CHAPTER 3

Technology and the Roles Game

Ben was in his office staring out the window and wondering what he would do next. He had been very busy in the past few months, traveling across the globe to meet each member of his team, either individually or in meetings. Despite his efforts, he was unable to meet up with every person. In these cases, he was able to set up teleconferences or voice calls with them. This wasn’t ideal in Ben’s mind, but he felt that at least a contact was important. Of course, while he preferred face-to-face meetings, his travel schedule was exhausting. In the end, he felt it was well worth the effort, as his team seemed excited by his transparency and openness to their ideas.

Now the real challenge began, as Ben would be dealing with his people primarily through technological means. He was about to have a meeting with two team members but was a little confused with the new platform. Ben felt comfortable with his level of digital intelligence (DQ). In the past, his company used basic Skype conferencing for online meetings, but his new organization used newer, more sophisticated tools to communicate with remote employees. Software programs such as Slack, GoToMeeting, and Zoom Video provided many options for Ben to work with his team and communicate in both chat and voice. While they seemed relatively easy on the surface, Ben was still getting used to them. This made his initiation as a manager all the more challenging. He picked up the phone to call the IT group and stood by sheepishly as they explained how to use the software. Effective communication technology is a necessary component for a successful virtual team (VT) integration and leadership.

Throughout history, people have been striving to find new ways to shout at each other and gain attention among their peers (Gascoigne n.d.). Virtual communication simply allows us to do this around the world and without losing our voices. Although working globally through the use of technology can be beneficial, virtual teamwork has not always been possible. The Internet has made profound changes to the way corporations do business. Since 1995, the Internet has been a catalyst for the creation of new ways to conduct business and reach customers. Included in this is the ability to forge teams working in different geographies while focusing on a common goal (Asprey and Cerruzi 2008). Of greater importance, Internet technology has the benefit of improved efficiencies through the reduction of travel costs, enhanced communication capabilities, and increased diversity and talent opportunities (Townsend, DeMarie, and Hendricksen 1998). While most of the world’s Internet users reside in North America, Asia, Europe, and Latin America, over the next decade, the Internet penetration ratio across both developed and developing markets is expected to see continued growth, especially through the use of mobile phone technology (CNBC-TV 2013).

Though the continued proliferation of technology provides many great new opportunities in business, one cannot just drop new communications software into an organizational system and assume it will be a magic solution to all company problems. The implementation of new technology can be an excruciatingly complex issue that can result in a loss of both temporal and financial resources if not executed properly. To further complicate the matter, people respond to diverse types of technology differently, so managers like Ben must be aware of this fact as they begin the process of building a new technological platform (Nayak and Taylor 2009). Ben was too busy to do any specific training on the new communication tools at his disposal. He felt confident enough to start working with some of the programs and assumed it wouldn’t be too challenging. Nonetheless, in some cases, Ben stumbled through meetings and had problems with his camera and microphone. In one embarassing moment, some of his group had to explain how to change slides and show his desktop in conference. He had read about how to do this, but in the heat of the moment, he forgot and couldn’t figure it out. Turns out his DQ wasn’t what he thought it was. Despite these minor setbacks, time and experience made Ben a capable user of the new technology tools. Ben learned that the use of technology to connect teams is a journey that requires constant energy and personal development.

For any manager, the hope is that technology will not just serve as a tool, but rather be an instrument to help drive the vision of leadership. Nonetheless, the process of building a successful VT is a tremendously challenging and complicated endeavor. This is primarily because it requires the effective blending of technology, processes, and people. It is not as simple as just setting up and using technology straightaway (Nayak and Taylor 2009).

Another challenge of remote teams and working in this virtual manner is the limited capability of team members to pick up on nonverbal clues and inflections that are present during face-to-face conversations (Walther and Burgoon 1992). Following the initial application of software, it becomes easier to adjust technology after the team has repeated electronic, text, or voice interactions (Virtual Teams Survey Report 2016). Using a bilateral mode of communication technology can make simple tasks, such as brainstorming and personal discussion, more difficult for some (Follet 2009). In the past few months while Ben had been meeting his team, some employees had expressed that in an environment where nonverbal cues could not be seen, they focused on delivering more concise messages that would resonate effectively with the team. This method can help to facilitate more effective meetings that are more focused and synergistic and thus serve to waste less time (Majchzrak and Malhotra 2004). Furthermore, depending on the communications platform the organization is using, many of these challenges can be somewhat overcome. People can still have visual face-to-face conversations through hardware and software programs such as desktop conferencing, video conferencing systems, Skype, etc. (Townsend, DeMarie, and Hendricksen 1998). This helps people feel connected in a different way and can increase connection between team members. Ben felt comfortable with the level of technology his company incorporated. His main issue was managing the programs more effectively, but even this grew easier over time.

