Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/58915
"PEOPLE OFTEN INSPIRE TRUST VIA NONVERBAL CUES: MAKING EYE CONTACT, LEANING IN, UNFOLDING THE ARMS. WITHOUT THESE CUES, MANY PEOPLE AREN'T COMFORTABLE ENOUGH TO SHARE THEIR IDEAS." —Cristina Gibson, University of California at Irvine access to the filmmaking process will be challenging, Gibson believes the results will produce valuable data on how the best—and worst—virtual teams operate. In her research so far, Gibson has discovered that many expecta- tions that people have of virtual teams often do not come to fruition. "With advances in technology, man- agers are able to bring individuals together based on their expertise, not on their location," Gibson explains. "They then assume that by putting together the best people, they'll increase the innovation and creativity of the team." In reality, says Gibson, that's often not the case. She has found that the greater the degree of what she calls a team's "virtuality," the less innovative the team generally turns out to be. Communication and scheduling challenges simply inter- fere. "This is the exact opposite of what is intended," she says. This does not need to be the case, however, says Gibson. She has identified the skills required to over- come obstacles inherent to virtuality: n The ability to create an environment of mutual trust over virtual channels. "In face-to-face interactions, people often inspire trust via nonverbal cues: making eye contact, leaning in, unfolding the arms. Without these cues, many people aren't comfort- able enough to share their ideas," says Gibson. In virtual environ- ments, she says, people must make an effort to create that comfort level. "People need to use greet- ings in their e-mails. They need to share small elements of their lives, values, and cultures," she explains. "An e-mail with no greeting or per- sonal information can seem cold and unfriendly to the recipient." n A willingness to offer feedback and encouragement. "Managers need to let members know the importance of the work and what contribution it made, positive or negative," says Gibson. "Feedback, follow-ups, and open channels of communication are essential to managing virtual teams—and all are more difficult to do in the virtual environment." n "Reconfigurability." Team mem- bers must adjust their work pro- cesses when something unexpected happens, be it a sudden loss of fund- ing, a corporate restructuring, or the departure of a team member. Gibson says that managers also should not underestimate the value of a face-to-face meeting to help team members develop a bond. "It's amazing how even a single, short face-to-face meeting helps people put faces to names and establish relation- ships. They feel much more comfort- able working together, even if they don't meet again for some time." Ironically, she adds, a video confer- ence does not have the same effect. "New research shows that even though people can see nonverbal cues via video conferencing, there's something about the artificiality of the experience that decreases the potency of those cues." Gibson hopes her research find- ings will help businesses adjust their expectations of virtual teams—and team members' expectations of their roles. "In the future, recon- figurability will be a key feature of successful virtual collaborations," she says. Gibson adds that managers also must realize that they cannot take an "out-of-sight, out-of-mind" approach to virtual teams. Rather, these teams must be actively culti- vated over time, through a careful attention to written communication, BizEd JULY/AUGUST 2006 51 relationship building, and constant, conscious outreach efforts. To make sure students and faculty have these skills, business schools need to work virtual team experiences into their curricula, says Gibson. "Students who work only on co-located teams will be at a disadvantage when they begin their careers," she asserts. "We have to train our students so they'll have the skill sets to work well in the virtual environment." Maximizing the Effects of 360-Degree Feedback Many organizations use coaching to give employees a better idea of their strengths and weaknesses. But can short-term coaching be as effec- tive as long-term coaching? Robert Hooijberg, a professor of organiza- tional behavior at the Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland, plans to find out. Hooijberg and his research associate, Nancy Lane, decided to Robert Hooijberg