Tips to Manage Distributed Teams

What do you most struggle with as you manage distributed teams? Whether it is productivity, employee engagement, or creating a consistent experience of organizational culture, it is essential to acknowledge that the current ways of working are new and evolving. They will become robust with collective intelligence and experiences.

What can leaders do to create cohesive teams that work well together, hold similar beliefs and values, and live the organizational culture? Here are some tips -

1. While things are evolving, it is vital to hear all perspectives and create psychological safety so people can share their concerns, ask questions, and seek help.
2. Set clear goals and expectations is crucial. Leaders must ensure that each team member knows what is expected from them, what success looks like, and how it is measured. Who needs to do what and by when? How do handoffs happen?
3. Leaders must move away from the culture of command and control and instead empower employees with clarity, skills, and the tools to do their jobs. Be there to provide support if required and do regular status updates, but do not breathe down their necks.??
4. Equip employees with communication and collaboration tools, systems, processes, and guidelines for how and when to use them.
5. Establish processes for sharing information, making decisions, and resolving miscommunications or potential conflicts.
6. Ensure that teams can do most of their work in their regular time zone.
7. Avoid overworking high performers.
8. Provide support for wellness and recovery.
9. Ensure that everyone, regardless of time zones or geography, has the chance to show their success to senior management.
10. Ensure team members have the skills to?hold candid conversations with one another, no matter where they are.?Develop a culture of courage and respect and equip employees so crucial conversations are not put off.?
11. When physical proximity is minimal, developing emotional connection is harder but crucial. To achieve this, leaders must play an active role in how employees connect with their work and identify the difference they make to themselves, the organization, and their communities.

All the measures mentioned above are important in non-distributed team settings, too. Still, while managing distributed teams, leaders must amp up the communication, clarity, empowerment, and culture-building efforts.

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