This can be improved according to Cune and Fogelberg (2011) by:
Focus on building trust:
Trust is the glue that keeps it all together, and technology is the lubricant that keeps everything spinning. (Clemons &Kroth, 2011)
Developing the team
Start the norming process early on: How do we communicate and collaborate? What tools and in what frequency? What processes do we use, how do we run meetings? How is conflict resolved?
- Make everyone feel included and welcome. It is easy to feel isolated when the rest of the team is far away.
- Acknowledge and manage team members’ loyalty to their other teams. Team members’ attention is easily diverted to co-located projects.
- Constantly communicate with the team members, using a variety of ways. For example, leaving the chat or instant messaging function open all day for on the spur, informal communication.