Optimising Remote Teams. Managers, Embrace the Shift.

2020, the year that the remote workforce takes off, many would say it is about time too. Organisations have flirted with flexible hours and remote working for quite some time now, but recent global events have now made flexible or remote working reality and for many a necessity. Working from the ‘home office’ has become a performance pod for one. Organisations must quickly adapt how they communicate and disseminate requirements throughout the workforce as well as roll-out training, onboarding and create an appropriate culture amongst individual teams and the broader organisation to maintain motivation and performance and the organisation’s personality. Working from home has also made it possible for previously hindered talent that may have foregone access to the workforce due to balancing the responsibilities of being a parent to now re-enter. The workplace is changing quickly, and so are the unspoken rules and requirements of what is acceptable, expected of leaders and required of the multiplying pods of home-performers scattered all over a state and country.

"The two most powerful warriors are patience and time"- Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace.

Managers Must Give in order to Get

The foundations for the 'new normal' of the workplace cannot be a given assumption. Many people were in the office one moment and at home the next. Some people will return to the office out of the necessity of the role or a longing for social interaction. The status quo of team dynamics has shifted, and the manager or leaders needs to make a conscious effort to reset and patiently realign the team’s culture and identify to align with these changes.

Leaders must take on board that not all workers are at the same point in their remote working journey as their colleagues. Research on the self-efficacy of remote workers established self-efficacy as a key to performance. Self-efficacy included elements such as remote work experience and training, best practices modelling by management, computer anxiety, and IT capabilities (1). Workers who felt comfortable and confident in these abilities were more likely to perform in a remote working capacity. It is the manager's responsibility to take the time to individually assess and address the competency of these skills in each worker. 

Tools and Technology 

Competent use of technology seems to be a given in the team environment. Still, often remote workers chose the platforms and systems that they are most comfortable and confident to use. Naturally, we stick with what we know and what saves us time. When the information and communication (ICT) tools used by the workforce are all the same and a common denominator in the workplace, changes and challenges in the workplace are better managed. ICT has a direct impact on underlying business processes (2).

Managing Performance. 

One of the greatest appeals about working remotely, and a drawcard for a pool of talent to re-enter the market- is the trust bestowed upon workers that deliverables will be met, without the element of micromanagement. Workers are given the freedom and flexibility to manage their own time and resources to get their work done. Some organisations are comfortable and thrive dealing with flexibility and instability whereas other people will benefit from explicit guidelines and timelines to reach required outcomes (3).

The manager's role is evolving as rapidly as the employee in learning skills of adaption. The virtual environment speeds up timelines of communication between members of the team, keeps channels of communication open and allows the manager to offer timely feedback and support. Connecting with the group regularly to keep them engaged and also diminishes the physical distance between them. Weekly meetings that required a long commute into the office have evolved into daily check-in and online collaborations. Productivity curves are going up as a result of the remote workforce-it is not too difficult to see why.

Peer and Pre-Packaged Training

Much learning can be harnessed through remote working. Personal development through numerous providers means growth and development can continue at and when convenient. Upskilling is more critical than ever before because of how much has changed so quickly. The workplace environment has become so competitive that innovation and collaboration are more important than ever to remain relevant and viable. 

There is enormous value to be gained from a diverse remote workforce. Multinational teams with diverse talent, knowledge and creativity have much they can add to the skills development of the organisation, problem-solving and the innovation potential of the people they collaborate and connect with (4). Provided that communication is reliable and consistent, much will be gained from the diversity of remote working teams.

Peas in a Pod

Face-to-face working environments, which is what most of us have become accustomed to, required a certain level of engagement, motivation and team identity. Many people thoroughly enjoyed their office culture and team identity- remote working has created a void. It has created loneliness where team spirit, rivalry and office banter once occupied.

The managers and leaders now have the responsibility to open up sustained channels of communication without making it feel like an endless online discussion forum from home and to create an alternate team identity one that draws in multiple individuals identities, personalities and creativity. Help people settle back into a new routine.

Culture defined as "A customary or traditional ways of thinking and doing things, which is shared by greater or lesser extent by all members of the organisation and which new members must learn and at least partially accept in order to be accepted into the firm of the service."(5) However, these shared assumptions, understandings, ways of thinking have shifted. Six months ago people’s perceptions about communication and accountability are likely not what they are now. Fancy skylines and city offices, meeting rooms and face-to-face performance reviews are exchanged for track pants and video conferences from home offices. These are exciting times. An opportunity to create a formidable remote workforce- optimise diversity and communication and rely on self-driven performance is already here. Leaders that take some time to build a firm foundation and clarify expectations with their team likely have numerous people working in multiple locations but will still have only one team and one identity.

1.      Staples, D. S., et al. (1999). "A self-efficacy theory explanation for the management of remote workers in virtual organizations." Organization Science10(6): 758-776.

2.      Gibson, V. (2003). "Flexible working needs flexible space?" Journal of Property Investment & Finance

3.      Ware, J. and C. Grantham (2010). "Managing a remote workforce: Proven practices from successful leaders." The Work Design Collaborative 151.

4.      Rosenzweig, P. (1998). "Managing the new global workforce:: Fostering diversity, forging consistency." European Management Journal 16(6): 644-652.

5.      Duncan, W. J. (1989). "Organizational culture: “Getting a fix” on an elusive concept." Academy of Management Perspectives 3(3): 229-236