Virtual collaborations are now a common occurrence with the global pandemic. Even after the pandemic subsides, virtual working is here to stay. How do we make sure partnerships are as effective while working online? A critical element is by building trust!
Trust is one of the key elements of any successful partnership. Trust in collaborations helps people understand that everybody in the partnership is impacted by the actions, judgments and expectations of the other members. While it is hard work to build trust in any partnerships, it can be even harder to trust each other when the partnership is virtual. The following is a guide to help partners build trust and sustain that trust over time:
Ensure humanity is in the virtual meeting room.
Take time to socialize virtually - the first ½ hour sets the tone for the meeting and the partnership. Virtual partners need to have a channel that replaces the social interactions in a physical environment. This could include starting the meeting with a breakout session. Just as in person meetings allow people to connect before the meeting starts, small groups session allow partners to share personal updates, from how they spent the weekend to the last time they laughed. Be inventive and invest time and energy in building that rapport: this is an investment that will lead to enduring relationships that build trust.
Name it to tame it. Know the key elements of building trust.
Research suggests that people trust each other based on four key factors: competence, integrity, commitment and compassion. Outline these in early meetings, check in regularly on how the partners feel they are doing and make it easy to live them. When working virtually, ask people to keep their cameras on so people can see each other and build virtual connections.
Trust on competence: get to know each other’s strengths and give evidence of each member’s skills and expertise in relation to a role – during meetings let individuals ‘show and tell’, that is, explain the outcome of their work, and how they executed a task.
Trust on integrity: partners keep promises, respect deadlines, and comply with the values and norms of behavior on which the partners agreed. By documenting interactions, partners can easily recall what has to been done, when, and by whom – at any time! Partners who to do what they say they will do build trust since the partners can anticipate how people will perform and know they will meet the agreed upon deadlines and delivery.
Trust on commitment: a partner is perceived as committed when they always show up and/or go the extra mile – this includes contributing, even when a partner is having a bad day; by putting in more effort in than is formally needed – just to help each other!
Trust on compassion: compassion is the secret sauce of any great partnership. Shame or embarrassing someone is super-toxic. It does nothing but erode our ability to build trust in each other and the partnership. We need to learn how to cultivate compassion – for ourselves and each other. When you’re facing a setback and feel yourself slipping into toxic rumination, talk to yourself the way you’d talk to a dear friend (or child). In other words: BE KIND!! Embrace our common humanity, knowing we all experience challenging times. The fact that you’re anxious / upset / stressed / whatever is not about you or your partners being you or them per se. It’s about being human.
Share information transparently.
Share information openly with the partners. Make all documents accessible online and in a way that is easy locate. Work schedules, project progress, and task status should be available to all partners at any time. To avoid role ambiguity or conflict, set up dashboards that clearly report ownership of tasks. Use agendas, minutes of meetings, video and/or audio recordings of important discussions and events.
Trust maintenance
Frequent interactions and exchanges of information between leaders and partners are crucial. Those with the responsibility to lead are perceived as being transparent and trustworthy when they engage in frequent and open interactions with partner members. Anytime, anywhere, leaders can use dashboards and remote working tools to frequently communicate and exchange information with others.
Building trust in virtual partnerships requires intentionality. All partnerships move at the speed of trust. Trust doesn’t just happen. It takes work and patience to be earned and maintained. The good news is that trust and trustworthiness are a learnable skill; a value that can be communicated and lived, even in the virtual partnering space!