Nine to five in the workplace? The dinosaur among working time models is becoming increasingly rare, while collaboration in virtual teams is growing accordingly. Whether working from home or on the move, communication via media is now replacing a significant proportion of face-to-face communication. The biggest challenge in this development is that managers must create space and opportunities for communication and identification with the entire organization, as this is the only way to generate motivation and commitment.
Of course, there are tools that enable continuous exchange and routines can also be set up in this way. However, they must be integrated into the team’s daily routine as a matter of course and reliably. And that’s where one or two pitfalls lurk. The great freedom of flexible working creates workplaces that are not ideal for fixed communication appointments. Sometimes the network is unreliable, the children are working in the background or there is loud chatter in the café.
In addition, managers may have some catching up to do if they are not familiar with the technical possibilities. More options do not automatically lead to more exchange and collaboration within the team.
Managers can do this to keep all the threads together and communicate with each other – and to keep the “we” in the team active:
- Choose your communication tools carefully and carefully. Less is more and yet all needs for exchange, information, collaboration and connection must be met. In addition to chat functions, collaboration spaces for projects and teams as well as a knowledge and best practice database are important.
- Make yourself and others fit: Digital fitness is not a question of age, but of type: not everyone has an affinity for digital tools and, as in any process, there will be supporters and skeptics. In order to be able to communicate smoothly, all team members must be equally adept and experienced in using communication tools.
- Set guidelines: fixed routines, good availability, punctuality. Working flexibly does not mean being completely detached from the rules of the game. Especially in agile teams, where hierarchies may even be abolished, leadership and orientation are needed. This applies to interactions with one another, communication, working hours, tasks, deadlines and also personal stress levels. Regular updates and small reminders in everyday life help to internalize this.
- Enable face-to-face communication: face-to-face communication has a greater bonding effect than virtual communication. This is why virtual teams should also facilitate regular “real” meetings. This is where Internal Communications can provide support in its role as a “social engagement specialist”: Workshops, events and exchanges in the analog world create the basis on which virtual collaboration can succeed.
- There is no shared kitchenette, but there should also be a place for private discussions somewhere, because they bring people together. That’s why these topics should also be allowed in the chat of digital tools.
Communication is essential – and especially in virtual teams, it is the glue that holds employees and the organization together. It is essential for successful and productive collaboration. Despite all the flexibility that is possible and desired today, one thing remains completely inflexible: solidarity is only created through personal exchange and the feeling of being part of a whole.
Copyright lead image: Unsplash / Marisa Buhr