Week 3: Beginning to Build Social Capital In a Dispersed Environment

Well, we are now moving along in learning about dispersed team dynamics and the challenges they pose. Getting started has its issues, particularly getting all telework or team members acclimated, use to the methods of communication, and the "networking" and collaboration methods. be patient with yourself and the process because it is normal, and takes some time. Once you get use to it, and accustomed to this "particular learning and working environment" you will work more quickly.

An important component is to explore and experiment. "Journey" through the site, try out the different features, and click on links. For this course learning site the "orientation" section (The Course Landscape ) provides an overview and key information. The "weekly session" sections are your "hub" with the "weekly synopsis" providing that weeks material, learning assignments, and links to discussions.

OK, now on to some important ideas...

The first key task of a distance manager or virtual team leader is to develop a sense of presence and rapport among the workers or team members, as well as develop a viable community. This takes time. While it may feel not relevant, if the "familiarity" among members does not emerge, it is much harder to develop the respect, trust, and credibility needed to openly engage in honest dialogue, creative decision-making, risk-taking, and close collaboration.

So we will spend time getting to know each other. The General Open Dialogue Forum/Water Cooler section, thus, is very important. We are a course spread out around the world with 8-9 hours difference between time zones. Plus, the educational institutions have complementary, yet differing, instructional and learning methods.

Central to this course is open discussion, critical analysis and knowledge sharing among all course members, as well as group learning and collaboration on a team project. This course is not merely about individuals meeting their academic and professional goals, but about all members being successful. So the discussion and blog forums are key. I'll work with you to develop effective team project communication systems that will include others methods.

Cohen and Prusak (2001) in In Good Company: How Social Capital Makes Organizations Work state:

"Most of us know from experience that trusted colleagues help us to accomplish our work....Most of us know that the experience of working in isolation for any length of time can be lonely and dispiriting. We know too that we are more likely to give energy, talent, and loyalty to an organization if those around us are helpful and honest as opposed to uncooperative and devious, and if leadership of the organization takes a fair and equitable approach to the people who work for it. We know we do better work if we get a chance to know our coworkers rather than continually adjust to a changing roster of team members."

These authors further share that social capital is "the norms and social relations embedded in social structures that enable people to coordinate action to achieve desired goals....[It]...refers to features of social organizations such as networks, norms, and social trust that facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit....Social capital consists of the stock of active connections among people: the trust, mutual understanding, and shared values and behaviors that bind the members of human networks and communities and make cooperative action possible."

Most organizations have virtual components. We conduct business and work in a dispersed workplace. This is the norm. So how can this be accomplished in our dispersed and technological work environment? How can "satisfying" and "productive" work be accomplished where people who have to collaborate do not see each other, and often feel like they are working "alone"? How can rapport and team spirit be established and maintained?

These are not easy questions, and there are not ready answers. But it is a challenge that we have to accept and face, because we have already developed an economy and business structure based upon a globalized strategy.

Professionals and scholars have been grappling with this issue for awhile, and virtual teams are working, and becoming more successful. But why? Are people changing? Is technology getting better? Is the organizational structure shifting, and the workforce adapting? Is the nature of teams evolving? So, join the dialogue.

What do you think? How does this take place in your work environment?

Chuck Piazza

PS: The next post will be Information Sharing and Managing Knowledge in a Dispersed Workplace