Virtual teamwork training helps teams which are dispersed across one country either in multiple offices, or working from home, as well as in numerous countries. Team working has its challenges when the team is together, but these challenges are increased when the team is scattered in differemt locations.
Virtual teamwork training is about two or more people working together from different locations, to achieve a common goal. This training will help any team come togetehr and agree a way forward.
The need for virtual teamwork training
As virtual working becomes a norm for many people and organisations, virtual teamwork training is increasingly important. Training helps people become more content and productive in this new environment. This is because the training creates a foundation on which people can work together more effectively.
Virtual working gives many benefits as organisations realise retaining the best people can mean being flexible about where they work. But retaining team spirit in the virtual world is vital, which is why training on this so important.
Training outcomes
These are some of the outcomes you could benefit from with this training:
- Improve virtual team project planning, so that yout team knows how to better plan future projects.
- Improve personal relationships, as the team develops their understanding of each other. This is particulalry true with the use of the ITD work styles model – read more here.
- The team can develop a common spirit by agreeing the culture they want to create; this can have a huge impact on the team because it works on the foundations of team working.
- Address some key issues for the team, with faciltated discussion around the most challenging areas, so that your team closes the session with specific actions.
Training Reviews
Typical challenges of participants
- “It’s really difficult managing a project with people in different countries.”
- “Running meetings via conference calls and video calls is really challenging and I don’t think we have any sense of being a team yet.”
- “We have people joining the team from four different countries and I want the best chance to start this project on a positive.”
Tailoring the training to your needs
We will work with you to tailor the training to closely fit with your needs. Firstly we will discuss your needs for the training and your desired outcomes.
Secondly. based on this discussion we develop a training agenda. We send this to you as a proposal and then dicuss with you to further tailor the approach and content.
Lastly. once the agenda is agreed, we develop the workshop content with relevant case studies, or scenarios based on your organisation and market.
We carry out this tailoring at no extra cost, because it makes the training more interesting for us and adds value to you.
Virtual Teamwork Training Overview
The following gives you an oveview of our approach. We tailor all of our workshops to the client and the participants. When you make an enquiry with us, we will discuss your needs and then send you a proposal with fees.
Prework
Participants complete the ITD work styles model questionnaire. This gives each person insight into their personality at work. It informs the discussion on why some people get on better with others. The model also shows how the team can improve understanding. You can try the model right now, just click on the link above.
Agenda
- Introduction and Objectives
- Challenges with the virtual world.
- Who is in the team?
- What benefits from team working?
- Inspiration from other teams
- Principles of team working
- Developing a team culture
- Inspiration from sport.
- Inspiration from nature
- Benefits of team working
- Identifying practical ways to improve team working
- Business game
- Personal scenarios
- Workshop summary
- Personal action plans & team actions
Teamwork references
When we work with organisations on virtual teamwork training it is often useful to make reference to other areas where team work is vital.
We give you the options of using sport as a useful analogy; is this a team of great individuals, or is it a great team. What makes a great team on the sports field? Can this translate into useful learning for organisations?
We also give you the option look at nature and see how team work plays a part. Why do birds fly in flocks? Why do geese fly in V formations? How do ants work so well together? Why do flocking starlings in their tens of thousands not hit each other? What can we learn from nature?
We reference models and theories of team work to create a team work development experience which fulfils your objectives. This blend of approaches means that your team are stimulated and engaged during the virtual session.
Case study
This bio-pharma company has offices in 70 countries. Working in virtual teams is a day to day reality. They requested trainig to help them work across offices. countires and timezones, which means we needed to develop a tailored virtual session.
Background
The head office of this client is in California with the regional head office in London.
The team we worked with is a function within the business which has representatives in eight countries. This was an emerging team with no agreed protocols on how to work together.
The challenge is that all the peolpe in the team are very bright and have opinions on how things should be done, meaning the potential for disagreement was very large.
Without strong leadership or agreed ways of working a crisis was looming. The leader decided to have a two day team session facilitated by ITD, focussing on virtual team working.
Objective of the training
The principle objective was for the team to agree on how they would work virtually together in the future.
General approach
Dealing with international cultural differences, intellectual differences & political dynamics are each challenging in themselves. Dealing with all three at once is another matter.
The agenda was structured in such a way that everyone had a chance to influence decisions and there was a good balance of serious work related activity & fun team activity.
The latter was used to give people the opportnity to get to know ecah other and build rapport, with the plan that this would influence how they worked together in the serious sessions.
Outcome
The session was a huge success with a great many points of conflict removed and a way of working agreed by everyone.
Both the team and the team leader were surprised and delighted by how well the session was facilitated and the outcomes they achieved.
Contact us about this training to get a proposal for your team
For online training check out itdLIVE
