teams

AIM Company WebsiteAIM Company Website www.aim-strategies.com

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About AIM StrategiesAbout AIM Strategies®®

AIM StrategiesAIM Strategies®® Applied Innovative Management Applied Innovative Management®® is a results-driven Human CapitalConsulting 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.

virtual teams trends report

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