Case Study: Leading and collaborating virtually

BACKGROUND

Our client is the world's leading design software and digital content company with 7000 employees across Europe, the Americas and Asia. Its design and collaboration solutions span the industries of architectural design and land development, manufacturing, utilities, telecommunications, media and entertainment. Its user community numbers more than 9 million and includes four global strategic partners-Microsoft, Intel, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM-as well as 2,500 third-party software developers.

CHALLENGE

One of our client's core company values is teamwork yet this has been tested by the changing and complex environment in which employees work. While headquartered in the West Coast of the US, our client operates over 80 offices around the world. Many workers are also based in home offices, thus making virtual teaming and management skills a critical component of successful teamwork.

Individual employees acknowledged that while the company was global, it did not always act globally, and few felt that working virtually was as effective as co-location. This environment called for a greater understanding of operating across borders, time zones and with other cultures.

SOLUTION

The client chose to partner with TMA World because of our robust virtual team-work architecture based on the 6Cs of Global Collaboration - Convergence, Co-operation, Communication, Capability, Co-ordination and Cultural Intelligence, as well as the use of integrated e-learning to reinforce the classroom training. Using this 6C framework, TMA World developed three specific solutions for the three audience groups that had been identified as needing most assistance.

Team Managers: Managing Virtually.

Providing managers with remote team management responsibilities (e.g., hiring, firing, performance management) with a range of practical skills to aid management of team members based in another office or region.

Project Leaders: Leading Global Project teams.

Enabling project leaders to build team participation, project ownership, and empowerment through collaborative leadership, to begin a personal performance improvement process and to apply virtual project team management best practices.

Team Members: Working in a Virtual Environment.

Providing individuals with insight into the unique challenges of operating virtually and practical strategies for improving performance across the 6Cs.

To date over 150 people have participated in this initiative, using a mixture of face-to-face and virtual classroom sessions. Anticipated rollout includes 200 managers for the Managing Virtually solution and e-learning and/or facilitated sessions for over 1,000 employees on core virtual teamwork techniques.

RESULTS

Feedback to date has been highly positive, with typical comments including:

"Great content, good pace, absolute clarity of concepts in a way that it engaged everybody."

"Definitely, I would recommend training like this as part of the Employee Induction and even make a session during the Employee Leadership Program."

The key to the success of this initiative is threefold:

Working in close partnership with the client to formulate workshops that addressed the needs of specific audience groups as well as accommodating the desire for practical tips and recommendations for effective virtual working.
Using state-of-the-art e-learning on global virtual teams to strengthen the learning experience.
Being able to simulate the virtual environment using virtual classroom technology and thus conduct highly relevant exercises and interactive breakout sessions.

TO LEARN MORE

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