Leadership For The Future

18/04/2018

Is virtual collaboration the new norm?

Today we have greater control over where and when we work.  As our businesses spread across the world and technology makes it easy to do our jobs from anywhere there’s wi-fi, more of us have the option to ‘go remote’.   Businesses whether large corporates or small to medium-sized businesses are getting better at allowing more flexible working practices helped by the recent flexible working legislation.   But are we any good at managing the virtual collaboration environment?

Whether you’re calling in from a home office every day or one of your team members occasionally logs in from the quiet car on a train, distance can make collaboration more difficult.  Remote work gives teams flexibility and options, but when you’re not face-to-face with colleagues, it’s difficult to set and manage expectations, deal with inevitable tech glitches, keep your people (and yourself) motivated and engaged, and infuse warmth and personality into the blunt communication tools you’re using.

Harvard have produced a series of guides called The Virtual Manager Collection which give you the solutions you need to be productive, whether you’re managing a team, a project, or just your own work.   The guide is a three-volume set and includes :

  • Virtual Collaboration,
  • Running Virtual Meetings, and
  • Leading Virtual Teams.

The volumes cover a wide variety of tips and strategies such as:

  • Getting your technology up and running—and keeping it there
  • Building and maintaining relationships from afar
  • Communicating well through a variety of media
  • Running productive virtual meetings
  • Setting and managing expectations for your work
  • Leading geographically dispersed teams

If you would like to get further advice about how to manage a virtual team, work more effectively remotely or would simply like reassurance about your current employment practice, please get in touch.   Please also have a look previous blogs from Hafton on related matters:-