Remote work has gone mainstream. What was once seen as a perk offered by a handful of forward-thinking companies has now become the norm across countless industries. And with this massive shift has come an increased reliance on virtual collaboration to get work done.
When managed effectively, virtual teams can be just as productive and connected as in-office teams. But without the right tools and strategies in place, remote collaboration can easily become disjointed and ineffective.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through everything you need to know to build a highly collaborative virtual team in 2023. From choosing the right tech tools to fostering psychological safety, we’ve got you covered. Let’s dig in!
Choose Communication Tools Wisely
The foundation of great virtual collaboration is choosing the right communication tools. With so many options out there, this can get overwhelming fast. Here are some of our top tips:
- Videoconferencing: Zoom, Google Meet, etc. for meetings, ideation, and brainstorming sessions. Being able to see each other helps build connection.
- Chat: Slack, Microsoft Teams, etc. for quick conversations and questions. Great for creating watercooler culture.
- AI Notetakers: Keep everyone aligned on what happens in meetings and what actions need to be taken following a meeting with AI notetakers like Supernormal.
- Project Management: Asana, Trello, etc. to track tasks and projects. Critical for keeping everyone aligned.
- Surveys: Typeform, SurveyMonkey, etc. for collecting team feedback and suggestions.
The right mix of tools depends on your team’s needs. Try different options and see what works best!
Define Your Virtual Workspace
Your team’s virtual workspace is where collaboration happens every day. Treat this space like you would an in-office workspace. Here are some key elements to include:
- #general channel: This should act as your virtual watercooler for team-wide announcements and conversations.
- Project channels: Create a dedicated channel for each major project or initiative.
- Direct messaging: Make it easy for 1:1 conversations to occur.
- Video call links: Pin frequently used video call links to the top of channels to make meetings easy.
- File sharing: Share key documents, spreadsheets, presentations, etc.
- Task management: Use threads or a linked project management tool to track tasks.
- Team calendar: Post important meetings, dates, events, etc.
- Search: Make finding past information easy.
Take time to thoughtfully organize and customize your virtual workspace. This space will be your team’s digital hub so make sure it meets your needs.
Establish Core Hours
Core hours are set times each day when you expect team members to be available for meetings, chats, impromptu calls, etc. We recommend a minimum of 2 to 4 hours of overlap per day.
Some tips for establishing effective core hours:
- Discuss as a team and agree on the hours that work best for everyone.
- Consider time zones, external commitments, etc. when deciding.
- Document the hours clearly for the whole team. Post in your virtual workspace.
- Reflect core hours in your team calendar. Block off as busy.
- Allow for flexibility if schedules change but aim for consistency.
Having shared daily core hours helps facilitate seamless virtual collaboration. Team members know when they can easily connect and align.
Host Regular Video Calls
Don’t rely solely on written communication. Regular face-to-face video calls are crucial for building trust and unity on a virtual team.
- Daily standups: 15 minutes each morning to discuss plans, blockers, etc.
- Weekly syncs: 30-60 minutes each week to touch base on projects and priorities.
- Monthly meetings: 1-2 hours each month for bigger picture discussions, strategy, etc.
- Social hours: Optional happy hours or coffee chats to socialize.
- 1:1s: Regular 30 minute 1:1 meetings with manager.
- All hands: Quarterly video calls with the entire company.
Video calls don’t need to be long but they should happen consistently. The more frequently you see each other’s faces, the more bonded you’ll feel!
Foster Psychological Safety
For a team to collaborate effectively, members must feel safe taking risks and voicing opinions without fear of embarrassment or retribution. This psychological safety allows candor to flow freely — a prerequisite for great collaboration.
As a leader, there are several ways you can foster psychological safety on your remote team:
- Make it clear there are no repercussions for speaking up. Reward brave opinions.
- Invite challenge and dissent. Don’t shut down minority views.
- Listen attentively. Don’t interrupt or react defensively.
- Ask for input frequently. Solicit ideas from quiet voices.
- Admit your mistakes often. Let your guard down.
- Use video to add warmth. Facial expressions build empathy.
Psychological safety allows your team to share creative ideas, critical feedback, and doubts without hesitation. Prioritize this from day one.
Define Your Decision-Making Process
Without defined processes, decision-making can easily become messy on a virtual team. To avoid confusion, clearly outline:
- Who makes which decisions: Which calls are made by the team lead vs. consensus?
