The distributed approach has many challenges. However, you should not use them as an excuse not to adopt the model. Instead, you must learn about these potential problems and their solutions to become a successful distributed company.
This article is part of our Distributed Companies Series.
Becoming a distributed company can bring many benefits, but it certainly has its challenges as well. We've already covered some of these, especially those that affect the early stages of a company moving to a distributed approach. However, there are other obstacles that go beyond these first steps and that can arise long after you have fully adopted the approach.
In fact, many of the most common problems you will face after implementing the distributed model stem from having team members in different physical locations. From a lack of in-person interactions to the diminished cohesion of your corporate culture, there are a number of threats you need to address when operating as a distributed company.
Here are five of the most common ones that you need to keep on your radar, along with solutions to tackle them.
1. Less management oversight
This is probably the most popular reason to oppose distributed or remote work. Many managers do not want to give up working in the office because they feel they will lose the ability to control and manage all members of their team. This could be due to a number of reasons, including the inability to monitor all employee activities and a lack of confidence in team members' ability to carry out their work.
The solution: There are a few things worth mentioning here. Firstly, it is important to highlight that many managers do not want to work remotely because they cannot micromanage all of their team members. Although it is common to think of micromanagement as closer control over a team, the reality is that it does more harm than good, so switching to a distributed scheme is the perfect opportunity for managers to leave this toxic practice behind.
Furthermore, it is important for managers to understand that they cannot expect to deal with their teams in the same way as they did during their office days. A distributed team requires a different approach to management that includes cloud-based platforms for monitoring work and progress and that redefines success by focusing on measurable goals rather than hours worked.
In short, it is about managers developing a new management style that is only concerned with pre-defined objectives and whether the team is achieving them or not, regardless of how they use their time to do so.
2. Greater disconnection between team members and goals
When a team works in a distributed way, it's easy for team members to lose sight of the bigger picture. This may happen because casual interactions between them are less frequent or because managers/leaders/companies are unable to adequately communicate their objectives and the roadmap to follow.
In fact, the distributed approach can quickly create a sense of disconnect between your employees and your overall goals. If this happens, you will see silos begin to emerge within your team. In the end, these silos can seriously impact your work because your team members will lose track of why they are doing what they are doing, which can lead to a drop in productivity and motivation.
The solution: One of the benefits of the distributed approach is that it can increase your company's productivity. But this will happen as long as everyone has a clear understanding of the work they do and how that work contributes to the overall success of the company's projects. This means you will be transparent and proactive in your communications .
One of the best ways to do this is to communicate as frequently and efficiently as possible. Organize frequent meetings to stay on top of everything, but also to ensure everyone is informed. Explain to the team what you are trying to accomplish and provide your employees with updates on the progress of that plan. Finally, make sure team members feel part of the final results: show them the finished work, explain the results, and recognize their contributions.
3. Lack of personal interactions
I already mentioned that the distributed approach can lead to fewer casual interactions. Many people who oppose this model cite the lack of these interactions as the main reason they avoid becoming a distributed company.
In their eyes, the distributed approach doesn't have those micro-moments where you can interact with your coworkers, whether to generate a new idea or to bond over a specific topic. Given that most human communication is non-verbal, these people have difficulty replacing in-person interactions with online communications.
The solution: Apply a communication policy with an emphasis on video. While not the same, using video will help your team communicate better , as many nonverbal cues are present during a video call. Of course, video conferencing may not completely replace casual meetings, but it can really help with this model.
Additionally, be sure to organize casual get-togethers that can help the team bond over something beyond work. You can organize online games, virtual meetings, or even plan an in-person team meeting every now and then.
4. Diminished corporate culture
Another direct consequence of a lack of interactions may be that the corporate culture does not suit some (or most) of your team members. This is closely related to the previous points, as a poor management style, with fewer interactions and a lack of a clear communication policy will undoubtedly result in a disjointed company culture that will not look like a unified front.
In fact, if you don't establish clear values and expectations for your company, your team members will likely fill that gap organically. And while corporate culture is often shaped by day-to-day activities, the reality is that you need to control key aspects of it to ensure that the people who work at your company, as well as customers, partners and suppliers, have the same experience and expectations when interacting with your brand.
The solution: The online games and virtual meetings I mentioned above are good for helping you solidify your values, but they won't be enough. While it's good to have moments of casual fun that provide bonding opportunities, you'll also need to foster other instances that also help strengthen your values while boosting your professionals.
As such, it's great to complement your efforts to informally connect your team with career mentoring meetings that can instill your culture in the minds of your workforce. For example, you can institute training sessions to reskill or upskill team members, which can serve a triple purpose: developing their skill sets, showing them your expectations for their roles, and establishing your culture. Bringing workers together for specific projects or using mentoring programs can also help here.
5. Operational inefficiencies
Finally, a hasty implementation of the distributed model can bring a lot of problems on the operational side of things. Given that the team is spread across different cities, countries or even regions, there may be problems related to infrastructure (both software and hardware), normal work procedures and even language, communication style and time zone. alignment.
For example, many team members may not have much time to get together and talk directly. Some platforms may not be available in certain countries. Some team members may not have the same language level as others, thus increasing the likelihood of miscommunication. There are many operational inefficiencies that can arise if you don't think things through.
The solution: We've already talked about the need to develop a proper strategy before becoming a distributed company. However, there may be details that you don't address in this first instance. Don't worry, though —going back and adapting your initial strategy is essential in this approach.
For example, you can opt for new platforms to better serve everyone (even to the point of developing your own). You can narrow down the regions where you will fish for talent to ensure some time zone alignment is possible. You can even offer language classes to valuable talent who need to brush up on their conversational skills. There are many potential operational problems, of course, but if you put your creativity to work, you can find so many solutions for them all.
The right mindset
There are many reasons you could cite for resisting adopting a distributed approach in your company. However, I think that opposition to this model will do more harm than good. There are many benefits to a distributed model. Furthermore, the workforce is strongly in favor of this approach, even if only partially so.
So instead of fighting against becoming a distributed company, think about how you can adapt this model to your specific situation and needs. Outlining an initial strategy on this is a good start, but you also need to plan for the most common problems. While there are too many to mention, the ones listed here should give you a clearer picture and help put you in the right mindset to make a successful switch to this model.
More related articles in our Distributed Companies Series.
