Manager seeks strategies to unite a "virtual" team Our team is to be restructured and most of us are going to be home-based or working abroad. As a manager, I'm concerned, because I thrive on having my team close by and this move may instigate a cultural change for the worse. What strategies can I use to manage my team and maintain engagement? Dunstan Arthur, chartered occupational psychologist at CEB, an advisory company, says: High-performing teams, whether office-based or "virtual," are interdependent, and share a set of collective goals, as well as a common understanding of their role in helping achieve a company's mission. IN Recruitment As a team leader you will have a key role in facilitating this, by encouraging trust among members, so that everyone is clear on individual expectations. One of the first steps, if you are moving to a home-based set-up, is to redefine how you operate as a team. Hold a face-to-face meeting to hear everyone's concerns and their preferred style of working, and to establish trust and commitment and reinvigorate the vision of the team. Use this session to agree the protocol for virtual meetings, the frequency of interactions and style of communication. Collaboration is normally achieved through face-to-face interaction and it will be important to establish new ways of working and effective ways of communicating online. Using conference calls or email means non-verbal communication, such as clues about how your messages are being received, are absent and the social niceties become less frequent, so avoid letting the team slip into purely executing tasks, to the detriment of building team relationships. Organise purposeful team-building sessions and projects to encourage bonding, collaboration and problem-solving as part of day-to-day work. These exercises can work well face-to-face, as well as virtually. You might also hold regular one-to-one meetings so that you can coach individuals and stay up to date with their challenges and workload. Technologies you previously used as secondary communication lines, such as WebEx, video calls and social media tools such as Yammer, may now become vital lines of communication. Ensuring that everyone has access to these and is trained to use them is essential. Tanja Prossler, senior manager for human resources in the Emea region for Mindjet, a work management software company, says: The implementation of effective and inclusive remote and flexible working strategies does not have to be a headache. The first and most important step is to talk to your team about what would best suit them as individuals and the team as a whole, before putting concrete processes in place. Consider setting core hours where everyone is expected to be online and working, but think about when these would best work according to time zones. Ensure that everyone is still contactable outside these core hours but keep in mind that your team needs to maintain a good work-life balance. Once the basics are agreed, keeping your team engaged and focused can be a challenge. Clear and consistent communication is key. Set clear objectives, targets and deadlines; and make sure everyone sticks to them. Working remotely can be isolating so it's important to be inclusive. Make time for regular conference calls, videoconferences or Google Hangouts at least once a week. You should also try to arrange meetings in person when you can. It is also worth considering using social collaboration tools or shared online to-do lists, so that the team is working from the same system and can update everyone in real time as they complete their work. This will ensure visibility of tasks and status. Using online tools that can be accessed from various devices means people will have no excuse for not being able to find what they need.