In a previous post, I wrote about how successful virtual teams benefit by functioning as #Hybrid teams. I defined Hybrid teams as teams that 1) meet face to face periodically, 2) meet in pairs when appropriate, and 3) are intentional about engaging in interpersonal as well as transactional interactions during online meetings.
This post answers the question, what should the frequency of face-to-face meetings be? The answer depends on three factors 1) the type of tasks of the virtual hybrid team, 2) the degree of a shared view among team members, and 3) the strength of relationship among team members (Maznevski). The most critical of those factors is the type of work the team does and it is this factor that I address in this post.
There are three levels of team interdependence, pooled, sequential and reciprocal, each requiring different levels of interaction and thus the frequency of meeting face-to-face.
With Pooled interdependence virtual hybrid team members work independently of each other. Examples would include insurance claim reviewers, call center responders, appliance repair mechanics, and some sales teams. In such jobs, the outcome of all the workers is combined to reach the team’s target. As there are no handoffs between team members, there is no need for the team to come together to ensure that handoffs go smoothly or to resolve joint issues. Coordination is achieved by standardizing the task. However, like other virtual team members who function without the presence of colleagues, they can suffer loneliness and feel disengaged, which reduces the team’s total productivity. Hybrid virtual teams, that are doing tasks that require pooled interdependence, bring those members together at least yearly to celebrate the success of outstanding performers and to build relationships and team commitment. Some organizations combine such meetings with the introduction of new products or training. Limited face-to-face meetings are supported by asynchronous exchanges such as Communities of Practices where team members can ask questions of each other and share best practices as well as synchronous exchanges such as webinars when those are designed for interaction rather than presentation.
With Sequential interdependence, the team carries out a series of tasks, each performed by a different team member, like a virtual assembly line. Each team member’s success depends on the person who does the previous task completing that task on time and at a high level of quality. Therefore, a virtual hybrid team’s performance can be improved by each team member fully understanding the needs and requirements of the person who will receive their handoff. Because needs change over time, a virtual hybrid team holds weekly, online, synchronous conversations by Skype or Zoom to stay updated on problems and concerns. Teams use online project management apps like Trello or Zoho for planning and to track task completion. They use asynchronous team apps such as Microsoft Teams or Slack for messaging, social interaction and document storage. Many hold daily, virtual, standup meetings, often lasting no more than 15 minutes to check in with who needs help and to head off problems.
Virtual hybrid teams with sequential interdependence meet face to face initially to build strategic alignment, to do the necessary upfront planning for coordination and to establish trust relationships that are critical to sequential interdependence. Although the team’s ongoing tasks are sequential, the initial meeting requires reciprocal interdependence. Without the conversations that establish trust relationships, team members lose awareness and concern about those they depend upon. Team members need to meet face to face at least twice a year to renew that trust and to put into place changes learned from their ongoing experience.
Reciprocal interdependence requires continual interaction between co-workers. Team members must diagnose, problem solve, and collaborate to accomplish their task. They must continually adjust to each other’s actions as the situation changes. Examples of reciprocal interdependence are product design teams and strategy development teams. Reciprocal tasks require in-depth discussion that involves input from diverse perspectives. A virtual sales team may involve technical experts, developers and marketing people who must interact to craft a proposal for a client. As the client gives feedback on the proposal or later adds new requirements, the team will need to convene to make modifications. Coordination is achieved by mutual adjustment anytime a new factor is introduced. Moreover, mutual adjustment entails synchronous conversation that is best achieved face-to-face. Attempt to make such changes asynchronously whether by email or team apps results in mis-interpretation of others meaning and often the false assumption that agreement has been reached.
Virtual, hybrid teams that are reciprocal meet at least quarterly face-to-face. In between meetings, they primarily rely on visual communication tools such as Skype, Zoom or Google Hangout. They may also use team apps such as Slack or Teams, to maintain documentation. As Weick notes, “The same event means different things to different people and more information will not help them. What will help them is a setting where they can argue, using rich data pulled from a variety of media, to construct fresh frameworks of action-outcome linkages that include their multiple interpretations. The variety of data need to pull off this difficult task are most available in variants of the face to face meeting.”
Task interdependence varies depending upon the task in which a virtual team is engaged. It is not uncommon for teams to have some tasks that are reciprocal and others that are sequential. For example, the initial design of a software project would be reciprocal, while the ongoing development tasks might be sequential and the retrospect at the end that looks for ways to improve the process, to again be reciprocal.