4 Ways to Make Your Virtual Team Real

Managing used to be relatively simple- you had a few people you were responsible for, you all worked together and the work got done (or not, depending on how good a manager you were). Now the brain trusts that run our companies have given us another kind of team to manage- the "Virtual" Team , and it's often a manager's first chance to really prove what she can do. The problem is it can be the hardest kind of team to manage, especially on a complex project.

First, let's define our terms. Many people think a Virtual Team and a Remote Team are the same thing. Sadly, while a Remote Team might work virtually and a Virtual Team is likely working remotely, they are not the same thing. Confused? On a Remote Team, members might be spread out anywhere around the world and held together by technology ranging from the phone and email to webmeetings and video conferencing. A Remote Team may be working virtually, but there is an important difference: you have direct reporting relationships with your Remote Team.... You are their boss and can fire them if you had to. With Virtual Teams you have all the same pressures to get performance, hit your goals and meet your deadlines, but members might answer to different parts of the organization and you're not their official boss.

As you can imagine, this can lead to conflicting priorities, lack of communication and frustration for all concerned. The good news is that it doesn't have to be that way. Here are 4 ways to keep your virtual team running as well as a traditional co-located team:

Know who works for whom. The biggest problem with Virtual project teams is conflicting priorities between your project (which you consider life and death) and the other work the person is doing for their boss (who has power of life and death over them). If you assume everyone all the team members are as committed to this project as you are you could be in trouble. Get to know who your team members report to and communicate with their bosses. Make nice. Negotiate how much time you can get from your virtual team members and why it's important to the organization (which is ultimately everyone's boss).

Help the team get to know each other. Frequently Virtual Teams don't ever meet face to face and often work for competing forces inside your organization (think IT and HR). People will generally work harder for people they know, like and trust than someone from "that department". Use tools like wikis, blogs, webcams and even photos to help put faces and people to names and positions.

Over-communicate the mission. Projects can simply become a series of tasks that conflict with team members' "real" work. It's up to you as the manager to make sure everyone knows, understands and is committed to the final outcome of the project. Learn to use every possible communication tool at your disposal and pick the best tool for the job. Death by email is not a given....

Remember these are people. You wouldn't ask someone you can see is beat to stay late to a meeting, why would you ask the folks in Bangalore to be on 3 AM webmeeting? Take the time to understand your team members. How to best manage your remote team What are their normal working hours? What is their workplace like? What else are they working on? Celebrate the victories big and small. The human components of team building are ironically more important when communication is primarily through technology. By keeping these 4 things in mind, you can make your Virtual Team as functional and cohesive as a "real" team.

Wayne Turmel, "The Cranky Middle Manager" is the president of which teaches the sales, presentation and facilitation skills necessary to make the most of webinars and web meetings. He's also a speaker, writer and host of The Cranky Middle Manager Show, one of the world's most popular management internet talk shows. You can hear it at  He is the author of "6 Weeks to a Great Webinar", "125 Quotes for Whacking Weasels- Centuries of Wisdom, Motivation and Snappy Comebacks From the Cranky Middle Manager Show" and countless articles.