Top Keys to Building and Leading High-Performing Remote Teams

With the onset of the pandemic, a new trend of WFO (work from home) was observed among every organization. Even though a necessity then, it soon emerged as the latest revolution in the corporate work culture. Many hours were spent on its pros and cons, its psychological impact on the employees, and the quality of work. Studies suggested that employees were happier, working from the comfort of their homes, and were far less likely to resign. Their quality of work had also improved. Most companies, as of now, are spending a lot of their time and resources on building and optimizing remote teams. Here are some key aspects which would contribute toward building high-performing remote teams.

Building Accountability

Even though remote work culture is an exciting prospect for most employees, it must not come at the cost of efficiency. Most managers are trying their best to bring a sense of accountability to their teams. Replicating a workplace-like environment at home is the real challenge in this case. Focusing on deadlines, monitoring individuals, and communicating with each other are some of the many aspects of creating an efficient team. Hence, making each employee responsible for her actions and informing her about her impact on the team goes a long way in creating the accountability factor.   

Generating Context

A good manager would always put up the big picture for his team. He would ensure that all the members are working towards a common goal. Therefore, creating context becomes another crucial aspect, particularly during the initial stages. Keeping the bigger picture in front allows a team to function much more smoothly.    

Accepting Change

On the other end of the spectrum, we still have a considerable number of people who are not very welcoming to the idea of working from home. The reason is that remote work comes with its own set of problems. And the most common among them is being over-reliant on technology. Apart from the fact that most of the workforce needs time to get used to this setting, there is also the psychological impact, which has become a hot topic these days. Many people have been facing severe psychological problems after staying inside for prolonged periods. Hence, accepting and acclimatizing to such changes should be a key concern for organizations.   

Optimizing Technology

It would be unfair to say that over-reliance on technology is concerning. Although there is a flip side to every coin, without the use of technology, especially during the pandemic, the world would have come to a halt. However, in order to make remote work efficient and transparent, innovations have become the need of the hour. We may have survived the crisis, but if we want to take things to the next level, technology will have to become more interactive, focusing on project-based and team-operating aspects.   

Embracing the Future

 Although the impact seems to have subsided, for now, there is no denying the fact that the fear of the virus still looms large. Therefore, we need to be prepared for any and every change the future may witness. To create a future-proof setup, people must keep an open mind and be willing to learn. We may well be looking at a future where most companies, to keep their infrastructure costs low, would opt for a permanent work-from-home setup. Hence, they would need people who are well-versed in such an environment. Also, being technology-compatible will no longer remain an option in the future. Individuals, therefore, would need to keep themselves ready if they wish to keep their prospects bright.     

Studies show that working remotely may become a regular thing. Building a remote team that can produce enough output would become the number one priority for any corporate setup. In such a scenario, companies would be looking forward to suitable people who are willing to work from improvised office setups and are open to innovative ideas.