Assignment 2 Intervention Proposal

The chosen organization works in the technology industry, majoring in software and consulting. GitLab is an organization embraced as a model for digital adaptation and embraces the decentralization of work with all workers working remotely through different branches of the software engineering team, product management section, and the customer support department (Safari et al., 2020). Due to the kind of business they transact, they often require efficient relationships with their counterparts in other organizations through virtual communication, coordination, collaboration, and teamwork to deliver their best and reach the strived-for goal.

Based on the distributed nature of the organization's employees, GitLab experiences issues such as communication breakdown, lack of team unity, and deteriorating mental attitude (Safari et al., 2020). These challenges are common for organizations operating as supported by Al-Habaibeh et al., (2021), noting that people working far from each other and connecting mainly through online platforms may not have the unity required to execute various tasks. The following is an intervention proposal incorporating the consultancy cycle to improve teamwork and leadership in the organization. The intervention proposal is significant for maintaining a balance in the company's competitive advantage based on technological advancement.

Stage 1: Advise

The global software firm GitLab is an example of a company implementing a fully remote working policy. As this model provides flexibility and international access to a superior talent search, it also entails a problem of distance leadership management and virtual team interaction (Safari et al., 2020). Another challenge that GitLab has to deal with is the communication between personnel from different time zones and cultural backgrounds. According to Smith and Ruiz (2020), the challenge results in differences in perceptions, minimisation of trust, and social interaction isolation of members of team members.

Psychological research demonstrates various factors that may worsen these issues. First, not all team members get to know each other physically through face-to-face communication, which affects the formation of trust and warmth within the team. The critical feature of trust in implementing teamwork is that it facilitates information sharing and cooperation between group members (Sutherland et al., 2020). Second, facial expressions, postures, or gestures cannot be made in virtual communication, which may help avoid misunderstanding and escalation of conflicts. Third, problems of social isolation and disconnection from the rest of the team and the organisation prevail (Lund et al., 2020). Thus, the isolation may also result in lower motivation, work dissatisfaction, and a poor psychological state. Garro-Abarca et al. (2021) notes that an organization has to deal with various factors that could negatively impact the effectiveness of working remotely because the challenges of working online are more than working together in a physical office. The growth of virtual teams happened largely during the COVID-19 pandemic when it became clear that some employees do not have to work in physical offices because of the challenges of movement brought by the pandemic. The triggers involved in these challenges arise from the fact that online team activities have various weaknesses when compared to working physically together.

It is pertinent to refer to the models of virtual team effectiveness for psychological/organisational outcomes. For instance, the Input-Process-Output (IPO) model of team effectiveness offers a theoretical basis for understanding the relationships between endogenous factors of teams and their efficiency within and across organisations (Safari et al., 2020). By applying this model, GitLab can pinpoint functions and procedures that should be adjusted to increase the efficiency of virtual teams. Therefore, the research question guiding this intervention is: 'What measures can be taken to optimise the overall effectiveness of GitLab's virtual teams and encourage their employees' well-being through effectively performing the roles of trust, communication, and collaboration?'

Stage 2: Diagnosis

To identify the issues and challenges of GitLab's virtual teams, a series of assessment procedures based on evidence-based psychology must be used to collect data.

1. 1. Surveys and Questionnaires:

Questionnaires will be used to obtain team members' opinions of the adequacy of communication, level of trust, and feelings of loneliness or depression. To perceive the nature of the team processes and their dynamics, the Team Diagnostic Survey (TDS) will be employed, as it is reliable and inclusive based on the successful examinations in many types of research offered (Bartlett & Francis-Smythe, 2016). Hence, the TDS will help find concrete areas where the team's interaction should be enhanced.

1. 2. Psychological Test:

The first psychological test used in the study is the Trust in Teams Scale (TTS), which defines the level of trust within the given teams. The level of trust is a vital moderating context element that determines the effectiveness of virtual teams (Bartlett & Francis-Smythe, 2016). Team members operating virtually always need to trust each other because, due to the lack of physical contact, trust is important in enabling them to perform their duties effectively, as the engagement will happen without suspicions. Costa and Anderson (2011) added that the TTS has been shown to possess good internal reliability and validity, tested for internal consistency and construct validity, and is efficient.

1. 3. Interviews and Focus Groups:

Self-administering semi-structured interviews with all the team members of the organization and focus groups will create qualitative information concerning the teams' Struggles. These methods enable understanding situations like the lack of communication and feelings of loneliness (Bell & Kozlowski, 2008). It will ensure that the detailed descriptive information on the nature of the team compliments the standardised and numerical data from the surveys and tests as emphasised.

Ethical Considerations:

There are several ethical concerns when collecting the data. First, protecting the participants' identity and privacy of their responses is crucial since it helps them opt for candid responses (Safari et al., 2020). All data recordings will be ensured to be anonymous, and the participants will be informed of the use and secure storage of their data. The participants will understand the research's objective, what will be done, and their right to withdraw from the study without being penalised. Also, participants' time and ideas will be valued during the data collection, improving communication, trust, and cohesiveness within GitLab's virtual teams.

