Analytic Thesis Paper

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Southern New Hampshire University *

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Feb 20, 2024

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Hampton 1 Jesse Hampton SNHU ENG 122 Dr. Freddie Harris 6/18/2023 Analytic Thesis Paper The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the way workforces operate with the increase of remote working; however, this transition was not seamless. Employers are now challenged to adapt to these new alternative virtual teams as they have since become the new norm in businesses around the world. At the peak of the Covid-19 Pandemic I was working as a flooring contractor and was envious of the friends that had the opportunity to work from home, from the beach, or from anywhere for that matter, and as for me it was still business as usual. However not long after my friends settled into their new roles, they began to feel as though the term ‘working from home’ was more like ‘living at work’. At the time, I did not realize how much we benefit from the social aspects of working in person. In the article “Managing Virtual Teams,” Yendor Felgate emphasizes the importance of engaging their team members and provides useful tips for managers to successfully lead and engage their team with the new work experience. Felgate’s claim that employee engagement is highly dependent on the manager especially when dealing with virtual teams is well argued because Felgate identifies the need for ‘re-imagining’ management styles and provides data to support this claim, offers compelling tips for managers, and applies to a large audience of managers and businesses across the world due to the effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Hampton 2 Felgate begins the article by introducing facts and data to emphasize the importance of the role of managers when leading virtual teams. Felgate points out that “according to Gallup, 70% of the variability in employee engagement is dependent on the manager,” (Felgate) which re-enforces the need to reapproach the way managers engage their teams. The context of the article is significant because it is in response to the impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic to businesses all over the world. Felgate identifies an opportunity for businesses to better engage their teams in the aftermath of the Covid-19 Pandemic. The change for online teams was inevitable but otherwise sped up as a result of Covid-19. Although virtual or hybrid working teams are relatively new, the author points out that though the pandemic has come to an end this is just the beginning for online work experiences, thus the way we manage our teams must also evolve. Felgate clearly identifies a business need and then outlines solutions for this need. Felgate provides six compelling tips for managers to help improve employee engagement which are all relevant to his target audience. He states managers should “set expectations early and clearly,” this will let each member of the team understand their role and not just how to do it but when as well. This is highly important when working remotely because time management can be challenging for those who require structure and guidance. For some working autonomously might be easy for them while others like structure and may need additional support. Felgate emphasizes the importance of individualized engagement when stating his next tip, “the best managers have always individualized their coaching to the worker, but doing so at a distance requires greater intentionality. Managers need to ask each team member to describe the conditions under which they perform best, their concerns about their workflow and their emotional response to the situation” (Felgate). It is important to provide support to our team and set them up for success. When managers make the expectations crystal clear and straightforward

Hampton 3 it allows the team or employed to understand exactly what is being asked of them. Catering to the individual needs of each employee will help drive better results for individual and overall productivity. Everyone is unique, and what works for some may not work for all. Managers need to be fluid, and able to speak to all levels, sometimes completely different to each employee. Communication is key. The Covid 19 Pandemic has affected leaders and employees across the world which is why this article is all the more impactful. Most are still not accustomed to working from home and being cut off from the rest of their team which can create communication barriers. Felgate says, “Managers will have to be diligent about communicating productively--coaching high performance requires frequent conversations.” The lack of consistent communication can be intimidating with less face-to-face interaction. When you are in a traditional office setting your team is all around you and help is just on the other side of the cubical. Communication is more important than ever, from the employees amongst themselves also from manager to employee. He quickly identifies an opportunity for businesses to better engage their teams in the aftermath of the Covid 19 Pandemic. Letting them know that you support them as a manager is the best communication someone from the team can get. After work was packed up and sent home during the Covid-19 pandemic, most businesses and managers were not adequately prepared. Felgate does an excellent job identifying a business need for re-thinking the way we lead our teams and provides tips for managers to successfully navigate the new wave of online workforces and effectively engage our teams. Felgate makes an impactful argument that due to the increase in remote working managers need to revamp the way they engage their teams by providing data to support this claim, offering compelling tips for managers, and appealing to a large audience of managers and businesses across the world due to

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