Team members have to know what they're supposed to be doing, who makes decisions, who talks to clients, who represents the team and so on. Virtual team leaders also need to focus on the overall process rather than on individual tasks, says Randy Ransleben, an independent consultant specializing in leadership development. You have to go in with the mindset that your group's performance is critically linked to the way you work together. In other words, the team was designed to be virtual, but worked in a traditional way. Instead of posting documents online, for example, team members passed paper documents back and forth.
Speed is more important than anything.
The pressure on businesses to accomplish more in a shorter period of time has never been greater. However, if a virtual team takes off before establishing a plan, that team could be in for a crash landing. Forming agreements is critical. These discussions may seem ridiculously simple and basic, but if they're neglected up front, misunderstandings tend to blow up later in the process. It's important to agree on how your virtual team will communicate.