Trust is the essential prerequisite for teams to work well, whether the members meet face to face every day or whether they collaborate remotely. But building trust is a little more difficult in a virtual team. Several practical tips for handling this situation were brought by the Harvard Business Review website.
Build on the initial trust
When people start working together, they usually have the feeling that they are on the same boat and that they will succeed together. There is a positive atmosphere of initial trust that we also know from non-work relationships and that has a tendency to deteriorate as time goes by. Managers of virtual teams should use this initial trust to designate the powers of the individual team members and to make sure that the team has clear goals that everyone understands. By doing this they will create the conditions for the next level of trust: interpersonal trust.
Build interpersonal trust
Managers of virtual teams often make the mistake of assuming that members of their teams are more interested in what their colleagues can do rather than who they are as people. People generally have greater trust in colleagues who appear similar to them because they expect similar conduct and understanding from them. Managers of virtual teams can strengthen the interpersonal relationships between their subordinates by actively encouraging them to sharing their experiences from their work as well as private lives.
Be predictable in your communication
In the question of communication within a virtual team, quality plays a more important role than quantity. And a very important role is also played by predictability. Unpredictable communication habits undermine trust and cause unnecessary misunderstandings. That is why it is necessary to communicate regularly and use methods that are agreed upon in advance.
Share the leadership role
The role of the single team leader is not as strong in a virtual environment as it is in traditional teams. Virtual teams that have a high degree of trust share power among all members depending on the project stage. Managers of virtual teams should act more like overseers and mentors rather than from the position of directive management (ordering and inspecting).
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