Virtual Team Building

Everyone wants the same thing. Virtual team building simply systematizes empowerment in a virtual setting.

I don't think enough managers give attention to the immense potential of virtual teams.

Leaders and other team members alike, everyone wants to be empowered. Empowered teams built themselves upon the involvement of individuals who align their own purpose with the values and purpose of the virtual team.

A team is part of your lever. . . Incredible power can be released when people work together. Anyone who achieves great success - anyone - must have a Dream Team. --Robert Allen

It's Simple. . . Everyone Wants Empowerment

Remember you're working with people. They have thoughts, egos, attitudes, good and bad days. Even with empowered teams, concerns about the process naturally come up as people move from dependency to independence. Virtual teams do not exist in a static environment.

But What's the Process?

How does this impact the team building process? It simply means that you must systemize the way you build your remote team and take into account the various stages of the process.

Each team member goes through the empowerment process at a different speed depending on their personality, past experience, and desire to learn.

Here are the questions each team member asks themselves as they move forward:

• Information - What is the process? Why is this process necessary?
• Personal - How is this process going to impact me? Will it work for me?
• Process - What do I do first? What happens if I do it wrong, or it doesn't work?
• Impact - Is it really worth my energy, time, or money? Where am I seeing improvements because of this process?
• Collaboration - Who else is involved in this virtual team building, or should be?
• Refinement - How to optimize this process? How can we improve the system?

Empowering teams parallels building a team's performance. Both depend on following specific processes along the path from low competence/dependence to high competence/empowerment.

Virtual team building develops individuals through the varying levels of competence and commitment to a state of high competence and high commitment.

When enough team members reach this crucial point then the true virtual team performance occurs. The team reaches this level when all the stages of individual development along the path are addressed.

How Do Virtual Team Building Develop?

Here are the Four Development Stages:

1. Development Stage 1 (D1) - Low Competence - High Commitment
2. Development Stage 2 (D2) - Competence - Low/Waning Commitment
3. Development Stage 3 (D3) - Moderate Competence - Varying Commitment
4. Development Stage 4 (D4) - High Competence - High Commitment

A team is: "two or more people who must work together to accomplish a common purpose and held accountable for the results."

To build a virtual team that truly meets the team member's needs, team leaders must consistently assemble, train, and develop team members with the knowledge and skills to develop, perform, and grow the team.

This is the secret to virtual team building performance.