managing people you can't see handouts
DESCRIPTION
Handouts for the presentation given by Kyra Cavanaugh, President of Life Meets Work, at the Indiana SHRM State Conference on August 18, 2010TRANSCRIPT
Date Goes Here
Managing People You Can’t SeeManaging People You Can’t SeeIndiana State HR Conference
Handouts
August 18, 2010
5 Keys to Managing People You Can’t See5 Keys to Managing People You Can’t See
1. Embrace and utilize technology
2. Agree upon and document team values
3. Set goals and track performance
4. Communicate deliberately
5. Create a sense of place
1. Utilize technology1. Utilize technology
Instant Messaging: Yahoo, MSN,AOL
Group chat: Campfire
Microblogging: Twitter, Yammer
Group meetings: GotoMeeting, DimDim
Enterprise Social Networking: Socialtext, Lumoflow
Project tracking/Collaboration: Flowr, Nozbe, Basecamp
File sharing: Google docs, Dropbox
Teleconferencing: VOIP, Freeconference.com
Virtual whiteboard: Scriblink
WIKI’s: clearwiki.com
2. Agree upon and document team values2. Agree upon and document team values
A Virtual Teams Agreement outlines the “rules of engagement” and includes things like:How quickly team members are expected to reply to voice mails/emailsThe agreement is reciprocal-”we flex you, you flex us back”How often team members should report their activities, progress toward goalsHow often team members should input information into project tracking systems, customer updates, shared calendars, etc.Core hoursDays/times everyone should be in the officeFrequency of regularly scheduled team meetings, 1:1 meetings, etc.Whether new employees have to work in the office for 3 mos/6 mos. firstAttendance at retreatsHow decisions will be made and documentedConflict-resolution procedures
3. Set goals and track performance3. Set goals and track performance
• Clearly communicate expectations• Use technology to track• Project Plans• Flash Reports
4. Communicate deliberately4. Communicate deliberately
Set guidelines for how and when to communicate. Be open and honest. Greet every team member every day via IM, email, or phone. Schedule a regular 1:1 meeting and stick to it. Don’t
reschedule. Cultivate diversity of opinion. Record meetings for team members who miss. Publish all team members’ contact info in an easily retrievable
place. Consider personality profiles and preferred communication
styles of each team member. Customize your communication style to fit each employee.
Pay close attention to written communication. Look for emoticons, changes in tone or length of communication.
Ask about how team members are feeling. You don’t have the benefit of non-verbal cues, so you have to ask.
Ask more questions of virtual team members to be sure you know where they stand.
5. Create a new sense of place5. Create a new sense of place
Meet every morning on group IM chat to say good morning, socialize and talk about any pressing issues for the day.
Conduct virtual coffees/happy hours/birthday parties where no work discussion is allowed.
Encourage team members to post their photo, photo of their home office, pets, and info about their likes/dislikes/hobbies/etc.
Plan quarterly retreats devoted to team-building and getting to know each other.
Welcome new members in group conference calls.Assign an onsite “buddy” to each virtual team member to keep them up on the latest gossip, happenings, etc.
Celebrate successes, recognize great work, communicate with all team members electronically so remote workers aren’t left out of the loop.
Take 15 minute water cooler breaks during the day.
Speaker informationSpeaker information
If you have questions or need additional information, please contact me:
Kyra CavanaughPresidentLife Meets [email protected]