In a virtual team setting it is critical to have guidelines for how your team is going to work together. These guidelines are called a “Team Operating Agreement”. A Team Operating Agreement defines the set of behavioural norms that the team commits and agrees to abide by. It guides the team’s actions and interactions. Geographic, ethnic, personality and cultural differences can impact the effectiveness of how individuals and teams act, interact and operate. Creating a Team Operating Agreement will minimize the potential for conflict, and increase open communication, which will help strengthen your virtual team.
At the end of the session participants will be able to:
- Describe the role that expectations play and how to manage them
- Analyze how a TOA can help build a cohesive virtual team
- Define the components of a Team Operating Agreement
- List the seven step process to creating a Team Operating Agreement
- Develop the guidelines by which your team will operate
Post Assessment Survey: Making Norms the Norm
Two months after the creation of the Team Operation Agreement, a survey will be conducted to assess the extent to which the items of the TOA have been followed.
If portions of the TOA have not been adhered to, a meeting will be scheduled to help the team renegotiate the TOA and secure a version that everyone can agree to.