Find Out The Reality Behind This Offshore Project Teams Myth
Welcome back to Five Myths and Realities of Offshore Project Teams. This week we explore:
MYTH 4: WHEN YOU DON’T SEE SOMEONE REGULARLY, IT IS DIFFICULT TO MANAGE THEIR CAREER PROGRESSION.
Reality: Virtual managers can actively assist their employees in career development and help them keep visible track of their contributions as well as actively communicate their accomplishments. It is important for virtual managers to have competence in training and coaching new members. They can advocate for their offshore project teams members and avoid giving preference to those who are closer geographically. With proper practices and processes in place, virtual and offshore project teams managers can track employee career progression just as well as a manager who regularly sees their employees face to face.
Advice: One interesting finding from AIM Strategies®/Yael Zofi’s interviewees from her virtual business office study was the fact that many virtual managers saw no major difference exists around virtual career development and performance management. In fact, many said that both protocols are handled similarly, with communication via the telephone rather than in-person. Successful virtual managers maximized ‘virtuality’ by assigning a local manager to serve as the ‘host’ and help provide feedback observations locally. Of course the ‘host’ should be trained on how to give and receive feedback and the direct manager needs to provide performance feedback about the employee.
Other best practices identified mechanisms to ensure there was a process for ongoing conversations around succession planning, development and continuous communication. Several high-performing virtual managers conduct these conversations during their bi-weekly one-on-one calls while others may set a separate time to talk about development on a quarterly basis.
Here are some examples:
“We have a Governance document and as part of our routine we actually have a one-on-one succession plan and career discussion conducted quarterly.” Virtual Leader, Bottling Company.
“Virtual career management is harder because leaders have to be doubly skilled in two areas: (1) know where the job skill is headed, and (2) understand whoever is working on it and what options exist. Because it is virtual, I pay more attention to making sure I stay in contact with my employees and make it a point of being available to them.” Virtual Manager, Insurance Company.
Using these best practices will help ensure that managing the career progression of employees who work on offshore project teams will be just effective as for those who work on traditional teams.
For more myths and realities about the virtual business office and virtual teams, check out the rest of this series:
Myth #1: In The Virtual Business Office, Teams Are Similar To Traditional Teams With People Located In Different Places.
Myth #2: Virtual teams will work if they have the best people.
Myth #3: Technology on virtual teams is most important.
Myth #4: When you don’t see someone regularly, it is difficult to manage their career progression.
Myth #5: Virtual teams can be left alone and will function appropriately.
