Remote Team Management

Approximate reading time: 5m 36s

Leadership styles in the big books present their theories through face-to-face communication, while process management depends on the situation, the need, and the human resource. When this is not possible because we are not in the office, how do we apply these principles and is it necessary to relearn management theory? 

In short - no, but it would be good to look at it from another angle. 

Teams and remote teams have common characteristics - besides being ‘teams’, they are also the people who work together to achieve a common goal. The differences, however, are at the expense of the leader, who must put in more effort to maintain their motivation. 

Physical location holds employees accountable to work because “someone is watching them”, but outside the office that feeling decreases along with their desire to maintain results. 

We present to you several factors to consider when managing your remote team.

Motivation

Let's not fool ourselves into thinking that work seems like more when we do it from home. Of course, this is not always the case - some manage to get more done than in the office. Nevertheless, as a remote team leader, you must ensure that everyone can complete their assigned tasks successfully and on time. This is where the question of motivation comes in. 

 Course „Staff Motivation“.

How do we keep our employees motivated outside the office? 

A key moment in motivation is the sense of engagement, closeness, and importance, especially in a remote team. Timely feedback and frequent meetings to track progress are ways to increase it. Varying the work process also helps, for example through virtual team building. Yes, it is possible. The fact that we are at home and far from one another does not stop us from having fun together and bringing our team closer. Here are some suggestions:

• Organize a Friday after-work gathering or a quiz afternoon. Split into teams and come up with questions for the others, or take ready-made ones from the internet - on a topic you decide. The winner can choose the topic next time or be given the right to pick a similar game next time. Use your imagination and that of your employees. 
• Home office bingo - instead of numbers, as usual, it uses activities like “I put on pants”, “I work at the table, not on the sofa”, and anything else you can think of that might lift the spirit of your virtual team. 
• Association game, through video chat of course. Choose the rules you will play by - there are so many variations, so make sure everyone plays by the same ones. The video call element adds an aspect to the game, namely not making a sound - whoever explains with gestures can turn off their microphone and thus isolate any noise. Well, it depends on which rules you play by. 
• You can also do “5-minute lunch fame”, when anyone who wishes can share whatever they like during that time - from a favorite recipe to the worst movie, and even how they would like to return to the office. Who knows, different people have different interests. 

Task management 

You may also have encountered a lack of initiative regarding a task or responsibility that you presented to your employees during a large meeting. This is a psychological phenomenon that, once understood, will allow you to minimize such situations:

The bystander effect is an effect in which a person's behavior depends on the number of ‘witnesses’ around them. In team work, this means that if a task or responsibility is presented to a large group of people, the motivation at an individual level to take initiative is lower. The opposite is also true - the fewer people receive this information, the greater the likelihood of accepting the task. 

For example, if you say that you want to organize a virtual team-building event and need help, people will probably nod in agreement, but depending on how large the group is, the chances of strong initiative vary. 

A preventive measure you could take is to assign the task to a specific person. Use the imperative form when addressing them to increase their sense of responsibility. As for more complex tasks, which require several people to complete - appoint one person in charge and assistants. 

In managing remote teams, task management is an extremely important moment that ensures successful execution and achievement of your goals. The distance between people and the lack of physical proximity make the process more difficult, so:

• During meetings, record and assign tasks to a specific employee, and set deadlines. This way, both sides know exactly what is expected and by when. It also increases the chances that it will be completed. 
• Track progress on a weekly basis, so if a task falls behind you can react in time and reorganize the work process if necessary. 
• Use task tracking software - we will talk about its technological side in a moment. From the perspective of tracking who does what and when, or should do it, you can implement an application that fits the specifics of your work. A program you can trust, both you and your employees. Many of these software solutions allow you to create teams and sub-teams, where tasks and their progress can be distributed. Necessary files can be shared, along with everything needed for the functioning of your virtual team. 

The technological side of things

Undoubtedly, equipment and technology are in the main role of the work of the remote team. Employees' knowledge and capabilities can vary depending on age and field of work, which should be decisive in choosing the applications you want to implement. Also, before taking this step, you should consider the following questions:

• Is there a real need for such software? How will it change the work process - will it make it easier for the better or will it burden the remote team with yet another thing to think about?
• Does the application you have chosen meet your needs or is it because of a trend - every remote team uses it. 
• Are its functionalities easy to get used to and use? How long will employees need to learn it?
• Does it meet one or more needs of the virtual team? If it meets only one, then what are its advantages compared to choosing another with the same or more functionalities?

You know the saying - “Sometimes more means less” - well, here this applies in full force. If you overload your employees with a pile of software programs whose functionalities are not entirely clear to them or that they find burdensome, their work will suffer, as will you as their leader. Choosing a program that “facilitates” the work should be like choosing a new member of your virtual team. Carefully selected according to the need, their abilities, and the potential benefits for the common good.

Finally, a thought about video chat and remote teams 

At a time when physical proximity was completely restricted, video connection with family, friends, and colleagues proved to be the strongest tool for communicating and staying in touch with one another. 

In the context of virtual teams, this turned out to be the most effective way of communication, since it is also the most intimate (of the allowed ones). Video meetings also turn out to be the most engaging way to communicate with employees, because of the factor that “someone is watching you”. It brings the team together because of the sudden closeness to the private world of colleagues - their home, as well as casual clothing and not always combed hair. For some, it acts as motivation to get out of bed and work at the table, even to fix their hair - but that is not what matters. What matters is that it engages people, makes them conscious, and encourages them to pay attention to the speaker. 

In conclusion

The methods of “standard” management and that of remote teams do not differ substantially. The manager must lead toward the goal, maintain the motivation of employees, and make decisions that support the work process. It does not sound complicated, but in practice things almost always differ. To be successful, a virtual team manager must develop themselves along with others, because they are the oil that “lubricates” the engine. 

Our training on Managing Virtual Teams looks at and provides the so important 'know-how' these days, namely what the essence of our team is and how to lead it. It will confront you with the challenges of managing a remote team, preparing you for the inevitable clashes in reality.

Let us not forget the people in the team, our trainings - Business Academy are aimed at developing employees and the skills that will help their team work. What could be better than improving knowledge and skills as team building?

Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.