Accelerating Virtual Team Performance

A virtual team is said to be a collection of independently employed workers who collaboratively work unitary to avail business solutions to external customers. Virtual teams are common in organizations; this is due to the fact that they permit a variety of members to get involved in operations of the organization despite their geographic barriers (Connelly & Turel, 2016). It proves to be of great impact to businesses that are starting, as it provides top products and services while remaining adjustable to customers and availing a swift response to their needs. In order to maintain an even and progressive response of the virtual team that is even more lively and aggressive towards the organization’s goal, the organization needs to incorporate several measures that are performance boosters.

Performance Boosters

When discussing about accelerating virtual team performance, one requires to evaluate on performance boosters. Performance boosters are the etiquette that team leaders need to focus on as they help boost the overall team performance. There are only four virtual performance boosters that any virtual leader needs to familiarize themselves with when carrying out their duties. More so, to it, three accountability questions need to be applied along with the implementation of these performance boosters. When simultaneously applied together, accountability and performance boosters facilitate the creation of a virtual environment that helps virtual teams with their collaboration and performance measures that culminate towards the success of the virtual team’s operation at high levels. The virtual performance boosters are discussed below.

Coaching and Support.

Although coaching and support in any team environment are considered to be so challenging, it is very vital to the virtual environment of the workplace. It is a system through which virtual teams’ leaders generate their mentorship, coaching programs, and educating their employees as they strive to target their organizational goals and objectives. In order to maximize the participation of virtual teams, the leader must continuously track each participant’s success. When observing, the virtual team leader needs to give all members guidance and advice to enhance their efficiency. In so doing, the virtual team leader is capable of mentoring the team members while simultaneously connecting their day-to-day objectives and behavior to the teams’ overall goals. Therefore, this implies that mentoring, supporting, and coaching; virtual team members must be an ongoing process that is effortfully done on a daily basis. The more guidance, encouragement, and feedback, a virtual team leader provides to its members, and the more successful the virtual team will be.

Gain Commitment of team members

This performance booster records the way in which the team leaders have to encourage their members towards meeting and exceeding the set goals and objectives of the virtual team. This process can be achieved by carrying out requests, implementing orders and decisions already made, and supporting proposals. As it is known that commitment is built over a span of time, as the virtual leader, you need to strategize ways in which you will have to cultivate commitment in every team member as also to the whole team as well. This facilitates members of the virtual groups to have trust with each other in a virtuous cycle, which is an element required in a virtual team. For the purposes of fostering commitment ina virtual group, the leader of the team has to use inspirational appeals, rational persuasions, collaboration tactics, and consultation. Inspirational appeals involve inspiring team members to carry out work using values and emotions. Rational persuasions are presenting logical, well-reasoned explanations to the members without sounding to make any threats. Collaborative tactics are deploying the interaction strategy and involving members to work together to perform tasks. Consultation would be the process through which the leader gets all members to participate in the planning process, making decisions, and encouraging changes and implementations.

Recognizing the Contribution of Team Members

This is known to be the process through which leaders get to award or give credit to members when they have accomplished the set objective of the task that was proposed and dedicated upon; this is done so as to ensure that the efforts and contribution of members in a virtual group do not go unnoticed. This trait is important to virtual teams as it reflects the respect of team leaders and strengthens incentives for successful performance. These incentives can motivate the team members to perform at a high level. For example, if I recognize my team’s excellence in meeting each quarterly part of the year, my team members will be more likely to continue to work hard because they are recognized. This also refers to a professional team to keep them responsible for their acts and their jobs.

Making the Virtual Team be Accountable for their Actions

This is the performance booster that is strategized to ensure that all participating members of the virtual team are so familiarized with their tasks, roles, and objectives. Then ensure that they achieve those goals and, if not, that they are responsible for their conduct against those priorities and objectives. Holding team members’ responses in a simulated world can be a struggle, especially if you clearly understand the duties and responsibilities delegated to each simulated team leader. A good virtual team leader will also have processes and steps to track progress and activities for every team member. The aim is to make sure that the members of the virtual team know their position and mission.

Accountability Questions

For the purpose of having a good virtual team leader, it is vital to consider taking their accountability question to evaluate the ongoing process of performance boosters and in any case of occurring problems. These questions asked as discussed below.

The first question that the virtual team leader needs to ask is, “What could I have done to prevent the problem?” What if I did something that might have possibly contributed to the occurrence of the issue?” For instance, I am part of an eight-team virtual team. We’ve all been planning a big presentation, and at the last minute, the group can’t produce a presentation for me to peruse ahead of time. I was through this previously with a separate virtual team so that I should know that regular weekly meetings are scheduled for the flow of information and tasks and content review. I did not do this, and now, due to my surveillance, I risk not having a finished product. I might have scheduled conferences that matched everyone’s availability, and I could have been closer to my team members. Therefore, I contributed in many ways to this problem, which is currently before me.

Works Cited

Connelly, C. E., & Turel, O. (2016). Effects of Team Emotional Authenticity on Virtual Team Performance. Frontiers in psychology, 7, 1336. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01336