This survey report is the result of an international study “Remote teamwork – in the time of Covid 19” which was conducted under the guidance of Dr. Sabina Đuvelek and e2grow coaches. With the research, we tried to better understand the current situation and challenges teams are facing with the extended Covid-19 pandemic happening.
We explored beliefs connected with the importance of teamwork for organizational success and what are the main team dysfunctions present in remote teamwork in the time of the pandemic. We also investigated the level of employee engagement, building positive work relationships and psychological safety to gain more insight into how these concepts can enable better teamwork in the virtual environment.
The main purpose of the research is to gain better insight into remote teamwork issues in the current time and give recommendations on best ways to address them. Here are the 15 key findings of the research “Remote teamwork – in the time of Covid 19)”:
Finding 1:
Over 90% of participants agree that teamwork and the way teams function together are more than ever relevant to achieve organizational strategic goals.
Finding 2:
We asked what is the first biggest team dysfunction that remote teams are facing. 35 % of the participants report that they don’t have an issue with a specific team dysfunction.
Finding 3:
Team dysfunction that represents the biggest challenge in the opinion of participants is Lack of commitment (18%). This means that remote teams have a lack of buy-in from team members which could be a result of insufficient opportunities to share their opinions and ideas.
Finding 4:
Results show that the second biggest team dysfunction is the Absence of trust (17 %) which means that participants feel that they are unable to reveal their weaknesses and be vulnerable with other team members.
Finding 5:
Participants highlighted Inattention to results (14%) as second most present team dysfunction which implies that team members are not focused on the results of the team but instead prioritize their personal goals over team goals.
Finding 6:
Team leaders and managers are most responsible for organizing remote teamwork in the opinion of participants. The role of a team leader is crucially important in setting up clear standards and organization of remote teamwork.
Finding 7:
Our results reveal that team members have a bigger responsibility in the process of improvement than the process of organization of remote teamwork. This means team members need to be involved in the process of improvement by giving regular feedback and also implementing new strategies and practices of remote teamwork. This is a signal for team leaders to keep team members engaged in the process of improvement and making sure they give regular feedback on potential improvements on ways of collaboration.
Finding 8:
Results of employee engagement are relatively high (average result is 3,9 out of 5) which means that participants feel engaged at work and are willing to contribute to the success of the organization. It is very empowering to see this kind of result especially in the time of pandemic where the existence and success of the companies are being challenged more than ever.
Finding 9:
Results reveal that participants are satisfied with the way their organization managed business and people during the pandemic. In addition to that participants believe that their organizations maintained adequate communication with all of their employees during the pandemic.
Finding 10:
Participants make time for personal connection and non-work-related conversations rather frequent in the time pandemic.
Finding 11:
Participants report they make time to build a positive relationship on a daily basis (28 %) or on a weekly basis (29 %). 16 % of participants report they invest time in building a trusting relationship during every team meeting. Results are promising especially if we take into consideration that, on average, individuals spend around 40 hours per week at work.
Finding 12:
Results also reveal that one-to-one conversation is the most preferred choice of our participants for connecting and getting to know your colleagues (more than 70 %).
Finding 13:
According to results of the survey participants work in psychologically safe environments where their team members respect each other, give recognition and share information (average result is 3,8 out of 5). This is an encouraging result because it shows that teams were able to maintain a relatively high level of psychological safety and trust even in the time of the Covid-19 – pandemic that fundamentally affected the way we work.
Finding 14:
Most of the participants trust their team members and their managers, more importantly, they feel free to discuss difficult issues with their team leader. They are open to mistakes and understand them as a part of learning the process which enables the development of a growth mindset.
Finding 15:
Participants are given recognition and feedback on an individual level which helps them feel appreciated and regulate their behavior to be more aligned with the values and strategic goals of the organization. This is an indicator of recognition-based culture.
You can read the full survey report here: Remote teamwork in time of Covid 19, Sabina Duvelek
Dr. Sabina Đuvelek