- How decisions will be made: When is consensus required vs. majority vote vs. unilateral call?
- Escalation pathways: When does an issue get escalated to a higher up?
- Feedback loops: How can team members give input on decisions?
- Decision tracking: How will you document key decisions for clarity?
Some teams even create a “responsibility assignment matrix” — a RACI matrix — to map out who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for each type of decision. This level of clarity dramatically improves alignment.
Give Public Recognition
Positive reinforcement is powerful for conditioning and shaping desired behaviors. That’s why public recognition is a crucial driver of collaboration. Ways to recognize great collaborative acts:
- Kudos in #general: When someone helps a teammate or has a great idea, shout them out publicly.
- Spotlight teammates: In weekly syncs, highlight individuals who really came together for the team.
- Peer bonuses: Allow team members to grant small peer bonuses to each other.
- Swag: When major milestones are hit, send fun swag kits to celebrate.
- Compensation: Factor collaboration into performance reviews and compensation.
No act of collaboration is too small for recognition. Praising these behaviors consistently will make them become habits.
Survey Regularly for Feedback
Don’t make assumptions about how your team is functioning. Survey them regularly to get concrete feedback. Great questions to ask:
- How well are we collaborating day-to-day? Rate 1-10.
- How could we collaborate more effectively?
- Are there any roadblocks to seamless collaboration?
- Are our communication norms working well?
- What’s your comfort level voicing ideas and concerns?
- How aligned do you feel with the team’s mission and goals?
- How can I be a better leader of this team?
Ideally, send out anonymous surveys every quarter. Then, share results and have an open discussion about how your team can improve collaboration.
Decrease Manual Work with AI Tools
New AI tools like Supernormal are emerging that can dramatically reduce manual work for teams through automated meeting notes, summaries, project task management and more. Leveraging these types of tools liberates teams from repetitive tasks allowing them to focus on more strategic collaboration that drives business results.
Invest in Virtual Team Building
Don’t neglect team building just because you’re virtual. These activities help teams bond, have fun, and build trust together. Some virtual team building ideas:
- Game days: Host virtual game sessions (Jackbox, Skribbl, etc.)
- Themed meetings: Tie fun themes to your video calls. Hawaiian shirts, show and tell, etc.
- Cooking class: Hire a chef for a virtual cooking lesson.
- Virtual escape room: Host a virtual escape room event.
- Remote pantry: Mail team members a monthly “remote pantry” of treats.
- Personal storytelling: Take turns sharing a funny or insightful personal story.
- Remote background contest: See who can create the best fun virtual background.
Get creative in bringing some lightness and laughter into your team’s virtual interactions. A little fun goes a long way!
Bridge the Cultural Gap
For distributed teams spanning different countries and cultures, extra effort is required to bridge cultural gaps. Be proactive with:
- Research: Learn about cultural norms of teammates abroad. Avoid assumptions.
- Cultural training: Contract external experts to educate your team.
- Calendar alignment: Accommodate different national holidays.
- 24 hour policy: Allow 24 hours for global teammates to digest challenging feedback before discussing.
- Language: Provide translators as needed. Don’t make non-fluent speakers struggle.
- Patience and empathy: Don’t interpret mistakes as slights. Assume positive intent.
While challenging, a little sensitivity to cultural differences can make your diverse team inclusive and cohesive.
Set Clear Ground Rules
Every team needs some basic ground rules to function smoothly. Revisit and refine them often as your team evolves. Some good starter norms:
- Assume positive intent
- Disagree respectfully
- Show up prepared
- Stay on topic
- Listen attentively
- Speak up!
- Attack problems, not people
- Start and end on time
Having agreed upon ground rules keeps your team respectful, efficient, and productive even during times of disagreement. They help set clear expectations.
Conclusion
Building a highly collaborative virtual team takes work. It requires thoughtfully choosing tools, establishing processes, nurturing relationships, and much more. But the level of unity, cohesion, and alignment you can create virtually makes the effort well worth it.
Use this guide as a starting point and then tailor the tips and strategies to your team’s specific needs. Don’t be afraid to experiment, tweak, and adjust until you find the right mix. Great collaboration won’t happen overnight but by investing consistent time and focus, it can become one of your team’s biggest competitive strengths.