Motivating is always a challenge and I think you can not have one/few models for all. I think Culture and nature of project should be taken more seriously here. Saving Changes...
A topic close to home Kevin. I have managed teams overseas. Culture does play a big factor in managing these teams. I found that there needs to be some kind of rapport, but cultural rapport. Whether this is an affinity with local culture or traditions, or sharing cultural diversity through team activities, something needs to "stick" so that the team can look at themselves and outsiders as part of one team. When it comes to motivation, employees in the country I was located in valued salary and benefits above anything else, and by a long shot. Close behind was a team environment and company culture. However they still found it hard to break free from the traditional command and control structure that plagues many collectivist societies. As such, we needed a mix of directing and coaching leadership styles from Hersey and Blanchard's model to get work done. Saving Changes...
Nico SchusterManagig Director / CEO| Tecpal Ltd. Hong KongFrankfurt, Hesse, Germany
I agree with Sante, it is vital to form some kind of rapport. There is some homework to be done by the PM. Which cultures are we dealing with? What are "typical" traits we need to be aware of? I think whenever possible there should be at least one chance to have a in person meeting. Maybe meeting in the middle - this way the participants don't get caught in their day to day tasks and can really focus on the "team". 2nd best option is to really go for video conferences. I remember half the team on my first job was based in Copenhagen whilst I was based in Germany so we used weekly "Halo" meetings - basically a life-size video conference solution. But apart from all the technical stuff I think the most important thing is always to clearly explain and make everyone understand the common goal the team wants to achieve. If everyone has a clear understanding of that and is able to see why and what benefits an undertaking has at least a "base level" of motivation is established. If then prior mentioned team building activities are used and a situational leadership approach - which of course can be time consuming - motivation will rise. Saving Changes...
Sandra MaughonProfessor| Piedmont CollegeCleveland, Ga, United States
This is a very interesting topic for me and in fact just yesterday we did an extensive class exercise on this. Sante and Nico, would you give me permission to share you comments with them? I believe it would help to confirm their learning experience.
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2 replies by Nico Schuster and Sante Delle-Vergini, PhD
Mar 14, 2018 5:51 AM
Sante Delle-Vergini, PhD
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Sure Sandra :-)
Mar 14, 2018 7:14 AM
Nico Schuster
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Sure! Would be nice to also hear your student's comments :)
This is a very interesting topic for me and in fact just yesterday we did an extensive class exercise on this. Sante and Nico, would you give me permission to share you comments with them? I believe it would help to confirm their learning experience.
The levers to help your team to feel motivated about a project are the same in remote contexts, but you need to spend more effort on them than you might with a co-located team. It does help to get some cultural awareness training before the project commences but that shouldn't make you fall into cultural stereotypes.
I always bring it back to avoiding Lencioni's Three Signs of a Miserable Job, tying the goals of the project to the team member's own aspirations, treating them like professionals (not small children) and recognizing them authentically and regularly.
Kiron Saving Changes...
Nico SchusterManagig Director / CEO| Tecpal Ltd. Hong KongFrankfurt, Hesse, Germany
Mar 14, 2018 5:33 AM
Replying to Sandra Maughon
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This is a very interesting topic for me and in fact just yesterday we did an extensive class exercise on this. Sante and Nico, would you give me permission to share you comments with them? I believe it would help to confirm their learning experience.
Sure! Would be nice to also hear your student's comments :) Saving Changes...
This discussion is highly regarded, I had also similar discussion yesterday and I think there is a lot in this area to be explored yet. Saving Changes...
To build on Sante's response - what really helps me set up a rapport with my overseas teams is to take time out to understand their culture. Who are their heroes, what are their festivals, what are the aspects they are proud of.
A great example to observe is Alexander Armstrong, the host of the British quiz show Pointless. His small talk is so sincere and he connects to each of the eight participants on every show at a very personal layer.
Another thing that helps me is to avoid one-to-many team calls. I have 1:1 calls with my immediate team members and urge them to use video chat. This also helps build up a personal rapport much quicker.
Lastly, for people who speak a different language, take the genuine effort to know a few keywords in their language. Good morning, Good day, Please, Thank you, Sorry, and so on. People always appreciate it when they see someone trying to reach out to bridge the cultural divide themselves. Saving Changes...
