Article

Virtual Chaos: How to Stop Dysfunctional Behavior in Remote Meetings

September 6, 2024

Don’t Let Dysfunction Destroy Your Remote Meetings

Welcome to the New Battlefield—Your Remote Meeting

Your team may be scattered across different time zones, sitting in their home offices, but the battleground for productivity remains the same: your virtual meeting room. Unlike the physical office, where you can catch subtle cues and pull someone aside for a quick chat, remote meetings come with their own set of unique challenges. And when dysfunction strikes in this digital environment, the impact is amplified. If you’re noticing more tension, disengagement, or outright chaos in your remote meetings, it’s time to take action—before your team’s potential is completely derailed.


The Hidden Dangers of Disconnection—Why Remote Teams Struggle

Remote work has its perks—flexibility, no commute, the comfort of home—but it also comes with significant risks, particularly when it comes to team cohesion. When team members are miles apart, the sense of connection that naturally forms in an office can quickly deteriorate. This disconnection doesn’t just make meetings awkward; it lays the groundwork for dysfunctional behavior.


In remote meetings, the lack of physical presence makes it easier for participants to disengage, misunderstand each other, or hide behind technology to avoid confrontation. Miscommunication becomes rampant, and small issues that could have been resolved with a quick in-person conversation snowball into major conflicts. Before you know it, your meetings have devolved into unproductive sessions where dysfunction is the norm.


Dysfunction in the Digital Age—The New Rules of Engagement

The first step in combating dysfunctional behavior in remote meetings is to establish clear rules of engagement tailored to the virtual environment. Traditional meeting norms don’t always translate well to video calls, where technical issues, time delays, and the lack of non-verbal cues can lead to frustration and confusion.


  • Set Clear Expectations: Remote meetings require even more structure than in-person ones. Distribute a detailed agenda in advance, and make sure everyone knows what’s expected of them. Clarify who should speak and when, and establish norms for muting microphones, using the chat function, and sharing screens.


  • Cameras On, Distractions Off: In a virtual setting, it’s easy to hide behind a turned-off camera and multitask. To foster accountability and engagement, make it a rule that cameras should be on unless there’s a good reason otherwise. This helps recreate some of the social pressure of an in-person meeting, making it harder for participants to tune out.


  • Facilitate Active Participation: Without the natural flow of in-person conversation, it’s easy for remote meetings to be dominated by one or two voices. Use features like the “raise hand” button, or go around the virtual room to ensure everyone has a chance to contribute. Encourage quieter members to speak up and actively manage any over-talking.


The Digital Disruptors—Common Dysfunctional Behaviors in Remote Meetings

Dysfunctional behaviors that were once subtle in in-person meetings can become glaringly obvious in a remote setting. Here’s how to identify and address them:


  1. The Invisible Participant: This is the person who shows up to the meeting but contributes nothing. They might be dealing with distractions, or they might simply be disengaged. To counter this, directly ask for their input or assign specific roles or tasks during the meeting. This encourages them to stay engaged and participate actively.
  2. The Over-Talker: In remote meetings, some people may feel the need to dominate the conversation, perhaps to compensate for the lack of physical presence. This can stifle others and lead to frustration. To manage this, set time limits for individual contributions, and rotate speaking opportunities to ensure balanced participation.
  3. The Technical Blamer: Some participants might frequently blame technical issues—like a bad connection or audio problems—for their lack of engagement. While technical difficulties are real, they can also become a convenient excuse for disengagement. Encourage participants to test their equipment before meetings and have a backup plan in place, like dial-in options, to mitigate these issues.
  4. The Side-Chatter: Private chats during a meeting can create silos and exclude others from important conversations. To prevent this, set a rule that all relevant discussions should happen in the main chat or aloud. This keeps the conversation transparent and inclusive.


Bringing Focus Back—How to Refocus a Derailing Remote Meeting

Even with the best-laid plans, remote meetings can sometimes go off the rails. Here’s how to get things back on track:


  1. Refocus the Agenda: If the conversation strays off-topic, gently steer it back to the agenda. You can say something like, “This is an important point, but let’s park it for now and come back to it if we have time at the end.”
  2. Address Conflict Directly: If tensions are rising or disagreements are becoming personal, don’t ignore it. Address the conflict head-on by acknowledging the differing opinions and suggesting a way forward. For example, you might say, “It seems like we have different perspectives on this. Let’s take a moment to hear both sides and then decide how to proceed.”
  3. Use Breakout Rooms: If the meeting is too large or the discussion is getting unwieldy, use breakout rooms to divide participants into smaller groups. This can make the conversation more manageable and give everyone a chance to speak.


