Bala S DuvvuriProject Manager| ShellBangalore, Karnataka, India
Hello All,
I have come across various challenges in dealing with globally distributed team as mentioned below. Can you please share your experiences and tips in overcoming those challenges
Cultural differences Team building will be difficult Commmunication problem Time differences Isolation Cannot maintain good relationships which is necessary for a high peforming team Language barrier
It is very important to meet at least once with all resources in globally distributed teams. People must know, with whom they are interacting.
Culture Differences -
You need to accept the cultural differences, dialect used by people across the team, their presentation style etc. Templates are helpful in such cases, where all teams have to report against some points.
Time differences is really a big issue, you cannot organize a discussion, when most of the team members are needed. So you need to leave some team members and cover in multiple cycles. You must define the timings of meeting according to work time of maximum people. Provide them gadgets so that they can attend the calls from home etc. Saving Changes...
Establishing team ground rule can be a good solution. To build consensus on ground rules you can apply delphi as your team are globally distributed. Saving Changes...
Product Operations Program ManagerBarcelona, Cataluña, Spain
One should differentiate between the difficulties/challenges experienced due to the team itself from those related to only the geographical location of team members. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
After working more than 20 years with virtual distributed teams composed for people belonging to more than 65 countries located in America (the whole America), east/middle/west Europe and Asia I will write about my experience. To work with this teams is the same than you work with people who is located in the same company but distributed in diferent office and building locations, EXCEPT for the culture. This is critical to understand Take into account that I am working with people (sometimes more than 650 person in a team) that I have no opportunity to see face to face from years (in fact, some of them, I never meet face-to-face) and belongs to all the organization levels. But to understand cultural diferences including the way you have to talk with man and woman is a key. Saving Changes...
Bridge the culture via one-on-one meetings but develop a team culture of its own.
Build your team on common vision, mission and objectives. Start meetings with ice breaker exercises to build trust.
Communicate on the lowest common denominator - unless you are ready to invest into new communication tools.
Schedule team meetings at different times of the day.
If there is some overlap in the working times, consider using a chatting tool.
If dealing with language barriers, favor written communications.
Consider team games to build relationships. Saving Changes...
Howard LaiPMP, CEng, CPEng, NER, IntPE(Aust), RPEQ, MIET, CSSBB, CISA, ISO9001 LA| QHBrisbane, Queensland, Australia
Try to establish the team ground rules, and you may find some team building tools useful, e.g. internal social platform, real-time messenger, project management platform, unified communication system, ..., etc. Saving Changes...
Building a productive and efficient virtual team requires foresight, planning, dedication and hard work. But it’s possible.
To get the most out of their virtual teams, you should (Be available, Organize regular meetings with both individuals and the whole team, Encourage informal conversations, Rotate, Be creative with team bonding, Treat time zones fairly, Prioritize cultural sensitivity, Invest in socializing pre-existing teams, Look for shared understanding when recruiting and Manage expectations).
Recommended to read a book "Virtual Team Success: A Practical Guide for Working and Leading from a Distance". Saving Changes...
Dr.Vijayakumar RamasamySenior Project Manager| RnD Project Management/NPIKuala Lumpur, Malaysia
the key is to stay ''connected'' with the team. I always had weekly conference calls with my virtual team. There''s a need to show the ''presence'' of the PM though we are not there to see and talk to them personally or to give pat on the back to say good job. This is part of the effort to build what i call ''virtual trust'' . Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
Great comment @Vijayakumar. That does not means micromagement. That means "I am there to help you in performing your assignement and facilitating all your need to do that". Saving Changes...
Joanna NewmanHead of Innovation and Transformation , Telecoms| VodafoneCholderton, United Kingdom
Establish ground rules and ways of working early, hours people will be available, expected time to respond to emails etc. Arrange to meet the team face to face and include some team building exercises into that time. Include a social event (dinner, for example) to allow your team to get to know one another. Set clear deliverables and regular meetings and updates - remote workers need more time with managers, not less. Good luck! My biggest team was across eight countries and four continents - beware time zone changes! Saving Changes...
Community Champion
