cora systems ltd aviva stadium, dublin, 15 june 2012 dr. deasún Ó conchúir pmp...

Tips for Supporting a Virtual Teamwork Culture

Cora Systems LtdAviva Stadium, Dublin, 15 June 2012

Dr. Deasún Ó Conchúir PMP [email protected]

+41 79 692 4735

© Scatterwork GmbH 2012

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.scatterwork.com/

Virtual Teamwork - Culture and Communications

Virtual Teamwork◦ Commonplace and accepted,

particularly in the IT sector

◦ Operational and Strategic benefits

Communication◦ Remains fundamental to Virtual Teamwork

◦ Technology is also necessary, but should be “transparent”

© Scatterwork GmbH 2012 2


Agenda Introduction Virtual Teamwork Communications Culture Tips for Virtual Teamwork Virtual Teamwork Applications Discussion & Conclusions


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Hashtag:

#Cora_VirtTeam


Dr. Deasún Ó Conchúir PMP ◦ At Scatterwork GmbH, Switzerland

◦ Author of "Overview of the PMBOK Guide" published by Springer-Verlag

◦ Member of PMI Educational Foundation’s Engagement Committee for PMI Communities

Selected Clients

4

Collaboration Consultant


Sign up for the Scatterwork Consulting Blog

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http://scatterwork-consulting.com/overview-of-the-pmbok-guide-4th-edition/

http://www.linkedin.com/in/scatterwork

Practical Experience Project Management and Consultancy experience

in over 30 countries

Research on Virtual Working applications at ETHZ(Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich)

6 virtual teams established as VP Education & Certifications of the PMI Switzerland Chapter

Experimental Virtual Team Development:www.scatterwork-consulting.com◦ Core team members in various parts of Switzerland◦ All interaction is virtual




Participant Profile Location? Virtual workload? Project or Process

oriented?



Virtual Teamwork Communications

7© Scatterwork GmbH 2012


The Changing Environment

8

Geopolitics

Rise of BRIC

states

Climate Change

Globalisation

Aging Populati

on

Cloud Computi

ng

Free WLAN, e.g. in

BLT Tango trams

(Switzerland)

SaaS(software as

a service)

Banking Crisis

Smartphone &

Tablets


Location independen

ce

http://www.blt.ch/FahrgastServices/BLT%20FreeNet/BLT%20Freenet

http://www.blt.ch/FahrgastServices/BLT%20FreeNet/BLT%20Freenet


Workplace Trends

9

Replicating old working methods is unlikely to work in the current environment

Increasing diversity increases risks

Awareness must be inclusive of different cultures and ways of thinking

Some solutions

are emerging



Project, Procurement and Helpdesk Managemente.g. clients of Cora Systems

Industry and Professional Associations involving members in different companies

IT and Financial Services Sectors Construction Sector, especially for large projects Industry Sectoral Task Groups e.g. registration of

hazardous materials usage etc Management Consulting New Business Consortia during the early stages of

formation Company Merger Teams, together with their advisers

such as consultancy firms and banks Clinical Trials for pharmaceutical companies

Virtual Teamwork Scenarios



The Virtual Evolution inNon-IT Environments

11

Some traditional employees find the environment difficult to understand

If there are too many innovations, there is a danger of confusion

“Early Adopters” are also constrained to use existing documented procedures

The learning process will take society some years



Acceptance ofVirtual Working

In◦ IT environments◦ Multinationals

Among◦ Smartphone users◦ Generation Y are:

Tech-Savvy: Family-Centric: Achievement-Oriented Recognition-seeking

Ref: Sally Kane

12

Greatest acceptance occurs where the tools are readily available.

Although the technology is essential, human communication remains indispensible.


http://legalcareers.about.com/od/practicetips/a/GenerationY.htm


Trend Reversal from Commuting

Teleworking◦ Implies that the Individual works

directly with the centre◦ Assumes that the office does exist◦ Example: Executive agencies of the US Federal

Government must implement teleworking policies Co-working

◦ On-line Working Locations accessible by subscription

◦ Workers appreciate the company of others


http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-1722


Management by Wandering Around (MBWA) in Virtual Teamwork?

