Team Building for Office and Remote Working

Creating culture is more effective after hiring people than when recruiting them.

Open and Closed Companies

Do you need a strong mission statement to build teams and achieve results?

Mission statements may help qualify clients, attract people to work with you and open up partnership opportunities. There may be a Halo Effect, whereby a positive mission creates an impression of virtue throughout the business. A mission statement lays out your values.

It is important, however, not to use candidate's belief in the mission as a recruitment criterion. This places undue emphasis on conformity and creates a closed way of working that is less able to spot mistakes and course correct. It is essential to keep an open mind when scaling a business.

My neighbour left Goldman Sachs recently. While chatting, I mentioned there used to be a stigma attached to mid-career recruits at the firm, and he noted there still is. This is strange for a successful firm. Most businesses need to embrace additions to the culture and use new ways of working to broaden the firm’s reach.

Hiring people with a diversity of thought improves creativity and innovation. But how do you enable people from diverse backgrounds to create a shared identity?

Safety in Numbers

There is comfort in being part of a crowd. Participants in both the Hajj pilgrimage and a Fat Boy Slim beach concert, report a sense of well-being when at the centre of activity.

Those on the fringes are more likely to feel concerned about their safety. People seek out the densest areas, even as studies show that at concentrations of over 7 people per square metre, there is a loss of control over movement. Densities of up to 12 are common at the Hajj.

We take comfort from being together and sharing experiences whatever our backgrounds. This matters when building a team and a culture. You can bring a diverse group together and create cohesion without hiring those of one mind.

You might argue that pilgrimages and free concerts are one-offs, after which people return to their everyday lives. This is true, but the studies show a lasting impact on behaviour from these mass events. Pilgrims are more likely to believe in the harmony of religions after visiting Mecca. I have stronger and more positive memories of being in the crowd as Mo Farah won Olympic gold in 2012, than from sprinting on the track at a warm up event a few weeks earlier.

Sharing Identity and Stories

Team harmony is easiest to create in person. While I dislike compulsory night outs, a weekly team lunch with food from different cultures can be accompanied by sharing stories, games and films from each culture. Just keep politics out of it.

Researchers at Sussex University filmed students walking from a lecture on two occasions. On the second they were given ‘Sussex Psychology’ branded baseball caps. They formed groups of six or seven, whereas the previous week they were in twos and fours, with a few walking alone. The physical representation of a shared identity changed crowd behaviour, and people who identify with each other want to be closer and are happier.

Engagement is harder in a remote environment. Wherever possible, teams should be brought together for purposeful interaction on a regular basis. Otherwise it is important to concentrate on clear communication and keep meetings short and on topic. It is much easier to get distracted while on a call.

The regular one-on-ones between manager and reports become more important when remote working. Insist on attendance and punctuality and stick to a regular agenda. Leaders may consider mentors as well as managers to work with staff. Town Halls take on added significance and must provide clear goals, and report on personal and company milestones.

There are extra activities to consider when remote working. Virtual social events must be interactive, with games and breakout rooms, and be more than talking with a drink. Leaders should make extra effort to reward people with thank you notes and small gifts. Time and a modest budget to support neighbourhood volunteering can build a bond with remote workers.

Scaling a business requires new ways of thinking and will dilute the intimacy and shared experiences of a firm’s founders. These are replaced by the benefits of new ways of working, but this requires considerable effort. It is important to make people feel part of the team from day one through careful onboarding. Thereafter, special attention is paid to providing a platform for new and creative thinking, alongside teambuilding exercises.

Questions to Ask and Answer

1. Is my recruiting policy focused on finding likeminded individuals?
2. What steps am I taking to create a shared sense of identity?
3. Are social gatherings themed nights or interactive events?

Check out Simon Maughan for my free email course tackling conflict resolution, a skill that no one ever teaches you as a manager. The course also serves as an excellent introduction to the foundational understanding of my flagship course, The Profit Through Process Planner.