Stage 3: Design 

Following the identification of communication barriers, trust deficits, and feelings of isolation within GitLab's virtual teams, it is vital to assess the possible interventions that can be implemented to address these issues (Safari et al., 2020). Consequently, several evidence-based interventions have been identified to enhance virtual team dynamics.

1. 1. Virtual Team-Building Activities:

Virtual team-building activities ensure a good working relationship among the team members. Such activities may include virtual coffee breaks, team-building exercises, and escape rooms. Moreover, studies have shown that such activities can increase trust and social relations among team members (Boyer O'Leary et al., 2014). As GitLab is a fully remote workforce, virtual team-building activities can be scheduled more frequently to avoid employees feeling isolated and improve interpersonal communication.

1. 2. Structured Communication Protocols:

Introducing formal ways of communication may help eliminate communication breakdown as it defines the manner and frequency of communication. Examples of these protocols include conducting weekly remote meetings, preparing and submitting consistent reports, and using tools like Zoom. Research has indicated that using the protocol in communication improves accuracy and eliminates confusion within virtual teams (Daim et al., 2012). For GitLab, developing such protocols can help to align everyone's expectations and goals, although they might work in different time zones or from various geographical locations.

1. 3. Training and Development Programs:

Offering awareness training and development sessions on virtual collaboration can help the employees function optimally in a remote team. Some of the activities included in these programs may consist of digital etiquette, conflict, negotiation, and trust workshops. Research has shown that training increases the effectiveness of virtual teams as it helps members overcome the difficulties of working remotely (Schmid & Dowling, 2020). Such programs can help GitLab by enabling the employees to develop the skills required to work in a virtual setting.

1. 4. Psychological Support Services:

Some of the psychological support services which will help support and address the needs of a remote worker may include counseling and mental health support. Studies have established that extending such support enhances employees' mental health and job contentment (Tavares, 2017). Therefore, GitLab should introduce and include mental health support options focusing on the needs of remote employees to complement the company's existing support initiatives.

Contextual Considerations:

The above-identified interventions should be integrated with due consideration for GitLab's organisational culture, best practices in the sector, and the views of key stakeholders (Safari et al., 2020). Furthermore, the rapid and dynamic growth of the technology sector also requires efficient virtual communication to remain competitive, which supports the intervention proposal because stakeholder surveys and interviews show the need for better support environments.

Stage 4: Implement 

In the case of implementing the team interventions to increase the efficacy of the work done at GitLab, it will be essential to practice a step-by-step procedure to improve the efficiency of the measures being taken. From a critical perspective, the intervention will be proposed to all virtual teams focusing on the technologies identified by research, including communication issues, low trust, and feelings of isolation (Boyer O'Leary et al., 2014). In the first phase of the study, GitLab will establish a pilot project with the chosen groups and introduce trust promotion practices for the team members based on the identification of levels of trust and physical distance and the promotion of virtual collaboration skills through webinars and online programs, as well as communication standards within the platforms (Daim et al., 2012; Tavares, 2017). Moreover, there will be psychological assistance services such as tele-psychological application services, psychological aids, and consolation.

To critically target the appropriate population for the intervention, I will employ the diagnostic phase data to find the teams with the most significant problems and include them in the pilot study (Jungert et al., 2018). Due to some of the participants' resistance to the intervention, I will cascade the rationale behind the intervention through internal newsletters, webinars, and approval from the organisation's top leadership. Following Safari et al. (2020) insights, additional motivators for participation will include rewards, including a recognition program and earning credits towards professional development. Thus, the intervention will also employ reliable, evidence-based methods, ensuring that it fits GitLab's culture and the feedback given by its stakeholders to foster a constructive virtual work environment.

Stage 5: Evaluation 

The intervention to be applied to GitLab requires that the assessment of the approach's success using the mixed-method design approach, which uses quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis techniques. This method produces an effective interpretation and description of data, and enables an effective understanding of the findings (Dawadi et al., 2021). The essence of the evaluation is to determine the possible impacts of the intervention and identify areas of improvement because the intention is to address the challenges the company faces in operating virtually. Pre- and post-intervention surveys will involve TDS and TTS since these tools can measure changes in communication effectiveness, the level of trust, and team cohesiveness as assessed by Costa & Anderson, (2011); Wageman et al., (2005). To measure the effect of the intervention in enhancing these essential factors, I used data on scores obtained before and after the intervention. Also, as Loryn (2021) suggested, I monitored KPIs that defined increases in the efficiency of specific performance indicators, such as the time it took to complete projects, the errors made, and the employees’ retention rate.

Secondary qualitative data were collected through interviews and focus group discussions with the team members and leaders to obtain further information about the subject's perceived intervention impact. Using the qualitative data enriched the research outcomes by adding to the quantitative data to offer a broad perspective of the success of the intervention (Kvale & Brinkmann, 2009). Notably, evaluation of the collected data entailed using quantitative statistics to compare pre-and-post-intervention survey data and qualitative content analysis to capture patterns in the data and emerging themes from the qualitative data. Therefore, the comprehensive assessment approach showed the intervention's positive impact on the organisation's communication, trust, and team cohesiveness, leading to GitLab's success.