Archive for November, 2009

Prepare yourself for a small culture shock if you join a company that promotes remote working. The positives, however, far outweigh the negatives.

Remote can mean: working whilst on the road, working at home away from the main team, working in a regional office or just working alone on an isolated project. It can be organised by your company or yourself and is especially beneficial when companies are cutting down on office space overhead costs. On the flip side of course there are managers who have a trust problem not being able to see their staff slogging away. These individuals tend to be techno-phobic who, with just a basic understanding of the technology available would be able to monitor in real time their teams progress – Google documents/calender being the most obvious choice.

Remote working can be lonely but with Linked In, Twitter and various online communities, the time has never been better to try it out.  Some basic arrangements should be implemented when working in a virtual environment:

• Implement Instant Messenger or similar to ensure daily contact
• It is good to meet at least once per month, backed up with a once a week conference call
• Web conferencing can add a human touch that goes beyond just conferencing calls
• As previously mentioned, document collaboration ensures efficient progress
• If working with team members on other continents, ensure a face to face meetings at least twice a year – at other times link them into team meetings via video conferencing

You really can work from anywhere

There are a variety of tools that support the above that include:

• WebEx
• GoToMeeting
• Ning
• Microsoft SharePoint
• Microsoft NetMeeting
• Second Life and
• Dimdim

It’s easy enough to kick a virtual project team off  so here’s a simple procedure to follow:

1    Hold a face to face start up meeting
2    Follow up with regular face to face meetings
3    Establish a set of norms – a code of conduct; ensure the team leader enforces these
4    Allow time to iron out any technical difficulties prior to conference calls and video     meetings
5    Ensure the use of shared documents or ‘reply all’ emails so avoiding excluding team     members
6    Implement tools to ensure all team members’ schedules are visible
7    Ensure a forum exists for members to chit chat – encourage this as it’s the equivalent of ‘coffee machine’ chat
8    Ensure regular visits to remote sites, not just for troubleshooting
9    Look for and monitor closely group dynamics to ensure people don’t feel isolated
10    Review team progress, encourage feedback during face to face and conference calls     on team effectiveness

Leading or working in virtual teams is a challenge but it is as fun as you make it and the rewards far outweigh the hitches and getting used to the change. Here at Leones, we feel that we are well qualified to comment as our team members work as far afield as: Manila, Mumbai, Utah and Brighton!

Go on – give it a whirl.