Anecdotal evidence of resistance toHome Office◦ Organiser of Cultural School Tours

Uses e-mail and telephone Required to drive 8 hours a week to and from office

◦ Small Consulting Company Owner resisted use of VPN server access because

of “network security” Everyone had to travel to work, even to check mails Network access used as tool of management

authority Traditional Manager can

◦ see how team is working◦ intervene at any time



Example Virtual Company: mySQL

Source

◦ Personal interview with the founder of mySQL, “Monty” Michael Widenius, 7 March 2011



Establishment & Growth

Started in 1995 by two friends who knew each other well:◦ one in Finland, the other in Sweden

Next addition to the team was in Germany, 4th in Yugoslavia

Team growth was slow, about 3 persons per year for the early years



Very High Productivity◦ Working hours selected to suit personal rhythm◦ Lack of interruptions, which suits the problem solving◦ Very long working hours commonplace◦ Productive time not wasted by commuting or

generating greenhouse gases Huge choice of skills from global talent pool

◦ Experience is not lost when someone moves(e.g. spouse)

◦ No workspace needed◦ Rapid recruitment◦ Minimal direct costs for team member, which is

equivalent to a salary increase

Benefits of Virtual Workingat mySQL



Human Challenges at mySQL

People still need to know each other◦ Twice yearly meetings in exotic and exciting places

Meeting Costs offset the lack office costs◦ Not a cheap solution

Essential to track each person’s activities◦ What have you done in the last week?◦ What do you plan to do next week?

Team members can leave very easily◦ You are training them for the competition

Working Conditions◦ Based on typical Finnish employment contracts ◦ Employees are owners and treated equally (notice,

holidays etc), to be fair and create trust



Some Challenges from Experience at Scatterwork

Unless everybody delivers, nobody does Limited team spirit and poor morale among

members who have never met each other New communication tools can be confusing Technical failures, e.g. resulting in apparent

lack of responsiveness◦ Misspelling of person’s name influenced timely

communications◦ Lack of familiarity or comfort with the modern

“social” tools “Local” manager influences diverts effort from

project19© Scatterwork GmbH 2012


Culture Tips forVirtual Teamwork



21

Establish anAtmosphere of Trust

The Essential Ingredient◦ Even a suspicion that trust is lacking is deadly to

the virtual teams When interacting with Team Members and

Stakeholders◦ Listen actively and stop ALL other activity

Deliver on promises ◦ Example: Start meeting at

agreed time Impact of changes on others

hard to evaluate



Instil a Culture ofPersonal Responsibility

Each team member is personally responsible◦ For his or her own work and relationships◦ For clarifying requirements and deliverables◦ For ensuring adequate resources, information etc

In a traditional environment◦ Some of these functions may be provided by

management “input” Substandard, late or non-delivery of

deliverables affects colleagues◦ The effect of misunderstandings and plan changes

can put unexpected burden on colleagues



Match Personal Contractsto the work

IBM Germany (Spiegel Online 2012, in German only)

◦ Employee Employment contracts replaced by Project Assignments without long-term engagement

◦ International contracts, specifically to circumvent restrictive practices in home country

Personal Payments Schedule, Scatterwork GmbH◦ Planning meeting identifies deliverables for (nominally

monthly) sprint◦ Personal payments are released on completion of all

planned sprint deliverables (not by calendar date)◦ Does not modify the amount payable, only the trigger

for payment◦ Designed to encourage teamwork


http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/unternehmen/0,1518,813388,00.html


24

Build Team by developing Operational Guidelines

Written version of Team culture◦ Documents the basic rules of behaviour

Makes explicit what is implicit

The results belong to everybody◦ Develop interactively using

Teleconference & Wiki



Global Team Simulator for Virtual Teambuilding

Functions: Participants get to know each other using virtual collaborative games and a project simulation

Participants develop:

◦ Virtual Team competence

◦ Multi-cultural collaboration

25


http://t.co/wl17U3vB


Operational Guidelines – Interactions

How are meeting times agreed?

How are meeting start and finish times interpreted?

Response Time to messages, e-mail◦ Immediately? Today? This week? At all?

Tolerance and respect for out of hours contacts◦ How private are evenings, nights, weekends, holidays?◦ When and on which days does the weekend start and

finish?



27

Operational Guidelines – Exploit Multiple Time Zones Reduce need for simultaneous availability

◦ Maximize the simultaneous business hours e.g. taking calls from home before travelling to work

◦ Improve the simultaneous communications for maximum effectiveness, e.g. IM (instant messenger)

Increase the effectiveness ofnon-simultaneous communications◦ e.g. Replace call by access to report database◦ Document and agree the communications plan



Operational Guidelines – Issue Resolution

Issue Resolution Preferences◦ Talk first or write first? Depends on:

Time zones (Foreign) Language competence (from the individual’s

point of view)

Use of Mood Messages, Smilies, Status & Presence Signs◦ In a co-located project teams, judgement of mood

depends on the observer



29

Check yourCultural Assumptions

Brainstorm regularly tocheck/ identify culturalassumptions

Misunderstandings andbad decisions arise fromincorrect assumptions◦ Conscious◦ Subconscious



