1. Can Absence Make a Team Grow Stronger?
Ann Majchrzak
Marshall School of Business
University of Southern California

2. My experience base PhD in Social Psychology
Research focused on implementation of mfg techns (Human Side of Factory Automation, Human Side of CAD) in Rust Belt
Last 6 years focused on effective implementation of virtual collaboration technologies
Most recent study: 54 successful cases

3. When use Far-Flung Teams
MULTIPLE
PERSPECTIVES
COMPLEX
PROBLEMS
LOCAL
INTERESTS
KNOWLEDGE
CREATION &
TRANSFER
IMPLEMENT
LOCALLY
GLOBAL
MARKETPLACE

4. SLICE Example Propulsion, thermal, structural, mfg engineering
MULTIPLE
PERSPECTIVES
Propulsion, thermal,
structural, mfg engineering
COMPLEX
PROBLEMS
LOCAL
INTERESTS
KNOWLEDGE
CREATION &
TRANSFER
Goal: reduce cost of
rocket engine by
millions
Rocketdyne, TI, MSC
IMPLEMENT
LOCALLY
GLOBAL
MARKETPLACE
Mfg rocket, not just design
Cheaper, reusable rocket

5. SLICE Outcomes Designed new rocket engine in
1/10th time (10 mos vs 6 years)
1/10th labor (<15% time of 8 people vs people fulltime)
First unit cost: $47K instead of $4.5M
Predicted quality level of 9 sigma (not 6)
6 parts (instead of normal 1200)
Est. engine mfg cost: $0.5M instead of $7M

6. The Challenges of Far Flung Teams
Far Flung Virtual Teams are extreme:
“Communications challenged” (conducting their core work mostly virtually through electronic medium)
“Culturally challenged” (different countries, functions, companies)
“Task challenged” (uncertainty in content of outcomes, process, or coordination because of team size, # languages, # time zones)
Quick fix to challenges?
In-person meetings?

7. The Challenges of Far Flung Teams
Far Flung Virtual Teams are extreme:
“Communications challenged” (conducting their core work mostly virtually through electronic medium)
“Culturally challenged” (different countries, functions, companies)
“Task challenged” (uncertainty in content of outcomes, process, or coordination because of team size, # languages, # time zones)
Quick fix to challenges?
In-person meetings

8. Problems of Fixing Challenges With In-person Meetings
Conditions change after you leave
Serendipity is hard to schedule
Decision-making cycle time increases
People in meetings don’t have access to their experts, materials, tools
Leaves other responsibilities untended
Travel takes time, money, and energy
Diversity is left unexploited

9. Conceptual Framework for Managing Far Flung Team Challenges
PEOPLE
Leader
STRATEGY
TECHNOLOGY
PROCESS
TECH.
Differentiate Myths from Realities

10. People Myth: F2F meetings are needed at beginning to build trust
Reality:
Trust is built through a planned team
communication strategy &
in-process team tuning sessions (be they F2F or not)

11. Technology Reality: Ban email! Integrate Living Team Room
Myth:
Communicate through ; technology is a necessary enabler
Reality:
Ban !
Integrate Living Team Room
into work process

12. Living Team Room Capabilities
Search
Instant
Messaging
Synchronous
Discussion
Threads
Audio
Conferencing
Living
Room
Living
Documents
Web
Conferencing
Annotation
Asynchronous
Templates

13. Living Team Room Capes + Work Process
Search
Instant Messaging
Expertise location
Discussion
Threads
Backchannel conversations
Team identity
Brainstorming
Maintaining teamness
Focusing efforts
Web
Conferencing
Living
Room
Living Docs
N-way realtime
application sharing
Knowledge shared in
draft form; visibility
into each other’s work
Audio
Conferencing
Annotation
Templates
Trust-building
Own comments
Verbal clarification
Action items,
Agendas, Minutes

14. Process Reality: Prework: Intellectual property,
Myth:
Team starts on day team starts
Reality:
Prework: Intellectual property,
Coordination protocols, tool standards

15. Process Myth: Reality: Save virtual meetings for disagreements
Run conference calls like F2F meetings
Reality:
Save virtual meetings for disagreements
& intellectual stimulation;
requires meeting lifecycle management

16. Virtual Meeting Lifecycle
--Review discussion items to focus on disagree-ment
--Assign agenda items
--Rotate team facilitation
--Visible timelines & progress tracking
Clear allocation of action items, meeting minutes posted rapidly
Visibly ensure follow-up with discussion threads, progress tracking, & postings
Member check-in through voting,
IM,
posting, application-sharing, & verbal discussion
Recreate feeling of inclusiveness
Activities
Pre
Start
During
End
Between

17. Leader Reality: Far Flung teams require
Myth
Virtual means hands-off leadership
Reality:
Far Flung teams require
communication-intensive leaders

18. Communication-Intensive Leadership
Frequent 1-on-1
Check-ins
1-on-1 mentor
discussions
Leaders
Members
Establish team
communication norms
Closely monitor &
intervene

19. Summary of Practices
1. Level playing field (everyone “calls in”); no physical meetings
2. Virtual workspace technologies
3. In-process team tuning sessions
4. Manage virtual meeting flow
5. Structure dynamically paired tasks among team members
6. Provide inclusion without smoothing diversity
7. Electronically brainstorm
8. Distribute leadership tasks

20. Far Flung Teams can be a competitive weapon, not a necessary evil
Conclusion
Far Flung Teams can be a competitive weapon, not a necessary evil