Involve the team in defining how "remote cooperation" works
Remote Management
Working together when you are hundreds or thousands of kilometers from each other, not that obvious! For the manager, how do you create links, cohesion, work habits when 'seeing each other' is often seen as a condition of proximity?
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Remember
Each team member will have their own ideas about the reasons for functioning collectively and how to do it well. So the first step is to bring out both needs and proposals, to get the discussion going: How do each of you see the team? What do you expect to get from working together? What things need to be shared? With what aim...?
Put practical tools into place
Once expectations have been defined, various tools exist to help with sharing information, having quick and informal exchanges, organization, tracking, resolving problems, etc. These need to be identified, and certain ones selected for "testing" by the team. Testing only, to avoid "tool overload" which can create apathy or aversion in users.
Evaluate the system regularly
An organization is a living thing, and efficacy can always grow! Ways of working and the tools used need to be regularly re-evaluated: Do they serve our needs? Has the team embraced them? Only those that are really used and that add value should be retained.
Practice
Your local team must now work with a team of colleagues who are 2500 km from them. Even though they all speak English (which is not their mother tongue) they don’t communicate frequently with their new colleagues and hesitate to pick up the phone and deal with subjects directly. This slows down work. What would you do (3 answers)?
You offer them an intensive training course in English so that they
would be more at ease with the language and so that they would get in
touch more readily. ⚠
Not very useful except for those who have a real problem with English. If the problem of language is put forward, it’s often a false problem.
You get your local team together to discuss and understand the reasons for their lack of contact and try to find solutions. ✓
This can be tried because sometimes unexpected obstacles are mentioned and can give ideas to work on. However, it’s possible that the team members themselves don’t really know why there’s a problem.
You define an objective and/or set up an organization which would make contact absolutely necessary for everyone’s work. ✓
Why not if this offers a real interest in the achievement of goals. However, be careful not to create more problems.
You organize inter-site exchanges, some ‘live my life’. For example, voluntary team members exchange their jobs for 2 or 3 days. ✓
Good idea if the team understands the goal of the exercise and the feedback is shared.
Evaluation
Each question has only one correct response, but be careful: among the possible responses there is one that is "almost correct" and might make the choice harder!
1 / 3
Sharing working practices
Together with the team, you have implemented a tool for sharing working practices but it is hardly ever used. What do you do?
Nothing for now. It has only recently been set up (4 months). You feel that time is needed in order to get used to the idea. ⚠
This may be true, but doing nothing could cause a loss of interest in the procedure.
You remind the team that the tool exists and encourage them to use it. ⚠
This won’t be enough, they already know it exists.
You set the example by sharing your ideas and solutions each week. ⚠
Why not? but this could give the impression that the team's contribution is not essential.
You launch a debate to find out what is holding back their participation. ✓
Yes, essential before trying to find solutions.
2 / 3
Is a performance appraisal necessary?
You are responsible for coworkers whom you see only once or twice a year. You envisage implementing a monthly performance appraisal with each person by web conference. Is it appropriate?
No, they risk feeling as if they were being controlled; best trust them. ⚠
Trust and regular follow ups are not incompatible.
A weekly reporting tool already exists. A monthly performance appraisal isn't necessary. ⚠
It would enable going further than simply reporting; objectives, results, difficulties and coworkers's needs could all be addressed.
Yes, this appraisal would allow you to look at the objectives and to adjust the road map for the coming months. ✓
Indeed, it would be a personalised accompanying tool, invaluable, as you don't see each other very often.
Yes, if the coworkers are not surveyed, there is a risk they will only do the minimum. ⚠
The objective of this appraisal would be to accompany, not to control.
3 / 3
How do you assess from a distance?
Alison, with whom you only have contact from afar says to you: "you only see the results, and not the way I work, how can you evaluate me?". How do you reply to this?
If you achieve the required objectives, we can conclude that you work efficiently. ⚠
Not so obvious. We can achieve our objectives without respecting the correct methods.
I will discuss with you local interlocutors to get their feedback, and will prepare a summary. ⚠
It is something to consider, but only after discussing with Alison and listening to her ideas.
True, it’s a difficulty, and I have things I’d like to suggest to you. Do you have any suggestions to put forward? ✓
Yes, you involve Alison in the assessment process and you also provide solutions: a 360° local survey, quality indicator follow ups, etc.
The in-depth assessment that we will have will allow me to form an opinion. ⚠
Not very convincing. You need something more objective.
Your score is
0/3
You finished!
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