Leading in Virtual Environments

Zoom is now a verb, something we do. In March 2020, the platform jumped from 30 million users to over 200 million users. The growth of Zoom, in addition to being a success story for one company, signals a once in a generation shift in how we can connect with colleagues, friends and family.

The growth of online video conferencing platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Skype and Zoom has made normal the use of technology to conduct activities traditionally reserved for face-to-face interactions such as online classrooms for school students, virtually visiting family and friends or even virtually hosting a kids' birthday party.

But perhaps nowhere have we seen a more universal embracement of technology than in the way we work. Around the world, organisations are rethinking their need to have large CBD office spaces. More leaders are supporting staff to work remotely which means less time in in face to face meetings, office pop-ins or conversations at the coffee machine.

With a growing number of organisations supporting employees working virtually, it raises a number of challenges for those that manage staff. Work still needs to happen, goals need to be set, objectives need to be achieved, teams need to work together and throughout this they need leadership and guidance.

In a traditional work environment, interacting face-to-face often promotes a sense of problem-solving focus. Distractions are minimised to ensure staff are engaged and encouraged to interact as part of a team. In virtual team environments, there is a greater risk of the leader’s message not being understood or effectively followed, as it might have done if everyone was in the same room. Face-to-face interactions don’t suffer from bad internet connection, scratchy audio, home life distractions, and a reduction in nuanced physical communication, body language etc.

So, how can we replicate the benefits of face-to-face interactions without actually meeting this way?

Research has found that when virtual meeting participants can see the fleeting micro-expressions on people’s faces, especially their eyes, during a meeting the experience will be satisfactory, if not satisfying for the participants. Video-conferencing software must therefore have a broadband connection and the highest definition video possible.

Another strategy to consider when managing a team online to maintain a high performing culture is for a leader to lead by subtle influence – creating the right conditions in which to flourish then allowing the team to exercise their sense of self-determination, gaining influence by allowing them to feel autonomous. Staff need to feel supported and safe to voice their honest opinions in a respectful way if they are to maintain team cohesion. The challenge for the leader is to strike the right balance, not too much and not too little supervisory presence in the lives of their virtual workers.

In these settings a leader’s perceived integrity serves as a moral compass, a guiding and unifying influence on team members as a substitute for physical presence. Consistent integrity becomes a known entity in the mind of the team member, giving them a degree of certainty and helping to overcome the self-doubt that is sometimes inherent in an isolated work context. Even though a supervisor is not there, team members need to know their backs are covered.

Staff also need to stay connected within the team when working in an online environment and this is critical for leaders to encourage to help build resilience and problem-solving skills within the team, especially as new obstacles get in the way of organisational goals.

An open (virtual) door policy is a good strategy. Team members are encouraged to become part of the ongoing conversation about the work in progress. This implies that the leader is not afraid to be challenged. Having one’s subordinates call you out, disagree with you, challenge your judgement; all of this calls for great understanding and tolerance. Good leaders understand that it’s part of a culture of continuous improvement. There can be no “I’m the boss, don’t you dare challenge my authority”. It is part of not taking oneself too seriously. Self-deprecating humour can be used to good effect.

If your team are supported and connected, then you’re on your way to building and communicating a shared vision. Leaders who can achieve this well have staff who understand and follow a clear and compelling vision of a desirable future state, which helps generate buy-in and build employee morale.

One of the biggest challenges many leaders have raised with virtual environments is the perceived loss of team creativity. We need to find ways to continually encourage innovative thinking among team members who are not able to bounce ideas off each other in the same physical space. Think of the creative team face-to-face exercises you’ve been a part of. Think of all that butcher’s paper you’ve drawn on. As much as we sometimes roll our eyes at those types of group activities, they often yield results.

To the extent allowable by the available technology you have to find ways to replicate this, because brainstorming sessions are an effective way to foster innovative thinking, as well as creating an environment in which free-thinking is encouraged. In these sessions, encourage staff to share their cameras where possible as it increases attention and minimises any potential distraction to allow staff to fully invest in the activity. A lot of the virtual platforms have virtual whiteboards or similar technology to help foster these conversations. It’s worth investing time and effort into discovering the full potential of your platform of choice to regain some of the collaborative creativity lost. Most users only use the basic functionality of a platform without exploring it’s potential. The leader should then continue to reward and be seen to  be rewarding examples of innovative thinking that is directed towards the achievement of objectives.

In summary, the good news is that what made you a good leader in a face-to-face environment still counts for a lot. Working virtually might require different tools and slightly different thinking but in the end good leadership is good leadership.

Dr. David Tuffley is a Senior Lecturer in Applied Ethics & Cybersecurity in the School of ICT at Griffith University. David is one of the university's most prolific contributors to mainstream media, including print, radio and television. His articles have been republished in the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and many others, including foreign language publications (German, Chinese and Japanese). Before academia David was an IT Consultant in Australia and the United Kingdom working for large public and private sector clients, a role he continues to perform when not educating the next generation of IT professionals.