It is a characteristic of modern work practices that employees, and the teams in which they operate, are often dispersed around different locations. No more do team sit together in one department of a defined office space, and this has somewhat changed the dynamic of teams and redefined what productivity looks like.
At an enterprise level, ensuring maximum productivity from these teams which are spread around any number of geographical locations, a key consideration becomes work practices which support this new reality, and then, of course, the platforms which are employed to facilitate this fact.
Reliability of tools
This is the first consideration and is perhaps the most obvious, but one of the greatest headaches for productivity is when the tools required to complete the task fail to deliver to demand. If someone is working remotely then you need to pay for that internet connection that never fails to deliver, for example. This is just common sense.
Standardization of equipment and platforms
It matters not if your team is dispersed around the world if all members are working as part of a system which looks similar and familiar to all. Once the technology and processes start to differ, then the challenges really start to stack up. Make sure that the systems employed and utilized mutually support each other at all times.
First-rate communication
Now workers are no longer sitting alongside each other, communication becomes slightly more a challenge. Of course, there exists a multitude of platforms by which communication can be established, but then it becomes a challenge of implementing the channels which best suit the nature of the work. And agreeing upon the form these channels take is key.
Ensure efficiency
This is a challenge for every department across every sector of business since the dawn of time, and things have not changed in that regard. What has changed is how this is achieved. Increasingly automation is stepping to the fore and delivering positive impacts on the efficiency of tasks. When your team is scattered, this becomes invaluable.
“Does the right hand know what the left hand is doing? And what about when workers are operating in different time zones and communication is a little more challenging? In this environment, a platform which defines roles and activities and automates delivery is worth its weight in gold: as it is to any innovative organization,” says Adam Glanding, a Project Manager at GradeOnFire and Studentwritingservices.
Connect goals
Closely linked to efficiency is the ability to connect the goals of the individuals within the team so that tasks are divided intelligently but the end-game remains clear and the same for all. Not only should goals be clearly defined, but they should also be expertly communicated throughout the team so everyone understands everyone else’s priorities and tasks.
Avoid isolation and total independence
A semblance of independence in any role is a good thing, but teams thrive off the dynamic and plethora of skills that are brought to the table by a disparate group of individuals. The danger when a group is dispersed is that individuality and independence become too ingrained and that dynamic and collaborative spirit is lost.
“How to make individuals who sit in faraway places feel like a team: that is the challenge. Not only must the platforms used facilitate interaction, but they must also actively encourage it,” argues Lynda O’Neill, a Human Resource Manager at Essay Services and Ratedwriting.
Build a community
One of the greatest challenges of this new reality of workforce – spread out and rarely together – is that it jeopardizes what was once an important factor in any team: the dynamic of the community. Working remotely or across different time zones has obviously really affected this dynamic, but not necessarily in a damaging way.
Indeed, not being in each other’s space for hour upon hour every day has also worked in teams’ favour, and has reduced the amount of politics which inevitably develop in such a scenario. Instead, the challenge for productivity now is to continue to foster all of the positive virtues of a community, and utilize technology which enables the team to do this – and this means the funs stuff such as birthdays as much as the daily tasks.
Regularly train and report
Organizing joint activities such as training sessions not only helps deliver on the technical side of proceedings but also helps foster that team spirit that is such a vital component of any team. Where possible make training, reporting and any other core task a team activity.