The Long-Term Fix—Building a Culture of Accountability in Remote Teams

Stopping dysfunctional behavior in remote meetings isn’t just about quick fixes; it requires building a culture of accountability and engagement over the long term. Here’s how:


  • Regular Check-Ins: Schedule regular one-on-one check-ins with team members to address any concerns or frustrations before they spill over into meetings. These conversations can help you identify and address issues early.


  • Feedback Loops: Create a culture where feedback is both given and received regularly. After meetings, solicit feedback on what went well and what could be improved. Use this input to adjust your approach to future meetings.


  • Celebrate Successes: Don’t forget to acknowledge and celebrate when things go right. Whether it’s a successful meeting or a particularly productive discussion, recognizing these moments can reinforce positive behavior and encourage more of the same.


Conclusion: Don’t Let Dysfunction Destroy Your Remote Meetings

Remote work is here to stay, and with it, the challenges of running effective virtual meetings. Dysfunctional behavior in these settings can quickly derail productivity, undermine team cohesion, and lead to frustration all around. But by setting clear expectations, fostering active participation, and addressing issues head-on, you can stop dysfunction before it takes hold.


Remember, your remote meetings are a reflection of your team’s overall health. By taking steps to ensure they run smoothly, you’re not just preventing dysfunction—you’re setting your team up for long-term success in a digital world.


Don’t let virtual chaos take over; take control of your meetings and watch your team thrive.

