Managing a virtual team is challenging regardless of the newfangled software designed to make it easier. When things are going well, managing your team is a breeze. But when issues arise, it’s not as simple as calling a face-to-face meeting in an office a few feet down the hall.
If you have an astute committed virtual team – even if they’re spread out on different continents – it will make your job that much easier. However in all likelihood, if you manage a virtual workforce, you’ll run into issues sooner or later. Maybe a member of your team becomes a ‘weak link’ or someone ups and quits. Or, team members just aren’t connecting well with each other.
The Wave Of The Future
Whatever the issue, it’s not going away anytime soon. According to Stanford University and Forbes.com, remote teams are the wave of the future, and managers will frankly have to buckle-up and get with the program, so to speak.
If you find your team unraveling around the edges or you simply want to improve your team’s performance, here’s some advice on how to handle the situation.
Managing To Get It Right
As a virtual manager, if you’re lucky enough to select a group of qualified workers from various parts of the world, throw them all together in one pot, and the result is an Olympian virtual dream team, kudos to you!
However, in all reality, that’s probably not the case. Consider the several suggestions below to help you create the virtual workforce you’ve always been dreaming about.
Selecting A Virtual A-Team
Managing an entire team spread-out around the globe is not for the timorous. As a result, assembling a virtual team of skilled workers who are capable of delivering working in a remote environment is crucial. That is to say, choose your team as if you were selecting individuals to stay inside your home. Scrutinize, emphasize, and analyze.
Managing The Sexes
Did you know that studies reveal that women thrive in remote work positions and one reason for this is the flexibility remote work provides? Surveys also disclose that there’s little difference between the sexes when it comes to managing men and women in a remote work setting. In fact, the benefits of telecommuting are frequently gender-neutral.
A blog post covering the differences when managing male and female workers is spot on.
Here’s a preview:
- As attested by science, women win hands down when it comes to multi-tasking. Additionally, the ability to do more than one thing at a time is a bonus for remote jobs that require workers to handle a variety of tasks concurrently. The disadvantages are burnout, undue pressure and diminished creative thought.
- Men are more skilled at specialization and can focus on one task or topic at a time. Though this ability has its benefits, it can also lead to tunnel vision and ‘callousness’ towards employees and conduct deemed unsuitable for operational tasks.
In general, both sexes have their pluses and minuses and both are vital to the workforce whether working virtually or in-house.
When hiring a virtual team, managers must take into consideration the points mentioned above to enhance and/or reduce tasks that may interfere with performance. A virtual team’s success has very little to do with men and women and their individual biases, it’s more about how you manage your team as a whole.
Trust
Hire people you can trust and trust the people you hire is a maxim that requires little explanation. Still, the contention of trust is more about yourself than the people you hire.
Do you trust your decisions? Can you ‘let go’ and give your employees the opportunity to show you what they’ve got? If not, you’re wasting energy that could be better focused on your company’s progress and development.
Using Software Tools For Management
Using the right software equipment – like video conferencing tools and group chat – will help to keep your virtual workmates on the same wavelength. Specifically designed for remote workers, these tools will help ease your mind and make managing your virtual team much easier.
Final Thoughts
There’s something unique about a team of individuals working together in unison from various regions of the world. Yet, much of that success comes down to superb management. Get your management right and you’ll have a team that will give you their best.
Bio
Vaishali Badgujar is a content marketing specialist at Time Doctor. She is an inbound marketing expert & specializes in link building.
