Today everyone is asking the question: “How will telecommuting affect the effectiveness of team interaction and business results?”. The most important change is the massive transition to work remotely.
How to Improve Virtual Board Meetings?
In the virtual board meeting, the most important thing is to find a balance between over-control and under-control. When drafting new rules, remember that they serve to simplify teamwork and help employees self-discipline. Try not to make them too rigid and difficult to complete.
To improve virtual board meetings, it is advisable to discuss expectations from the new teamwork format as early as possible:
- make a reservation about working hours during which everyone should be in touch;
- set a method of informing about temporary absence (for example, a time block in the calendar, exit from a corporate messenger);
- discuss how the existing formats of work (planning meetings, meetings, etc.) will be transferred to the online space;
- agree on the format of short video calls;
- schedule regular short team meetings;
- agree on the formats for regularly informing the manager;
- use technologies convenient for project management (Trello, Jira, Slack). This will allow you to monitor progress online without annoying employees with oversight.
Your board meeting definitely has a goal – expressed in numbers, in market share, in the value the company brings to its customers. In a crisis situation, for many employees, this goal loses its relevance, but the vacuum needs to be filled. The task of leaders is to formulate a new goal or give new meaning to an old one. Discuss with employees:
- What forecasting horizon is possible in this situation?
- How are our goals changing in this time horizon?
- What new formats of work do we need to adapt to the changed conditions?
- What resources are we missing?
What Should You Do to Improve Virtual Board Meetings?
Check the list of how to improve virtual board meetings:
1. Empathy.
Virtual board meetings are associated with a reduction in informal communication. This can lead to feelings of loneliness and reduced work efficiency. To avoid this, try to keep the usual formats of informal communication or introduce new ones. Remind colleagues regularly of the importance of informal communication. Having less opportunity to observe the emotions of colleagues, do not forget that they exist – take an interest in each other’s emotional state.
2. Trust.
With the sudden transition to virtual board meetings, team members (and especially the leader) often become anxious that colleagues are working less than they need to, doing other things, or not working at all. Initially, the presumption of trust is important: until you discover that a colleague is truly abusing their lack of control, you should assume that they are responsible for their responsibilities. That said, trust is not a lack of control. Trust is based on principles of control that are equally understood and shared by all. Establishing these principles of control is an important task for the leader.
3. Experimentation.
External change is often an excellent opportunity for leaders to implement long-planned reforms and improve teamwork. In a situation of change caused by inevitable external factors, employees will be more receptive and flexible (if the leader can reduce the level of anxiety about the uncertainty of the future). Try new formats by trial and error. Ask employees to be more open to experimentation at this stage. Discuss with team members what to stop doing and what to start to increase the speed of communication and decision-making