- Now, it's increasingly common
that teams are comprised of members
who don't actually all work in the same location.
You can either embrace the opportunity
to collaborate with remote workers
because it's the future,
or you can do it because it's actually
a benefit to you personally.
Today it's inevitable you're going to be
using technology to coordinate and collaborate.
Remember that work is skills applied to tasks
to solve problems and generate results.
If you're already performing a lot of tasks
through email and other communications applications,
it's often not a huge step to do more and more of it
in activities with people who are in a different location.
So why is this an advantage to you?
Even if you work in a large city
the pool of people in your area
still has some limitations.
If you're able to collaborate with people remotely,
you'll find that the pool of people expands
to pretty much be infinite.
That means more people with the skills
and experience you need to accomplish your goals
and the goals of your team.
Now sure, it can be challenging
from an interpersonal perspective
to collaborate with remote workers.
Even with tools like video conferencing
and online collaborative documents,
it's especially difficult to maintain
the kinds of personal connections
that help teams to remain coordinated
when they're working side by side.
There aren't many opportunities
for the virtual equivalent of water cooler conversations.
So, what's the most critical asset
for remote performance management?
It turns out it's trust.
Without trust, workers won't have the confidence
that their teammates are getting their work done.
Team members won't see a clear path
towards getting the teams deliverables accomplished.
And managers will inevitably tend
to micromanage remote workers' activities.
So how can you establish trust?
By adapting the team's performance approach to remote work.
Turns out there are three key activities.
First, whenever possible, redesign the work
of the team to reincorporate those remote team members.
Remote performance management may need
to focus more on problem-solving and results
than on the specific tasks that are being performed.
You won't see people actually performing their tasks
like you would if they were local,
but if you focus on what they're delivering
with short term goals, you'll see their results.
Second, think and act inclusively.
It's very easy for local team members
to assume that people working remotely
are in the loop when they often aren't
since they're not part of the informal communications
that happen in local work environments.
There's a natural human tendency
for trust to erode over time,
and without constantly updated communications
it's easy to lose touch.
Put important information in highly visible places
like shared online documents,
and make certain that specific team members
are directly responsible for keeping
those remote workers up to speed.
Finally, try to figure out how team members
can all be in one place at some point
in a project's lifecycle.
In an increasingly virtual world
we make new connections online,
but we cement personal relationships in person.
Doesn't mean you have to all go on vacation together.
But it does mean you need opportunities
to look every other team member in the eye
and to cement the personal connections
that you've started online.