5 Warning Signs Your Virtual Team Isn't Communicating Well

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Let's be clear: there is NO one, truly "one and only" way to measure your team's collaboration. Many have tried, some have even published articles on the subject, but (wisely) included a disclaimer stating that "this is not a recommendation to use any one specific tool, but a set of references that may be useful when thinking about collaboration."



Additionally, experts argue that trying to measure cooperation with numbers is not the best option:

"To use a metric that is, after all, a generalized/standardized model used for comparisons is to deny the specificity of collaboration and thereby deny collaboration itself." - Jim Sniewski, PhD

So what now?

Simple: put aside the numbers, focus on where you zalo database are right now, and see where you can improve.

A Five-Step Path to Virtual Team Communication
First, make sure your team is collaborating. Every team must achieve five levels to reach the final level of communication success: collaboration .



[Photo caption: Five levels of collaboration]

Let me explain the levels further:

Networking: The team has just been assembled. Members know they work for the same organization, but know little about each other. Their roles are poorly defined and there is little communication between them, so they make all decisions independently.
Collaboration: As team bonds become stronger, networking evolves into collaboration. Although communication is formal, participants share information with each other more often than before. At this level, roles are not clearly defined, but decisions are made independently and without consultation.
Coordination: Coordinated teams are well-organized teams, and well-organized teams produce results. In this stage, resources and information are widely shared through frequent communication among members. Although roles are clearly defined, some decisions are made collaboratively.
Coalition: The team now knows that ideas and resources must be shared widely to achieve high results. Communication is frequent and prioritized, and everyone's voice will be heard.
Collaboration: There is an “I have your back” vibe in the air. Everyone feels part of something bigger and belongs there. When it comes to decision making, consensus is a must, and mutual trust encourages regular communication.
Only when your team has reached level five, when you feel that they are happy and fully trust each other, can you say that they are collaborating “for real.”

And the goal of this sequence is not, "Is the team working well together?"

It's all about watching for signs that something is wrong. These five red flags indicate that collaboration isn't going as smoothly as a manager would like.