Extraordinary E-Groups, Part I

More and more people come together to get things done in virtual groups: teams of people who communicate with each other via technology at least 75% of the time. Members of these groups are in different locations that can cross regions, time zones, countries or continents. Given the challenges that we humans have in collaborating with one another when we are face-to-face, it makes sense to wonder, "Is it possible for an e-group to be extraordinary?"

The answer is a resounding Yes!

When Geoff Bellman and I conducted our field study that led to Extraordinary Groups, 17% of our collected stories were about virtual groups. After examining the patterns in our interview data, we found no discernable differences between virtual and face-to-face groups in the larger patterns that we discovered. Consider Natanya's story.

A core team of seven higher education professionals place graduate students from fourteen universities in international internship positions in 40 countries around the globe. Students earn academic credit for these intense 3-month solo immersion experiences. When Natanya, our interviewee, joined the program, it was facing the "imminent doom" of a grant running out. Thanks to the effort of her team of colleagues, "We have been completely self-funded since 2001." Even while sitting within a bureaucratic university, "We had to be very entrepreneurial—being virtual is a part of this." Now thriving, she reports that the program doubled in size in the last four years prior to our interview. Student numbers are growing such that "we are putting money into a reserve and we have a vibrant, dynamic team." A self-organizing group with no designated leader, seven members live in six different states. Members rely primarily on email streams, Go To Meeting, Skype, and screen sharing technology to do its work. The group has weekly phone meetings and meets, in person, for only 8 days per year.

Listen to how Natanya's words fit with our Group Needs Model. (If you're not familiar with our model, see the visual image on the Home page. In Extraordinary Groups, you'll find an overview in Chapter Three.)

1. Group Purpose and Bond: "I enjoy my team so much and am inspired by the student's experiences. The team and the mission have kept me here much longer than what I ever would have imagined."
2. Self Acceptance and Potential: This experience "has made me more cognizant of where and how I need to work on personal relationships and nuances. I'm trying to overcome my own culture training of being task-oriented and to understand that just because something is okay with me doesn't mean it will be okay with others. I want to understand how to work better with others and get them on board."
3. World Reality and Impact: "Each of us on the team has a slightly different understanding of reality. We all understand different pieces of it. This gives us the ability to stay balanced, remain focused, and choose an effective strategy that works!"

Of the eight indicators of an extraordinary group, five stand out in Natanya's experience. In my next blog post, I'll continue this exploration and offer thoughts about specific actions you can take to increase the likelihood that your next e-group will be extraordinary—based on what worked in Natanya's group.