Avdi Grimm's List: Wide Teams

• We all work in our bathrobes! In fact, most of us have a variety of lovely bathrobes, from satin to flannel to knit. It’s what separates us from all those suckers with regular jobs.

• But dispersion is not only a matter of degree; it is also a matter of kind. Most teams are dispersed on some level. They can be spatially separated (from “across the hall” to “scattered worldwide”), temporally separated (spanning different time zones), configurationally uneven (for example, five members in one location and two in another) and culturally diverse
• Such geographically distributed teams have commonly been referred to as “virtual” teams,2 but that label is something of a misnomer, because these groups are very real with respect to the work they can accomplish.
• When assembling a virtual team, managers should carefully consider the social skills and self-sufficiency of the potential members
• with the appropriate processes in place, dispersed teams can significantly outperform their colocated counterparts.
• In fact, we found that virtual teams with such processes can outperform their colocated counterparts, and that was true even for colocated teams with the same high levels of those processes.
• Our study found that those processes that are directly task-related are the most critical for the performance of dispersed teams.
• Teams with members in the same building, albeit on different floors, do not usually consider themselves as being dispersed and, hence, may easily underestimate the barriers to collaboration deriving from, for instance, having to climb a flight of stairs to meet a teammate face to face. In contrast, groups that are dispersed across a country or continent are more aware of their situation and may make extra efforts to improve such vital processes as task-related communication and coordination.

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• One of the most effective tools Taccini has used is a monthly video blog (vlog). "It has been one of the best ways to communicate, supplemented by calls with everyone in my reporting chain," he said. "Even though it's not two-way real time, I get more participation from the vlog. My team sends questions, and they also have Web spaces to create collaboration spaces."

• Instead of employing a group of competent generalists, the expectation is now one based on specialists who are productive, efficient, and good at meeting deadlines without someone looking over their shoulder. Are your employees ready and able for this challenge?

• Post a map that shows where your far-flung team members are located. Post pictures of them. (We tend to trust what we can see, and this little gesture can help build trust.) 
   
  When you can, share a meal together--even if you are on different continents. Schedule a call, post the pictures, and set the table. Breaking bread together is an ancient sign of hospitality and good will. This simple gesture can help knit the team together. 
• When they have a conference call, the frames are placed around the table to remind the people in the room of who else is on the phone.
• it's good practice to say your name each time you speak
• Appoint a facilitator for each call
• Even if you work for the same company in different locations, you work in different organizations
• Having a picture of your teammates' physical surroundings--their cubes, floor, and building--is another way to make distant people more real. 

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• Jeff suggested that blaming everything on remote customers and remote developers is just a way to find excuses. According to him, he has done several projects in distributed mode and those have had excellent results. The real solution is a commitment to succeed by both the team and the organization.

• Today, Starbucks launched a plan that offers free Internet access at 11,000 locations.