Leadership must take the reins of their distributed teams and lead by example to ensure everyone is on the same page. In short, having the right people is not enough on its own. On the other hand, in order for a distributed team to work together effectively, executives must also ensure that they are ready and willing to collaborate and communicate when it is time to work. This simple change will discourage the ‘always-on’ mindset in employees - and provide executives with the breaks they need as well. The “always-on” mindset can be a huge barrier to success.Įxecutives should be expected to set boundaries and lead by example - making sure they set consistent hours, and are offline on evenings and weekends (when the rest of the team is). It may seem counter-intuitive, but in a distributed (or remote) team, it can be extremely easy for the lines of personal and professional to blur. This can be accomplished in two ways: by being both more and less accessible than ever. Executives are the leaders, and should be setting examples for the entire team. The solution to these challenges starts at the top. Having that physical disconnect between team members can make it difficult to build rapport, communicate effectively, and set consistent expectations across the team. The advantage of working with distributed teams (geographical flexibility) can also be one of the biggest hurdles. Where some remote workforces may try to recruit within the same general geographical region as the HQ, a truly distributed team is not bound by distance from the office. However, distributed teams have a significant advantage when it comes to people: the ability to go out and find the best fit, regardless of location. It’s true, having the right people in place to ensure an efficient workplace isn’t exactly a ground-breaking concept or business hack. So how can your organization avoid falling victim to these challenges? By ensuring you have the right mix of 3 key components: people, processes, and tools. The same can be said about distributed teams, where the same challenges may be even further magnified by physical distance.Ī lack of in-person interaction (not to mention time zone differences) can breed a work environment short on trust, company culture, and productivity. With remote work on the rise, a larger shift to more distributed teams can also be expected in the coming years, thanks to broader acceptance of work from home models by both employees and business leaders alike.īut despite the recent increase in popularity (and evidence that it is the preferred workplace model) the challenges of remote work are well-documented. Regardless of the locale, colleagues may work together for years without the chance for a face-to-face meeting, whether it is a random run-in at the water cooler on a rare office day, coincidently while out for dinner in the same city, or at the yearly holiday party. For example, a CEO may be based in Toronto, with a VP of Sales in Houston, a Chief Marketing Officer in San Francisco, and CTO in Stockholm. Remote teams are generally thought of as employees working from home (whether temporary, hybrid, or permanent), but usually with some sort of access to an office or shared workspace - often with the executive team working out of a physical Headquarters of some sort.ĭistributed teams on the other hand, are distributed in the literal sense of the word. The difference here is all about workplace structure. In many ways, the concept of a distributed team is the same as a remote team - essentially, employees are not in an office. On the surface, it appears to be synonymous with remote work, but there are a few key differences that separate the two. One such example is the Distributed Team, or Distributed Teamwork. One thing we may not have mentioned though, are some of the nuances that come with these new workplace models. This recent shift in where we work has also had a huge impact on how we work.Īlong the way, the Stormboard blog has taken a deep dive into the ongoing evolution of the workplace, examining newly in vogue concepts such as the Hybrid Workplace Model and Asynchronous Collaboration, and their impact on how we work. What was once considered a luxury reserved for cutting-edge businesses and Silicon Valley tech start-ups has become a daily reality for millions around the world. Since then - thanks in large part to public health orders around the world stemming from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic - the business landscape has shifted dramatically. A few years back, the idea of working remotely was entirely foreign to many of us.
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