Ben also quickly discovered that some members of his team were more comfortable with communications technology than others. Many of his younger employees not only worked well in this environment, but also fully embraced it. However, some of his managers who had been in the company for years were more reluctant to work in this way. For example, one of his American managers, Ted, used e-mail as his primary communication tool, often writing long notes. Ben tried to push him to use Slack or GoogleDrive more often in his team communications. However, even after many months, Ted continued to spam the team with long e-mails. Ben asked one of his other managers to set up a video conference with Ted and teach him how to use the programs he had suggested, to increase his comfort level in communication in this area. Ted reluctantly agreed and, after some time, finally started to use the programs. While he still sent more e-mails than necessary, he started to improve.

Ben wasn’t immune to these problems either. In one call, every time he put his video camera on, the conference would stop working and his voice would get severely choppy. Eventually, Ben told the team to disconnect and call into conference through the phone. Following the meeting, Ben contacted tech support, and irritatingly told them that the system wasn’t working. Within a second, the tech support person informed Ben that he had been using a camera resolution that was too high for the bandwidth. After reducing his resolution, the program worked fine. Despite this minor embarrasment, Ben made strides with his use of technology and eventually learned to appreciate the benefit it brought to his team. E-mail, texting, Internet phones, team web pages, and cloud-based connectivity are additional ways that people can communicate across borders (Follet 2009).

The computer company IBM not only used e-mail, video conferencing, and other technology to support its teams, but also utilized selected social networking sites for its employees. This provided them with the opportunity to openly share ideas and collaborate on varying projects (Payton 2010). Similarly, many organizations, including Ben’s, use such tools for communication.

E-mail is a very effective, though often overused tool. However, research has clearly demonstrated that using numerous technologies, instead of just one, can help promote better team cohesiveness and trust among team members (Virtual Teams Survey Report 2016). Furthermore, e-mails can be time consuming for both the sender and the reciever. If an e-mail is poorly written or written sloppily and in a nonconcise manner, the receiver can decode the message incorrectly or fail to perceive its core message. This is especially true in a virtual environment (Ferrazzi 2013). As Ben discovered with employees like Ted, e-mail can often be overused and can clutter his inbox. Clearing this out requires a lot of time and effort.

To help reduce e-mail workload, team web pages can be another effective tool. These websites can be a public domain, for example, or they can be Hosted Web Collaboration Environments (Software as a Service). These collaboration sites are more secure and private virtual workspaces that allow global teams to work in an asynchronous manner (work carried out across different time zones). They can also offer real-time conferencing (Woolley 2014). Virtual workspaces, when used effectively, can help reduce confusion as a result of multiple intercompany communication exchanges, while keeping the team in close contact throughout the life of the project (Hill and Bartol 2018). For example, Ben had multiple technology platforms at his disposal. His company used Slack and GoogleDrive to manage documentation and text communication. Both of these programs allowed users to share documents and communicate over the Internet, thus facilitating group projects in a VT.

Ben knew, however, that it was extremely important that managers use the technology that would best fit their team objectives. Not only would it be a waste of time, but forcing a team to learn unnecessary new technology could be detrimental to productivity and cohesiveness if it served no real purpose (Hill and Bartol 2018). It can also be necessary to experiment with technology in order to find the right fit for an organization. It is entirely possible for an organization to become bogged down through the acquisition of new technology, resulting in greater complications and frustrations. Rather, a company should focus on the most effective and efficient technology for their needs and objectives (Boule 2008).

Regardless of the technology used, Ben recognized that it is crucial to keep in mind that technology, like a hammer to a nail, is simply a tool that provides the means for VTs to communicate and collaborate. A hammer on a desk is nothing but a weight. It is how a person swings the hammer that will dictate whether the nail goes into the board or not. Similarly, technology must be utilized in such a way that it will enhance the communication process, not just make it possible. In addition, dispersed team members often find it difficult to measure the time dedicated by other people to a given task. Therefore, Ben implemented a task page where team members could update their individual progress and keep the team abreast of their work in real time, resulting in greater motivation and progress toward their goal (Andrews 2004).

In time, Ben knew he would adjust to the technology, but he was at least satisfied that his team was ahead of the game, as they already had experience in this area. Most of the team had worked together for many years and were used to some of the tools at their disposal. However, some newer team members, like Ted, who failed to embrace the new software made it difficult at times to integrate the whole team into the process. To increase team communication, Ben set up weekly face-to-face meetings through GoToMeeting or FaceTime and tried to maximize each moment spent with his team.