Cultural Diversity Characteristics

Personal◦ Life experience◦ Attitudes◦ Contacts

Cultural◦ Ethnicity◦ Language◦ Religion

Geographical◦ Location◦ Time zone


• Multiple cultures increase the challenge

• Each different characteristic complicates relationships


Hofstede‘s Cultural Dimensions

Power Distance (PDI)

Individualism versus Collectivism (IDV)

Masculinity versus Femininity (MAS)

Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI)

Long-Term Orientation (LTO)

31

Ref: Professor Geert Hofstede


http://geert-hofstede.com/index.php


Cultural Dimensions:USA, India, France

32





Cultural Dimensions: Switzerland, Ireland

33





Exponentionally more difficult as diversity factors multiply

Promote shared:

Avoid Unproductive Diversity

Single Country Currency

Time zone Taxes

Common Team Language in which members can express their feelings

Legal and Commercial Environment (e.g. EU)

Definition of weekend Culture (company and national)



Virtual Teamwork Applications



Eliminate E-mail for Projects and Assignments

Use Task Management Application◦ Context-oriented collaborative

comment streams for discussion◦ Workspaces manage who is

associated with which projects◦ Thumbnail photographs help

team visibility Reports of up to 30% reduced

network traffic Examples

◦ Podio, LumoFlow,IBM Connections


http://www.podio.com/

https://www.lumoflow.com/index.action

http://www-01.ibm.com/software/lotus/products/connections/


Eliminate E-mail for repetitive Processes

Use BPMN (Business Process Modeling Notation)◦ Intuitive graphical process descriptions◦ Automatic message routing generated from

flowchart

Examples◦ IBM Blueworks Live, Questetra, RunMyProcess


https://www.blueworkslive.com/



http://store.questetra.com/en/features/

http://www.runmyprocess.com/


Example: BPMN Workflow


Process capture and implementation:

www.scatterwork-consulting.com

Swim lanes indicate

assignments




Typical Project Processes

Collect requirements Hold Meetings

◦ Tracking◦ Phase Review

Create WBS Report Progress Estimate costs Issue new Document version Develop Schedule Train new Employee Monitor & Control Project Work Distribute information Analyse stakeholders Update Website etc etc

Your examples of repetitive

processes (even if not

documented)?



Significant Advantages of BPMN(also apply to co-located teams)

Retention of a critical competitiveCompany Know-How◦ Individuals may get ill, retire, change job etc.

Facilitates Continuous Improvement (Kaizen) Best practice can be duplicated Process Documentation drives improvements

◦ Shorter latency (=waiting) times The team can easily be scaled up or down,

depending on the capacity demand



Risks of Undocumented Processes

Rework and waste Inability to restart

after severe disruption such as flooding or fire

Difficulty in replicating key processes in multiple locations and teams

• Key production worker reaches retirement age

• Unwilling to hand over experience



How to implement Processes with BPMN

1. Capture the process flow graphically◦ Subject Expert & Application Expert working

together

2. Review the Process with others who are familiar with the environment

◦ Adopt improvements and document graphically

3. Launch the draft process◦ Complete the process cycle, identifying possible

improvements◦ Incorporate improvements after the cycle

4. Launch the revised process◦ After some cycles, the adjustments should stabilise



Review and Response toParticipant Contributions

Tame your “Most Problematic Process”!

Complimentary BPMN Starter Consultations

to the first four (4) comers at http://bit.ly/LyIAiW


http://bit.ly/LyIAiW


Summary

The transition to multi-locationproject environments took place long ago◦ Usage is still evolving and will take some time:

Culture Tips for Virtual Teamwork◦ Establish an atmosphere of Trust◦ Instil a Culture of Personal Responsibility◦ Match Personal Contracts to the work◦ Build Team by developing Operational Guidelines

and/or Global Team Simulator◦ Check your Cultural Assumptions◦ Eliminate e-Mail

Projects and AssignmentsRepetitive Processes


http://t.co/wl17U3vB

http://bit.ly/LyIAiW


Dr. Deasún Ó Conchúir PMP

E-mail [email protected]

Tel.+41 79 692 4735

Profile

Web www.scatterwork-consulting.com

Book ”Overview of the PMBOK Guide” published by Springer-Verlag

Join the Scatterwork Consulting Mailing List at http://eepurl.com/ePHug

45

Collaboration Consultant


mailto:[email protected]


http://is.gd/VazXmt



http://scatterwork-consulting.com/overview-of-the-pmbok-guide-4th-edition/

http://www.linkedin.com/in/scatterwork

cora systems ltd aviva stadium, dublin, 15 june 2012 dr. deasún Ó conchúir pmp...

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