Managing Virtual Teams

By Dinah Eng

HSBC, a global banking and financial services company, has offices in 83 countries and territories around the world. Its North American division, which includes operations in the United States and Canada, launched an initiative last year to encourage flexible work strategies that allow employees to work virtually anywhere.

In July, HSBC-North America began offering a course on managing virtual teams, showing supervisors how to maintain productivity and foster good communication between employees in remote locations.

"We think this course is so important. Workers have more interest in flexibility, and the technology exists now to support that," says Anne McIntosh, vice president of learning development and talent management for HSBC-North America.

"We've found that the things that help you manage people virtually also work well in managing globally. Communication, transparency and availability— things we take for granted in an office location—are things you have to consciously rebuild in a virtual team."

Jennifer Macadlo, corporate learning and development manager for HSBC-North America, says the virtual management course can either be taken in a 45-minute Web-based training, or in a half-day program with an instructor.

Some tips from the two experts:

Set standing "let's get connected" meetings. These can be weekly, bi-weekly or monthly conference calls. If possible, get your team together in person. If the team is widely dispersed, get together on a quarterly basis.
Use a same-time feature (like Instant Messenger) through e-mail that provides employees a sense of instant availability.
Be very detailed and specific in e-mail communications. When in doubt, talk by phone to check the meaning of what was written or intended in a message.
Be aware of time differences. If you're in North America and send an e-mail at 7 a.m., realize that it's 9 p.m. in many places in Asia, so don't expect an instant answer.
When you communicate with co-workers in another country, be sensitive to language and cultural differences. Avoid the use of slang that may be puzzling to others, or misunderstood.
Issue minutes after a teleconference so everyone can revisit what was said in writing.

"We'd like 20 to 25 percent of our staff to be working remotely," Macadlo says, "and think it's important that managers and employees have the tools to manage well in a culture shift like this. Offering flexibility and choice to people minimizes attrition, and results in more satisfied and engaged employees."