joe willmore, willmore consulting group managing virtually at your library identify how virtual work...

Joe Willmore, Willmore Consulting Group

Managing Virtually at Your Library

• Identify how virtual work situations differ from face-to-face ones;

• Improve your ability to work virtually

• Learn about a range of tips and tools for working more effectively in a virtual setting;


Why Look at Virtual Work?

• Everyone is increasingly going virtual—users will demand it of you/may be the only way to get some things done;

• Library staff must be effective at virtual work because of limited face-to-face time/ability to access some resources only through virtual means/geographic distribution;

• Virtual dynamics enhance some kinds of tasks and performance;


Virtual Work Circumstances

• Virtual Teams;

• Using Technology to Interact;

• Distributed Work Sites/Decentralized Organizations;

• Using Technology to Teach/Instruct;

• Telecommuting;


A Virtual Team...

Works across space, time and organizational boundaries with links strengthened by webs of communication technologies. A virtual team may be temporary or permanent, it may involve some face-to-face interaction or may interact entirely through electronic means.


Virtual Interaction Modes

Same Place (co-located) Same Time (synchronous) CBT/Job aids, computer supported meetings (groupware)

Different Place (distributed/dispersed) Same Time (synchronous) Audio conferencing, on-line or chat technology

Same Place (co-located) Different Time (asynchronous) Library/Learning Center, bulletin board, story board, SNT feedback

Different Place (distributed/dispersed) Different Time (asynchronous) Voice mail, email, threaded discussion, intranets,

Adapted from Lisa Kimball, Caucus Systems


The Branch Conference Call

You are heading up the team that manages Branch Outreach initiatives. You’ve decided to hold a conference call with the 7 team members (because everyone is spread across the State and you can’t get space to meet together). Of the 7 team members, 4 of them work in the Main Branch and will call in from their Conference room at the Main Branch. What facilitation tips can you think of?


Virtual Team Dynamics

• Dispersed and Electronic: No face-to-face interaction of any kind (ie: conference planning or use of outside experts that are separated by distance and/or time);

• Mixed Modes: A combination of dispersed and face-to-face interaction (typical of most teams or offices with shift work/flex time/part-time staff);

• Insiders and Outsiders: Some members are co-located, others dispersed (conference calls into Main Branch Library from Branch Libraries);


Assumptions About Virtual Interaction

• Last Resort—virtual work environment is what we use when F2F isn’t an option;

• F2F interaction is always superior to electronic interaction;

• No differences in team/library dynamics;• Can’t really develop trust;• No accountability;• If things go wrong, it’s because of technology;• The “Rules” are the Same;


Baking Soda Test

As a test, take the next 3 minutes to list as many ideas as you can think of for possible uses of baking soda. Have someone in your small group scribe or keep track of the ideas. Be creative--wild ideas are good!


Last Resort--Use Virtual Options When F2F isn’t Available

Reality:• Virtual Teams are more than a poor substitute for

Face-to-Face teams--they are capable of matching performance by F2F teams in some tasks;

• Virtual Teams are capable of outperforming F2F teams in some areas (idea generation);

Lesson: Don’t automatically assume a F2F is the preferred option.


F2F Interaction is Always Superior to Electronic Interaction

Reality:• Electronically mediated interaction can reduce or

more effectively control some dysfunctional behavior present in F2F situations;

• The appropriate interaction medium depends upon the nature of the task and the team dynamics;

Lesson: F2F interaction isn’t better than electronic interaction, it’s just different.


Planning Board Business

You’re coordinating a board planning a library expansion. The agenda for the next meeting is full. Agenda items are: budget update; review 3 proposals for new layouts; brainstorm ideas for using the additional space; and address a major conflict between 5 of the board members. You can’t get it all in one meeting, you can’t meet longer and can’t meet face-to-face this month. Decide what to cover in the meeting and what might be covered through virtual means.


Online Facilitation/DL Model

• Step 1: Access and Motivation;

• Step 2: Online Socialization and Interaction;

• Step 3: Information Exchange;

• Step 4: Knowledge and Learning Construction;

• Step 5: Development/Meta-Learning;

--developed by Gilly Salmon, Open University, UK


Online Information/Instruction

• Information isn’t instruction;

• Linear approaches don’t work;

• Interaction is essential—remember 3 to 1 ratio:

• Chunk material—minimize scrolling;

• Create a visual hierarchy;

• Anticipate needs, questions, and problems;


No Differences in Group Dynamics

Reality:

• VTs and F2F teams display radically different dynamics, develop differently and call for different strategies and tactics;

• Very few managers, facilitators, and team members adjust for these differences in dynamics;

Lesson: What works for F2F teams isn’t always appropriate for VTs (and vice versa).


