Managing diverse teams in many latitudes

Today, it's evident that the business world has faced sweeping changes that will alter the way we work and coordinate our efforts forever. A couple of years ago, some could claim that it would only take a few weeks to "flatten the curve" of the pandemic and quickly return to "the normal". However, gradually we understood that this was a milestone event that would severely disrupt global economies and turn the whole business edifice on its head. As a result, today's workforce transformation brings significant changes and adjustments to our attitudes, approaches, habits, and working patterns.

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This change has affected my line of work as a leader, responsible for managing a team formed by members working on a canvas over a vast geography. Change is not something new in my business life. However, a couple of years ago, I could be on the road all the time, flying across continents almost on weekly basis. This type of mobility is not sustainable any longer. I must carefully coordinate our calls to get together with my colleagues from our headquarters and Singapore while I am somewhere in the middle, in the EMEA region. We only have a small window of about 2 hours a day when it is practical to conduct our Zoom and Teams calls at a reasonable time for everyone.

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The need for more efficient remote collaboration has generated the necessity for more sophisticated communication tools. Working for a leading tech company like Dell Technologies, I am privileged to enjoy the latest technologies incorporated into our marvelous business clients, masterfully crafted by our engineers. I have been provided with?excellent tools?equipped with high-quality communication devices like?4K webcams?and?monitors, audio-canceling multi-array microphones,?AI-enabled software?that improves audio-visual quality, and networking management during calls. Last but not least, I enjoy the excellent level of compatibility with systems coming from our strategic partners at Intel and Microsoft.

?But even?the most sophisticated systems?cannot handle the complexities of working with teams from 3 continents simultaneously. Real-time communication is more viable and necessary now, but it has to be combined with asynchronous communication and more carefully organized projects. My project assistants help me create a better working flow that can take an urgent task and share it across multiple regions so that one team can take over from where the other has left it. We can seamlessly cooperate while working on the same project at once despite our different time zones. In practical terms, we can finish an urgent task beginning in the afternoon and have it done by the next morning.?

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Modern apps used with our mobile devices help with simple, yet essential, tasks like realizing at-a-glance the local time any colleague of mine is working from. Simple decisions like starting a chat, emailing, or setting a call are parts of this new working era and affect our workflow. Instead of consulting a wristwatch, we now use an app and get a broader sense of the global time. While time management is one thing, the vital aspect is my team members' fundamental sense of belonging.

This brings me to the core of the matter, which has to do with managing these teams, understanding the dynamics involved, alleviating the pressures, affect enough people so that the responsibilities don't create bottlenecks and stress points. Many of us have lost our convenient working routines, others have families, kids, and elderly parents they need to attend to. Life is much more than the work itself. As a team leader,?I have to take all these into account, get to know my team members, learn their stories behind their faces and address their challenges with understanding and empathy.

?Our engineers at Dell continue to develop wonderful communication tools that will further enhance the fantastic capabilities of our client systems. With advanced AI, faster 5G networks, and energy-efficient PCs, I am confident that innovation doesn't stop how we communicate and cooperate. But I believe there will still be a need to meet in person, exchange ideas, have "corridor talks" or meet informally "around the cooler" and chit-chat. The actual mix of all these traditional and novel ways of synergy and human interaction remains to be seen.

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It is irrelevant if we call this the "new normal" or whatever term we use. As leaders, we have the privilege to work with diverse groups of people coming from different cultural backgrounds and organize our workflow accordingly. The corporate culture and procedures can reduce the differences and welcome diversity. Inside the big family of Dell Technologies, we adopt the same code of conduct and principles that regulate our behaviors and help us face one another with respect and dignity.?

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I am indeed?very optimistic about the future. Our line of work is very demanding and can often be exhausting, but our common sense of purpose and ideals make us strive for the same outcomes. Our core mission is to use the power of technology to bring happiness and prosperity to the whole world, especially the most vulnerable and underserved communities. I love reading news about our tools, services, and solutions affecting more lives, uplifting more people from poverty, and opening new horizons to young boys and girls with more avenues for education and a brighter future.

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Improving the living conditions of our planet, helping the environment, or fighting climate change are essential goals for any company or individual. It's something that resonates with our teams and me at Dell. We belong to something greater than all of us and work for a better future. This realization alone can empower our people, give them strength and hope, and make them more positive and resilient regardless of the desk they are sitting in to work, play or read this!