share this

Related Articles

Related Articles

e
By Rich Hagberg August 9, 2025
Introduction: The Brutal Truth About Change If you’re leading a company, here’s one brutal truth you can’t dodge: resistance to change isn’t just inevitable—it’s a gift. Most leaders don’t see it that way. They treat it like an obstacle to bulldoze, something to out-argue, out-maneuver, or silence. But resistance, if you know how to read it, is a living, breathing diagnostic tool. Every objection, every sideways comment in a hallway, every moment of awkward silence in a meeting—it’s all data. It tells you where the trust gaps are, where the communication breakdowns have happened, and where your people’s unspoken fears live. If you ignore that data, you’re flying blind. The hard numbers back this up: more than 70% of organizational change initiatives fail, not because the strategy was flawed, but because leaders underestimated what it would take to guide people through the emotional turbulence of transformation. If you want your next big initiative to succeed, the shift starts here: stop seeing resistance as the enemy, and start listening to what it’s telling you. When you do, you’ll discover that resistance isn’t a wall to break down—it’s a map showing you exactly where to go next. 1. Rethink Resistance: It’s Data, Not Defiance Let’s flip the lens. When people resist, they’re rarely doing it for sport. They’re sending up flares. They’re telling you something’s unclear, untested, or untrusted. For example, I worked with a CEO rolling out a sweeping technology overhaul. His first instinct when his managers hesitated was frustration—until we sat down and dissected the resistance. It turned out the managers weren’t doubting the technology; they were worried about the gap between the training timeline and the rollout date. They didn’t fear change—they feared being set up to fail.  When you stop labeling resistance as “non-compliance” and start treating it like intelligence gathering, you find it points to the very levers you can pull to move the change forward.
How
By Rich Hagberg August 1, 2025
Most startup founders are brilliant at innovation, disruption, and blazing new trails. They're visionaries, incredibly driven, and fiercely independent. Unfortunately, those same powerful traits often sabotage their ability to foster genuine collaboration—a critical ingredient in startup success. I've spent decades coaching founders, and one of the biggest blind spots I've observed is the gap between what founders naturally do well and what's required to create truly collaborative cultures. Understanding these tendencies—and knowing how to counter them—can mean the difference between startup stagnation and breakout growth. High Independence, Low Collaboration Founders thrive on independence. They love breaking rules, ignoring boundaries, and pushing limits. But independence can quickly morph into isolation. The very idea of slowing down to seek consensus or accommodate team input feels restrictive, even suffocating. Implications: This independent streak inadvertently sidelines team members, suppresses input, and reduces engagement. Talented people quickly learn their ideas don't matter, and teams become passive or defensive. Actions to Counter: Practice deliberately inclusive decision-making. Clearly define which decisions you'll make alone and where you'll solicit team input. Regularly check in to see if team members feel heard and involved. Dominance Isn’t Always Dominant Many founders naturally take a commanding stance. Their assertiveness, directness, and forcefulness can spark initial progress but, over time, it creates resistance. When team members feel steamrolled or fearful of speaking up, creativity vanishes. Implications: A dominant style shuts down communication, makes feedback difficult, and kills the very collaboration needed for sustained innovation. Actions to Counter: Make intentional space for quieter team members to speak. Foster psychological safety by modeling vulnerability and humility Balance assertiveness with curiosity—actively seek feedback rather than waiting for it. The Curse of Poor Delegation Delegation isn't just handing off tasks—it's handing off trust. But founders notoriously struggle with this, often believing only they can execute properly. Every task not delegated reinforces the message that the team isn’t capable. Implications: Poor delegation creates bottlenecks, slows execution, and demoralizes talented employees who feel undervalued and micromanaged. Actions to Counter: Start small by delegating lower-risk tasks clearly and thoroughly. Regularly check your impulses to micromanage; remind yourself why you hired capable people. Invest in mentoring and coaching rather than controlling. Communication Breakdown Founders are famously impatient. They think fast, act fast, and often communicate quickly or incompletely. What seems obvious to them might be totally unclear to their team. Implications: Poor communication creates ambiguity, confusion, and frustration, grinding collaboration to a halt. Teams waste energy guessing expectations rather than innovating. Actions to Counter: Slow down to clearly articulate the "why" behind your decisions. Confirm understanding by asking team members to reflect back their interpretations. Regularly solicit feedback on your communication style and clarity. Arrogance: The Silent Collaboration Killer Confidence is crucial. But confidence unchecked can veer into arrogance, leading founders to dismiss feedback, overlook critical insights, and alienate key contributors. Implications: Arrogance destroys trust, stifles dialogue, and creates a toxic environment where collaboration is impossible. Actions to Counter: Intentionally invite critique and respond openly and constructively. Regularly acknowledge your mistakes publicly to model humility. Actively seek alternative viewpoints before finalizing decisions. Conflict Avoidance (or Aggression) Many founders fall into two extreme camps: conflict avoiders or conflict initiators. Both extremes are deadly to collaboration. Avoiding conflict leaves critical issues unresolved. Aggressive conflict handling creates resentment and fear. Implications: Poorly managed conflict erodes team cohesion, undermines trust, and can spiral into prolonged dysfunction. Actions to Counter: Establish clear, structured conflict resolution processes. Practice direct yet respectful conflict conversations. Use neutral facilitation for emotionally charged discussions. Systems Thinking vs. Reactive Planning Startups prize agility and adaptability. But too much short-term thinking neglects the processes and structures that sustain collaboration. Without clear systems, teams fall into chaos. Implications: Reactive planning leads to burnout, inefficiency, and frustration as team members constantly fight fires rather than building strategically. Actions to Counter: Balance short-term agility with consistent investment in systems and clear processes. Regularly revisit and improve structures as your company scales. Empower process-oriented thinkers in your organization to build effective systems. Workaholism and Burnout Culture Founders set the pace. But when founders turn workaholic, they unknowingly create an environment of exhaustion, anxiety, and diminished psychological safety. Exhausted teams are seldom collaborative. Implications: Productivity drops, innovation dries up, and talented employees start to leave. Actions to Counter: Actively model sustainable work-life balance. Publicly recognize and reward collaborative, balanced behaviors. Regularly monitor signs of burnout and intervene early. Ambiguity Isn’t Always Your Friend Founders typically tolerate ambiguity better than most. But your team needs clarity and direction. Too much ambiguity creates stress and undermines collaborative execution. Implications: Team paralysis, lack of initiative, and increased frustration. Actions to Counter: Clearly define roles, responsibilities, and expectations. Regularly ask your team what clarity they need to be effective. Balance your tolerance for ambiguity with your team’s genuine need for guidance. The Collaboration Paradox Founders face a paradox. The same traits that fuel their success—independence, assertiveness, rapid execution—also sabotage the collaborative environments crucial for scaling. Acknowledging this paradox is the first step. The second is intentionally adopting behaviors that might feel unnatural at first: fostering inclusive communication, delegating with trust, managing conflict constructively, investing in systems thinking, and balancing your independent streak with genuine empathy.  The good news? These skills are learnable. Great founders don’t have to become entirely different people; they simply need to expand their toolkit. Start today by picking just one area and committing to small, consistent improvements. Your team and your startup—will thank you.
The Recognition Paradox: 
Why Truly Outstanding Leaders Thrive by Indifference to Personal Glory
By Rich Hagberg July 31, 2025
The Recognition Paradox: Why Truly Outstanding Leaders Thrive by Indifference to Personal Glory
ALL ARTICLES