Senior Management
Working Relationships: Creating the Ties That Win
When Mark Leffler, a retired chemical industry executive, sought to create an alternative fuels manufacturing startup, he and his partners envisioned a virtual global organization. "Our goal is to build production systems around the world, transferring best practices among many engineering teams," Leffler noted recently. "But because these teams would be global, we knew they required a different design and management approach. We needed to understand how virtual teams operate, and to get some direct experience with digital peer communication and collaboration dynamics."
Leffler turned to Ana Reyes to develop his conceptual understanding of the design and management of virtual global teams and to acquire direct experience with digital peer communication and collaboration dynamics. Reyes is a founding partner of New Worlds Enterprise, which specializes in virtual organization development, and academic director of Wharton's new executive program, Leading Virtual Global Teams. Reyes explains, "Leffler's company, Ethos Gen, will collaborate with Cornell on the genetic research and with the University of Arizona on hydroponic and structural greenhouse engineering for plant growth, and then use its patents in 157 countries to seize growth opportunities simultaneously in many markets. This will require collaboration with virtual engineering teams doing construction in different locations. What Mark needed was not only an understanding of the evolving technologies that make these kinds of collaboration possible, but also the ability to deal with real human issues that arise with virtual teams."
It's vital that you understand how to use global diversity and collaborative tools to your advantage — how to build trust online, and ultimately how to create relationships that move your business forward.
–Ana Reyes, Partner, New Worlds Enterprise, LLP; Affiliated Faculty, Organizational Dynamics, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania; Academic Director, Leading Virtual Global Teams
Reyes continues, "Cross-cultural interaction problems are common in global businesses, but when you're working virtually, those problems are compounded by technology-mediated communication and relationship building. It's vital that you understand how to use global diversity and collaborative tools to your advantage — how to build trust online, and ultimately how to create relationships that move your business forward.
"In Leading Virtual Global Teams, we're in a very real sense creating our own team. Participants from many industries around the world will come together to learn how better to collaborate in a highly interactive virtual learning environment. We not only master state-of-the-art tools and collaboration practices, but examine the kinds of design thinking, inter-cultural teaming, and continuous change dynamics that can make the difference between success and failure for those teams."
And what of Mark Leffler and Ethos Gen? The company just signed its first $1.2 million contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to finalize research in order to build a working production facility. Reyes comments, "I think Mark and his partners understand that the way they interact with their virtual engineering teams and their ability to collaborate across organizations, industries, and cultures will determine Ethos Gen's future."
Making more Effective Connections
Just as the challenges of leading teams across time zones exert pressure on business relationships, the economic uncertainty of the past year has taken its toll as well on relationships within organizations and among industries. There is no better time than now to reevaluate business relationships, according to Janet Greco, co-president of Transition One Associates, a management consulting firm specializing in translating leadership intent into organizational momentum, and academic co-director of Building Relationships That Work. "During a crisis, tensions are too high; it's hard to make inroads. But those relationships are a critical part of your effectiveness. Work today on widening your circle, connecting with more colleagues. It is those connections that can help you weather future storms."
In the program, Greco uses the Hermann Brain Dominance Instrument to help participants better understand themselves and those with whom they do business. "The tool helps you identify your preferences for thinking, perceiving, and communicating. This knowledge is the real basis for relationship building. When you know your own biases, you can avoid their restrictions. You also become better at inferring the styles of others, which, in turn, helps you communicate in their language and reduce the likelihood of conflict due to misunderstanding.
"Better relationships are also the result of listening," stresses Greco. "Communication flows both ways. Ask questions. Solid business relationships don't necessarily imply mutual interests or equal exchanges, so it's important to take the initiative in discovering what may be of interest or value to the other person. Something as simple as ‘how did you come to work here,' for example, can provide you with information and a possible connection."
Karlin Sloan, author of Smarter, Faster, Better, Strategies for Effective, Enduring, and Fulfilled Leadership, agrees. "The smartest, fastest, and best leaders are the ones who are curious. We need to stop being the expert and start asking more questions. The business environment has become more global and diverse, so leaders who can be flexible, ask questions, and make connections will be smarter than those who don't." In Leading a Resilient Organization, Sloan offers communication strategies that are both honest and authentic and that enable real connections.
"Ultimately, you must take responsibility for the success of your relationships," says Greco. "It's the right time to reach out and widen your circle and to improve on existing relationships. Revise the communication patterns you're using that aren't really working. Consider perspectives unique to each colleague. Small changes can bring great results."
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