Virtual teams in the changed landscape

GÉANT project teams (actual and virtual) have been delivering products and services year on year, for this reason remote working is not new to us.

The pandemic has radically transformed (and continues to do so) the way we work, learn and overall, live our lives. The concept of “remote” is not longer reserved for certain areas of business; “remote” has become something that keeps us apart and, at the same time, brings us together.

There is little doubt that virtual teams are here to stay, they are evolving and changing as our abilities and skills to work and interact virtually evolve.

So, the main challenge for virtual teams is not just to adapt to new circumstances but to thrive and continue to be successful.

To address this challenge the GLAD team has been working with our learning partner “Global Integration” to put together a training programme to help us to create and maintain virtual teams as an effective, happy and productive environment.

The launch of the training programme coincided with the start of the lockdown in many countries, and that made the topic particularly relevant. For this reason, and, also, because the feedback following the training showed real impact in terms of renewed confidence, enthusiasm in the use of the new tools and synergy of being (virtually) with like-minded people – we are running this programme once again.

And we wish for the new cohort of participants to enjoy this learning experience, and hope they will find it truly enriching and invigorating.

About the training programme

The training programme consists of 6 modules (90 minutes duration, either in the morning or afternoon) delivered live online and facilitated by Tony Poots – a true expert with many and many years of experience of helping people to work successfully in a virtual environment.

As well as 6 online modules participants have access to relevant online learning resources (Global Integration learning platform) in between the live sessions with Tony on hand to support you every step of the way.

Although this is a modular programme it is essential to complete all 7 modules to get the full benefit of this programme (please ensure your are there from the beginning!)

The seven modules (live online sessions) will cover the following themes:

Module 1 (15/10/2020 from 09:30 to 11:00 am BST) Communication heartbeat (how to manage attention and disconnection, how to “tame” communication tools and how to inject emotions and nuance).

Module 2 (22/10/2020 from 09:30 to 11:00 am BST). No trust, no Team: how to keep in step and move forward (what does “trust” mean in the context of virtual team working and how to build it in the absence of informal opportunities) –

Module 3 (05/11/2020 09:30 to 11:00 am GMT) Creating result-oriented environment (when to collaborate and when not, how to simplify and achieve cooperation (“Star and spaghetti”), fewer and better meetings) .

Module 4 ( 12/11/2020 09:30 to 11:00 am GMT) Virtual team culture – how to create one? We all bring our own cultural preferences into a team. Is there such a thing as virtual team culture?

Module 5 ( 19/11/2020 09:30 to 11:00 am GMT) It is a balancing act – how to balance control and autonomy, how to manage multiple bosses and own goals in the face of ambiguity.

Module 6 ( 03/12/2020 09:30 to 11:00 am GMT) How to influence without authority – toolkit for getting things done through positive influence.

Wrap-up session “Life after training” – 17/12/2020 09:30 to 11:00 am GMT

And here is something that we are not used to so much: live sessions will NOT be recorded, instead you will be invited to have a ‘buddy” and if you miss a session the buddy will be able to step in and brief you on the most useful and memorable/relevant moments of the session.

Why are we doing it this way? There are several reasons for this:

Sessions will be interactive (no lectures!) – they will be very practical and hands-on so that you will be able to make changes (if relevant) straightaway.

For all the useful tips and tools to work for us we need to bring in the context of real life, GEANT-based scenarios, and this is impossible without you!

Tony’s approach to these sessions is to work with the audience as a virtual team, so that all the participants will feel like a team, and experience the process of becoming and working as a virtual team.