- Effective Communication : Over communication is always better than less communication. Hold as many one-to-one touch-base meetings as possible. This helps in better understanding , empathy building and rapport.
- Proximity Effect : Co-locate the team as far as possible. Create War rooms. Just pack them in and see the teamwork improve.
- Data-driven decision Making : Let the data talk. Strive to draw the conclusions using data and derive your decisions from it as objectively as possible.
- Use Technology for co-ordination : Keep the people talking by using technology like instant chat , web cams and video conferencing. These are very effective for distributed virtual teams and acts as grease for team co-ordination.
- Help them succeed : Make it easy and not hard, for them to perform and succeed.
- Eat your own dog-food - Make sure to use your own company products. This helps in enhancing the pride for the organization.
- Encourage Creativity : Let them come up with creative ideas. Listen to their ideas - even if they are bizarre and absurd ! Encourage them and implement the ideas if it helps the project. Being democratic works wonders !
- Consensus wins : Decision making by consensus works very well with the knowledge workers. Try to make about 75% of the decisions by consensus.
- Respect and Integrity : Treat them with respect and integrity.
- Hire by committee : Make sure that the new recruits talk to their future colleagues. This helps a lot in building teamwork.
Can you add anything more to the list ?