this could be due to individual differences, such as in one’s personality as well as differences in one’s life situation (e.g., the space for a home office).

Tips to foster problem solving in virtual teams:​​

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Review what kind of tasks your team/s are working on to ensure that sufficient levels of problem-solving are involved.​ Maximise the advantages of the virtual setting and encourage team brainstorming to be carried out using email or text-based chat.​ If you manage a hybrid team, identify which tasks are better suited to be carried out virtually vs face-to-face, keeping in mind that face-to-face communication is superior for tasks that involve negotiation and/or require high interdependence among team members.

brainstorming to be carried out using email or text-based chat. If you manage a hybrid team, identify which tasks are better suited to be carried out virtually vs face-to-face, keeping in mind that face-to-face communication is superior for tasks that involve negotiation and/or require high interdependence among team members.

Flexible work can affect how much contact you have with colleagues. If you need social contact (high need for relatedness); this can be done by going into the office when needing social contact to achieve work or to get support, or using ICTs to connect with people.

According to research, high levels of role clarity benefit both virtual and non-virtual teams in a number of ways, including:

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Higher levels of employee job satisfaction

Reduced turnover, higher collective well-being of team members, especially in relation to understaffed teams.

Increased extra-role performance and team engagement

Fostering the development of team trust, better team coordination.

Complex work can improve virtual team performance through its ability to stimulate efficient and effective communication, team reflection and learning, and better team solutions.

According to Self-determination theory (SDT), there are three universal psychological needs: autonomy; competence; and relatedness, and SDT suggests that the satisfaction of these three basic psychological needs is essential for individuals to thrive at work.

SDT focuses on the degree to which individuals experience need satisfaction in different contexts, as such, it is recommended that: You understand your need for autonomy, relatedness and competence at work;

Whether these needs are likely to be satisfied in a flexible work arrangement, and; Any strategies to increase your needs satisfaction in a flexible work arrangement.

The creation of high-quality team charters, which clearly lay out team roles, responsibilities, and processes, have been found to lead to more effective team performance over time, especially in combination with high quality team performance planning.

If you like to have a lot of autonomy, you might be a good candidate for a flexible work arrangement.

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However, a risk of flexible working is that it can lead to an increase in managerial control “micromanagement”

type behaviours, which can decrease one’s autonomy, leading to greater frustration in individuals attempts at satisfying their need for autonomy at work.

Allow your virtual team to embrace complexity:

Avoid breaking down complex tasks into piecemeal ones.

Provide your virtual team with enough time to master the complexity of a project. Facilitate learning and growth by allowing time for your team to reflect on the process once a project is complete.

A separate workspace in the house is important firstly due to potential greater work-home conflict associated with a lack of a physical boundary and secondly, for your recovery and ability to switch off from work during non-work time.

Ensure the team has clear expectations around its duties, responsibilities, and the tasks of each team member. Allow time to explain what tasks need to be completed and what the objectives are:

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Encourage team members to share information about their tasks and responsibilities to increase transparency across the team and provide team-level role clarity. Remember that providing role clarity isn’t a ‘one off thing– make sure to check in with your team occasionally to ensure that your expectations still match up. Be careful not to define roles too tightly. Consider defining objectives and responsibilities at the team-level and then encouraging team members to autonomously define their own roles