How to Improve Communications in Geographically Diverse Teams?
Having worked for various companies, especially for a big, American firm employing over 7000 souls on several continents, I know all about the growing pains of developing a diverse team. When the manager works in San Jose (California), a graphic artist lives thousands of miles away in Poland and an additional technical writer works in Hong Kong, daily communications and task management can be tough. It doesn’t have to be a nightmare. You can save yourself time and additional stress by implementing at least a few tips from the list below.
Miscommunication not only creates chaos, but also wastes time, which is priceless if you want to perform well. Rising costs of employment and the search for new talents in remote locations drives companies to set up sites in new countries. We can argue that this diversity adds more value and we would be right. At the same time, it creates additional challenges.
The key to seamless coworking lies in 5 major areas:
- Clear messaging and communication
- Clear definition of tasks, deadlines and goals
- Task distribution in accordance to time zones
- Transparency
- Accountability
Clear messaging
The most important thing is… clear messaging. There’s really not much more to add. Writing an email, talking on the phone or via teleconference, explaining tasks or expectations, changes in graphics, correcting copy. These are all examples of situations where time can be saved by being more precise.
It’s worth remembering, that:
a) People are not machines and they can interpret things in ways you don’t expect them to or you would not even think about
b) Time zones REALLY matter. Sometimes tasks can be delayed by 1–3 days just because something was meant as something else, has been said or written not precisely enough or someone didn’t predict an 8–12 hour time difference and task completion was delayed. Also, make sure people understand what you’re saying. Working with foreigners can be tricky and not everyone will understand what you mean.
E-mail is a good tool for sharing information, but instant messaging works even better. Coworking apps like Asana, Basecamp and Trello keep track of data and project updates. Phone and video conferencing works great when it comes to tackling a challenging topic. Don’t use a tool just for the tool’s sake — use it with the team’s comfort in mind. Remember that you can spend 15 minutes on a long and complicated email, explaining the current situation of a project and then save a day because the task was performed just the way it should be. Investment in seamless communications pays off both short and long term.
Clear definition of tasks, deadlines and goals
Always be precise and don’t leave room for doubt. Stay open and available for questions (open-door policy), but form daily or weekly sprints/tasks in a manner where everything is clear and can be worked on immediately. When forming a task, don’t assume people in a team will have time to help someone else with understanding a portion of the task. It would be perfect of course, but imagine having a sick leave, a vacation or overworked member of a team. That leaves a fourth and final team member with a task that is not necessarily clear. And with a different time zone to consider, it can delay the whole operation even more.
Deadline is also important. Do we have to finish the whole task by the end of the week or just the first part? Can we do the second part in our spare time and maybe the third part as well? Do we have to wait for additional information from another department or can we do everything by ourselves? Deadlines can be and usually are more complicated than simply “finish by friday afternoon”. There are tools to deal with deadlines and one of them is Landingi — a platform for quick and easy landing page creation.
Goals also have to be formulated in a way that is understandable for everyone. Would it be ok if something is not going to be done this week? If we’re aiming for quality (and I assume we are) it’s better to wait for someone to do their part, rather than rush out an unpolished product. If KPIs are established, does everyone know what level of commitment and quality we’re aiming at?
Task distribution in accordance to time zones
Working together on a task when people live a few miles away can prove difficult sometimes, let alone when there is a difference of a few time zones between them. You can plan all you want but every once in a while sometimes things can and probably will go wrong. If a person lives in China, they start a day early and begin a “task chain”. When Europe starts the day, that same day is over in China. When America is getting its first cup of coffee, the majority of the work is already done.
That’s why communications are so important. Someone else can start a job, but if I have to finish it, I’d better have all the information I need and all the assets I require. And that calls for the aforementioned good planning. Especially when time is of the essence and a deadline is looming.
Transparency
There is nothing more important in a dispersed work environment then that, except maybe communications. Can I do all the work by myself? Can I finish it on time? Do I have enough information to start and finish the task? Was my manager clear with me on what he wants to accomplish? Did my co-workers hand in everything for me to step in and take over?
And here’s when the tricky part begins. Do I have time to do everything? Can I ask additional questions and expect to get an answer within my working hours? It doesn’t matter if I work fast and have a clear vision for the task at hand. It doesn’t matter if I’m good at my job. Someone else can have a lot on their plate or simply be having a bad day. It’s OK to say “no” to a manager when you know the deadline might not be met.
Honesty in a traditional workplace (open space or not) can come more easily. Teams build trust over time and see each other every day. When relationships are healthy, that helps with daily operations and work is seamless. When working abroad, remotely or on delegations, trust can be harder to obtain; it can be eroded or even non-existent. That’s why constant communication and feedback in weekly reports is so important. It helps everyone to understand what it is that you’re seeking and what value you can add to the team when maintaining a healthy distance (both physical and emotional).
Accountability
The best kind of accountability on a team is peer-to-peer. Peer pressure is more efficient and effective than going to the leader, anonymously complaining, and having them stop what they are doing to intervene.
Patrick Lencioni, business writer
This quote says it all. If you have a problem, talk it through. If you don’t, chances are the organization is doing something right. In a balanced team, trust is an indispensable part of everyday operations. It’s not about a cave you can hide in, it’s about the lack of a need to do so.
Accountability speaks volumes, even if you’re not working in Scrum. Taking responsibility for what is happening with your task and partially across the board is the key to successful performance. Wasting energy on blaming someone is not healthy and burns time needed to complete the goal.
It’s also the question on micromanaging. When a team is working like a well-oiled machine, it keeps the jar full of cookies by itself. No unauthorized access allowed; that goes for application bugs and people with lower motivation as well. If a team can handle itself, there is no need to check on it every hour. Precise communication and even longer emails is one thing, micromanagement of everything coming through is another.
A team that is self-motivated doesn’t require micromanagement. It works on a fuel called SMART goals — it’s an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound.
Low and high context cultures
It’s very well-documented (Hall & Hall 1990, Earley & Gibson 2002) that both types of cultures developed a means to complicate life for themselves. For example, Chinese people are big on a social and cultural context and expect the same from others. They can say “no” and it can mean a bunch of things. Americans or Swedes can say “no” as well, but in a more straightforward way. Saying “no” can be loaded with additional meaning, such as losing face. “Face” in China (as well as in Japan) is associated with honor, reputation, and prestige, therefore the refusing a task can be impossible. Even if it really IS impossible.
It’s always a good practice to look up sources to help with understanding cultural nuances. A good start would be “Beyond Culture” by Edward T. Hall. It will not only help you with co-workers, but also with energized, tech savvy and eager-to-perform friends.
Even if you’re not a manager, it’s always good to hear “I’ll be there for you”. You never have enough Friends, after all.
