Last fall, when in-person gatherings were still a thing, I was hanging out at a vendor showcase for virtual collaboration and workflow tools. A speaker from a big-name cloud collaboration service was waxing poetic about all the ways his company’s software boosted workforce productivity. Someone asked a thoughtful question about digital distraction—didn’t the constant onslaught of buzzes and pings actually hurt productivity by forcing people to prioritize the urgent over the important? The speaker cheerfully responded, “Oh, you need policies to prevent that. On our team, we encourage people to put themselves on do not disturb for up to four hours a day to get intensive work done.”
Stunned silence ensued. Attendees scanned the room wide-eyed, gauging the collective reaction to this flippant revelation. While the rest of us were suffering from a barrage of “urgent” chat messages and off-color memes interrupting our thought patterns, the very companies that initiated this plague had immunized their own employees by encouraging them to disconnect for large swathes of the day. Virtual collaboration tools are great, the speaker implied, but only in controlled doses. In other words: There’s nothing wrong with the technology—you’re just using it wrong.
Virtual Collaboration Needs KM Rules of the Road
Every new tool needs an instruction manual. Most virtual collaboration tools are not new, per se, but we’re using them more habitually and in new ways. In the chaos of 2020, organizations shifted to remote operations without bolstering the policies, training, and communications necessary to support that change. We gave people cars without driving lessons, guardrails, or a speed limit, and we’re somehow surprised that they keep crashing.
Even as some non-essential workers return to the office, we know the “new normal” will feature more virtual collaboration than the old. Social distancing, cost cutting, global consolidation, new technology, and evolving worker expectations mean we’ll all spend more time interacting with colleagues online. It’s imperative that organizations strengthen the rules of the road for how employees show up and work together in digital environments.
This is where knowledge management processes come in. Even when most employees worked on site, KM teams were encouraging them to interact with far-flung coworkers through virtual communities and collaboration platforms. Many KM best practices can be applied to enterprise virtual collaboration strategies (I blogged about my top 5). KM also provides a good starting point to figure out the right processes to direct online interactions.
Cultivating Norms and Guidelines
APQC hosted an online brainstorming session on KM for a More Virtual Workforce in May. The session generated many ideas for establishing, conveying, and reinforcing virtual collaboration guidelines. I’m sharing 6 of the recommendations here.
- Be honest and up front about the challenges. Many people have been working in sub-optimal environments, with myriad distractions and whole families competing for limited space and connectivity. Any conversation about collaboration norms should acknowledge what people are up against and offer flexibility during a difficult time.
- Make expectations clear. This allows people to prepare, even if they don’t have the perfect setup. For example, if meeting attendees need to be on video, publicize that to ensure everyone has the necessary technology in place, readies their space to be seen, and is in the right mindset to appear on camera.
- Limit video conferencing. Video is a vital part of connecting online, but it is also an intimate, tiring prospect for full-day meetings. Instead of making video the automatic default, think about when collaborators really need to see each other and when they can turn off their cameras.
- Explain which tool to use when. Some workers don’t know when to ask or share through public channels, such as virtual teams or networks, vs. privately through email or direct messaging. Furthermore, many enterprise platforms have overlapping capabilities with multiple options to initiate meetings and messages. It helps to lay out exactly how you want people to collaborate and where different types of interaction should occur.
- Make training varied and accessible. Ensure everyone—regardless of circumstances or learning style—receives instruction. Some people can navigate self-service training, but others respond better to intensive one-on-one support. Offer coaching in every format possible, from live webinars and virtual office hours to ask-the-expert sessions, on-demand videos, and asynchronous chat.
- Ask collaborators to reinforce established norms. While urging employees to criticize or tattle on one another will backfire, positive peer pressure can strengthen policies and expectations. Encourage virtual teams and communities to use existing personal connections to assist struggling coworkers and gently nudge them in the right direction.
What Else Should Organizations Do?
Some of you probably love virtual collaboration—and others can’t stand it. I’ve outlined a few improvements I think would help everyone, but I want to know more about your experience, opinions, and recommendations.
If you care about making virtual collaboration better, please participate in APQC’s Virtual Collaboration: Rules of the Road survey. It takes less than 15 minutes, and you will really help us expand our insights and best practices in this area. Everyone who takes the survey will receive a copy of the results as soon as they’re available.
If you have questions or thoughts beyond the scope of the survey, add a comment or email me at [email protected]. I’m also looking for case studies and examples as part of this research, so please reach out if you have a good story to share!