Building the New Team

You’ve been asked to lead a new team to plan acquisitions among Branch Facilities spread across the State. Because of geography, you won’t be able to meet F2F more than once or twice. How would you get this team off on the right foot? What team building approaches might be effective?


Trust and Behavior

Member behavior that encourageinitial trust within the team.

Member behavior that maintains trustwithin the team once it already exists.

Coping with technical and taskuncertainty—not blaming technology forproblems, clarifying objectives, comingup with answers/action to deal withconfusion.

Leadership—avoiding negative posturingor reinforcement, no unfavorablecomparisons to other teams, no actionsseen as “betrayals” by other teammembers. Often leadership is rotated.

Individual initiative—Takingunprompted action, providingsuggestions, not waiting for instructionsor for others to make decisions.

Procedural to task orientation—movingfrom an emphasis on process to taskfocus, reaction to crises was low-key andimperturbable.

Jarvenpaa and Leidner, 1998


Creating Community Online

• Set the tone of the exchange early in the process;

• Look for opportunities to elicit or trigger responses;

• Initiate a “group building” process to break the ice and get everyone acquainted;

• Contact people individually and encourage them to participate;


VT’s Can’t Really Develop Trust

Reality:

• Many VTs develop trust quicker and sustain it longer than F2F teams with extensive interaction;

• There are different ways for trust to develop and trust means different things depending upon the team setting;

Lesson: VTs require different trust-building measures from F2F teams.


Out-of-Sight (But Not Out-of-Mind)

The staff you manage have just recently been decentralized--with staff being located at client locations at different sites. You will no longer have daily or even weekly F2F contact with your staff. How can you manage their performance and keep them accountable for their work?


No Accountability With Virtual Workers

Reality:

• “Out-of-sight” does not mean unaccountable;

• A paradigm of “control” within organizations leads to distrust of tele-commuters and virtual work arrangements;

Lesson: Accountability is achieved by shifting to a “performance” paradigm, where the focus is on results and outcomes--not activity;


If Things Go Wrong, Technology’s At Fault

Reality:

• We incorrectly distinguish the difference between F2F teams and VTs as being the technology rather than the dynamics of the teams;

• Too many trainers and facilitators are virtual luddites;

Lesson: VTs fail more often for “soft skills” reasons than for technological factors.


The “Rules” are the Same

Reality:

• Net etiquette is distinct from F2F interaction;

• Behavior that is acceptable in a F2F setting or in a traditional communication mode (letter/memo) doesn’t always fit in a virtual one;

Lesson: Treat virtual interaction as communication that requires it’s own set of rules;


Norms and Expectations to Confront

• Response times/acknowledge receipt;

• POC (point-of-contact);

• Depth/detail in response;

• Appropriate/inappropriate content;

• Document and message “sharing” protocol;

• Mailing list/”cc” distribution issues;

• When is “off the clock”;


High-Touch Tips

• Aligned Purpose: beware silos and “fumbles”;

• Language Issues: ban humor and metaphors;

• Culture Matters: manage initial experiences;

• Connect: look for ways to build community;

• Manage Expectations: confront assumptions;

• Make Time: treat them like F2F commitments;

• Corporate Memory: let virtual work enhance it;


High-Tech Tips

• Learning Curve: design-in training on the technology to minimize participant gaps;

• Fun and Games: don’t train, play;• The Medium is the Message: don’t use it because you

have it, use it because it fits;• Examine Time Implications: downtime is gone—let

work follow the sun;• Design for Turnover: FAQs, cross-training, and records;


Need to Rethink Assumptions

“Although the technology which supports these new teams gets most of the attention when we talk about virtual it’s really the changes in the nature of teams--not their use of technology--which creates new challenges for team managers and members.”

--Lisa Kimball, Caucus Systems


Presenter Information

Joe Willmore is:• A member of ASTD’s NAC (National Advisors for

Chapters) and Board of Directors;• President of the Willmore Consulting Group;• Worked with ALA; Solinet; SLA; National Archives;

and USGS Library Consortium;• Contributor to the Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer Annual;• Reachable at [email protected] or 703-855-4634;


Effective Use of Email

For a free sheet of tips and advise for using email effectively, email me (Joe Willmore) at: [email protected]. Mention what session or event you heard me at and I’ll email the tips to you.


Useful Resources

• Deborah Duarte and Nancy Snyder, Mastering Virtual Teams, 1999;

• Gilly Salmon, E-Moderating: the Key to Teaching and Learning Online, 2000;

• Kimball Fisher and Mareen Fisher, The Distance Manager, 2001;

• Jay Alden, A Trainer’s Guide to Web-Based Instruction, 1998;

joe willmore, willmore consulting group managing virtually at your library identify how virtual work...

Documents

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virtual setting slide

virtual options

virtual work situations

tasks virtual teams

performance slide

facetoface interaction

branch conference