Virtual Supervision: Tips and Tools That Work Regardless of Distance
From The Communities That Care WIKI
10th Annual Excellence in Supervision Conference
APRIL 21, 2009
Clarifying Your Supervisory Role & Linking to the Right Tools
[[Supervision]] can be a fulfilling leadership and management experience for you as you strive to develop the capacity of your employees and ensure that things get done. Being clear about your expectations and priorities as a supervisor is critical. When you don’t have the benefit of frequent observation, interaction, and feedback, you must find alternative ways to communicate expectations, monitor performance, and give guidance.
With your role and objectives clear, you can begin to look for the right tools to achieve the desired outcomes for both you and your employee(s). Periodic face-to-face interaction is essential to fostering relationships. In between those valuable conversations, using technology to provide shared access to such things as information, documents, and task lists can allow you and your employee(s) to monitor progress. The degree of formality with the tools you choose will depend on your objectives, the capacity of the individual or group you supervise, and whether peer supports exist.Worksheets and examples are posted on this site to assist you.
Trust – The Key to Virtual Supervision
The people you hire will make supervision a fulfilling leadership and management experience for you; it can also make for a real nightmare when people do not demonstrate accountability and act in ways that align with your organization’s values and beliefs.
Trust involves both competence and character. We build credibility by acting with integrity, demonstrating respect for people (intent), building and maintaining relevant and current capabilities, and getting results.
Visit SpeedofTrust.com for more about Stephen M.R. Covey’s perspective on trust.
Individuals who struggle when supervision occurs on-site would not be good candidates for virtual supervision. Nonetheless, shared access to online tools for project management and communications provide a forum to enhance a shared understanding of expectations and clarify what employees are accountable for knowing and doing.
Infrastructure and Capacity Building
The Strategic Development Division is striving to expand the effective use of technology-enriched learning, collaboration, and communication tools. Key tools and features have been identified to support a full range of learning methodologies.
The continuum of learning methodologies can assist you in identifying strategies that link to supportive technologies.
Learning Methodologies
Developing Employee Knowledge & Performance
Strategies, Tools, & Recommended Links
• Blog
Web logs or “blogs” are like journals. Employees can use them as a place to write down their reflections and articulate challenges and new learnings. Most blog sites feature options to limit access to others and will allow for comments. Supervisors and peers can read and comment on blog entries to give feedback, support, and guidance to employees. Blog sites also offer a place for the blogger to capture important, related links that have influenced their learning. Free blog sites can be accessed online. I recommend Blogspot.com as it is not currently blocked for SRS employees.
• Wiki
Wiki means quick. Wiki sites provide a common place for users search for information on a variety of topics. Users can both read and write on what is essentially a series of web pages filled with information generated by users. In the workplace, this provides a forum for publishing valuable content that can be shared with others who share the same need or interest. A wiki can be a place to post information that can be shared and accessed by multiple users at the moment they need it.
An enterprise wiki site is in development at SRS using Sharepoint. An announcement will be coming to introduce the wiki site. Meanwhile, the wiki site on which these conference materials are posted is available for your use.
• Discussion Threads
Discussion threads are a great tool for one-to-one or group dialogue. They offer a way for people to pose questions and contribute their thinking in a forum that is asynchronous (doesn’t require everyone to be in the same place at the same time). People can contribute whenever they have time. The questions and response remain as a record of the dialogue and can be shared or compiled into frequently asked questions or searchable references to help others learn from the best thinking shared in the discussion. Sharepoint and Basecamp offer discussion threads or message boards.
Technology Solutions for SRS Supervisors
Microsoft Live Meeting
Microsoft Live Meeting allows you to join a meeting virtually from your work station. You can share what’s on your computer desktop with one person or a group when you need to review or revise documents. Meeting attendees can present or share documents on screen while talking using a headset though Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) technology. This software supports on screen sharing, video via web cams, and audio sharing without the expense of a telephone call. Skype offers free VOIP but not desktop sharing.
Microsoft Sharepoint
Sharepoint is an enterprise solution that is under development in SRS. It supports team sites with the following standard features:
• Document Sharing
• Shared Calendar that syncs with Outlook
• Announcements
• Discussion Threads
• Links
• Tasks & Basic Project Management
• Wiki pages for group development
SOLUTIONS OUTSIDE OF SRS
Below are several low- or no-cost, web-based options for collaborative work that are available to anyone through online vendors. Google them to learn more.
Basecamp
Share documents, to do lists, and milestones, use message boards, and whiteboards, monitor multiple projects on your personal dashboard, and collaborate with specified team members.
GoToMeeting
Hosted service for web conferencing and online meetings. Supports screen sharing. Requires phone connection for audio.
Backpack
Store, discuss, and share ideas, notes, tasks, files, and schedules in your Backpack site.
Plurk
Similar to Twitter, you can share what you are doing or something you are curious with other Plurk “friends.”
Don’t forget the telephone
When you have something to say to someone, don’t let distance or high tech options get in the way of a good, old-fashioned conversation. Pick up the phone and call. Give yourself and your employee a chance to clarify things and talk it through without letting things that matter mount up.
BEST PRACTICES
Using tools effectively
Best practices are those ways of doing things that can be described, shared, and widely practiced and, over time, become a standard for consistently achieving the results we want. You can check out this site for more information on best practices for using online tools.
Prepared by:
Kelly Peak
Director,
Strategic Development
Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services
Kelly.Peak@srs.ks.gov