However, similar to Jana’s issue, several other team members had approached him about how they should manage their roles, given that they had many stakeholders to deal with. This was a question that Ben would now have to face head-on. In all his years as a leader, Ben had never seen so much confusion related to job roles. What was really going on here? Was it that the company had done a poor job of communicating job responsibilities or was the organizational structure all wrong? Perhaps it was none of these. Ben set up a meeting with HR to try to better understand the organization and hopefully help his team in the process.

Sadly, Ben’s problem is not a unique one. In fact, one of the great challenges of the multinational working environment is the potential for lack of team role clarity. For team members and managers alike, knowing their purpose and having a clear understanding of their role is a fundamental necessity for those working in VTs. This is primarily because while they are working outside the bounds of traditional company life, VT workers often have fewer bureaucratic rules and regulations to guide them in their tasks and they may be relatively disconnected. Therefore, it is particularly important that people working in this way have a common purpose and goal to stay in tune with the rest of the team (Lipnack and Stamps 2000).

So often is the case where one member of a team, such as the manager for example, sees the complete “picture” of the objective, while other members of the team wallow in the mist, uncertain of what they are supposed to do, or how their individual task will contribute to driving them closer to the goal (Ferrazzi 2014). Because of this, an important characteristic of a successful VT is that individuals have a clear vision of both their own roles and how their task will impact the team’s overall common objective. Included in this understanding are all role areas, such as time constraints, work priorities, performance expectations, resources, etc. (Juneja n.d.). To drive cohesiveness, the purpose of a team must be a unifying factor that brings together clear objectives, team needs, and the overall corporate strategy (Cascio and Shurygailo 2003).

In addition, it is imperative that VTs and their managers understand the specifics of their compensation and rewards related to their key performance indicators (KPIs) and objectives (Brandt, England, and Ward 2011). While role clarity is crucial to virtual work and may seem like an obvious factor to most people, it may come as a surprise to some to learn that many people who work on VTs feel that they are unclear about what exactly their individual goals are supposed to be. Furthermore, when working virtually, leadership should press their teams to have open conversations with each other to foster communication throughout the virtual working process (Ferrazzi 2014).

A fundamental problem related to lack of role clarity is that it can lead to a demoralized team that delivers subpar performance on assigned tasks. This can ultimately lead to burnout, frustration, and possibly even termination (Foster 2012). Additionally, lack of information surrounding role clarity introduces the potential for role conflict. Role conflict occurs when two members of a team are unknowingly working on the same piece of a project. Down the road, this can lead to further divergence, frustration, tension, and anger, which can be disastrous to any team, but especially a virtual one (Pazos 2012). Furthermore, this confusion can result in lower job satisfaction down the line (Lyons 1971). Contrarily, clear task and role expectations can help managers enhance employee satisfaction and reduce stress and can provide more time for the manager to focus on other areas of managing his or her VT, such as relationships, for example (Kayworth and Leidner 2015).

It is also important for a VT leader to clearly differentiate specific task objectives from overall role clarity. A manager can help to facilitate a greater level of team collaboration in teams with clearly defined job roles, yet it is also important to guide the team on how to achieve these goals (Ferrazzi 2012b). One of the great benefits of VT work is diversity and creativity, so it is important not to restrict a team member’s creative contributions to the team project. Hence, there should be not only clear and concise role and mission guidelines, but also clear measurement parameters to aid the team in their work (Nunes, Osho, and Nealy 2004).

Role clarity can become even more convoluted within Matrix organizations, like the one Ben joined. In this case, a single employee may have multiple managers, or a dotted line from another department. Essentially, employees can have two or more managers or departments telling them what they need to do. This ambiguity can directly impact their jobs and even their KPIs, or how they are measured. They may feel like they have no idea who is, in fact, their boss, which can lead to potential power struggles. Over time, this can have negative impact on a virtual employee because it can inhibit effective decision making and even cause inaction among team members (Davis and Lawrence 1978).

It seemed that the organizational culture did not provide Ben with much guidance related to direct structure. After a period of analysis and contemplation, Ben decided that he would give clear and concise guidance around his specific expectations for each team member. He also reached out to other managers who had influence over their roles and, after several discussions, was able to provide Jana and other confused team members with clear role responsibilities. Ben was satisfied that everything was going well and that he had established a solid rapport with his team. However, his next challenge was just around the corner and while he trusted his team, he was soon to discover that not everything was as it seemed.