Team Building Strategies: Top 7 tips to foster trust in distant teams

In the past, we developed teams by putting people together and letting them spend time learning about each other before they are charged with completing assignments. Despite our best efforts, some teams have had more success than others.

To be honest and forthcoming with others, a level of trust must exist. The less we trust, more secure and self-protective we become. This is one of the many reasons is a challenge to work effectively in teams. The challenge increases tremendously when those involved have not had the opportunity to know personally.

Today's workplace consists of people who have never met each other working on projects. In fact, many of them live in other countries. Those who can live close to their central office and teleworking often are rarely available for face-to-meetings.

In addition, the team is often led by a project manager - a relationship that has the dotted line for others and thus very little authoritative leverage. The project manager can only manage through persuasion and negotiation - two methods requiring a high level of confidence.

The trust is not easy to develop in the best cases - when working with distant teams the problems increase dramatically.

Professor Larry Leifer at Stanford University found that when he had students working in teams from different locations members, complained that they were doing more work than other teammates. When cameras were placed in their cubicles so they could see each other at work, the complaints diminished considerably. Apparently, the very act of seeing someone situated at their keyboard increased the belief that they were working hard.

Visual cues are of paramount importance. The more contact we have with another human being (assuming they are basically trustworthy), the easier it is to trust them. One could also speculate that at some unconscious level, our sense of smell plays a role in what must be seen as primarily an emotionally (psychologically) based decision.

The quality of sound or voice is less effective than visual clues. When we know someone only due to our interaction with them by phone, we develop personal feelings or less positive than when we actually sit across the table from them.

We also have the variable of "low-context" and "high-context" cultures. Low context cultures are those in which business is conducted without developing personal relationships. This is similar to our decision to buy something from a discount or big box store. High context cultures are those in which relationships are developed long before the business discussions. You could connect this to your decision to work with a consultant, or a decorator, or even shopping regularly in a small private boutique store. This adds another dimension to the problems of building trust between people here in the States and their counterparts in Asia or other parts of the world.

Given these problems, here are my top seven tips to developing trust in distant teams:

1. Allowing team members to take the time to get to know one another at a level a little 'staff.

2. Have in-house discussions, at all locations, about what is proper to ask and discuss and that crosses the line into intrusive or inappropriate.

3. Share pictures - not only of personnel but also of their families. Most people are family oriented and grow as you like (and trust) each other when you begin to see photos of their children and to hear stories about them.

4. Send your managers to positions of their team members whenever possible. Although this is an expense, the potential value in developing trust, respect, and therefore higher levels of understanding and productivity is immeasurable.

5. Teaching cultural diversity. Let the people in various locations around the world, learn as much as possible about the behaviors, customs, and expectations of those in other areas with which they work.

6. If you have telecommuters who can be brought to the office once or twice a month, be sure to have many possible face to face meetings with them.

7. Use video conferencing and video-cams where feasible.

In other words, break some of the old rules that require full focus on work related conversations only. Take your time and create the structure that enables people to develop relationships that lead to confidence. This leads to cooperation, understanding and greater productivity and creativity....