When COVID commencement entered the world and I started working from home, my hunch was that information technology was simply going to be for a few weeks. Two years later, that hunch has proven quite wrong! I am a people person and savor meeting face to face with others, and so it has definitely taken me some time to suit.

If yous had asked me at the start of working remotely whether I would prefer to work at home or in the office…..I would have chosen the part every time. As time has gone on, I have definitely started to lean towards working from dwelling house, only as you may know, that isn't without its challenges either.

I'chiliad always on the picket to improve both myself and my team's daily work, and then when I came across a book entitled Leading Virtual Teams by the Harvard Business Review, information technology actually defenseless my heart.


Published in 2016, information technology  was written past the authors before the pandemic and before and then many people started working from home. What I actually like about this volume is that the details written in hither withal stand, and information technology hasn't inverse the need for something like this. This book is part of the Harvard Concern Review 20 Infinitesimal Managing director Series, which ways it is a concise, practical primer so you'll have time to swoop straight into the meat of the topic.

It starts off with some of the important things that you demand to get right to be successful on a virtual team. First and foremost to this list is getting the right people on the squad, which requires a special set of traits:

  • Communication - "Proficient virtual squad members know how to be precise and concise in multiple media, and the err on the side of overcommunication".
  • Collaboration fashion - "Virtual teamwork requires self subject and self motivation, since team members must stay on schedule and inquire for aid when necessary. Remote piece of work is not ideal for people who demand a lot of supervision".
  • Temperament - "Look for people who will be generous in negotiating conflict in a low data environment and resilient working alone nether pressure".
  • Engineering - "Seek out people who are open up-minded to new applied science and competent in tools".
  • Size - "When it comes to the number of folks on your team, aim low. Inquiry shows that smaller teams are more than effective and more motivated".

While you might not be in a position to build a team from scratch and choose people with these traits, it does assistance as a starting point to place gaps in an existing team and tweak it accordingly.

The book besides has a chapter entitled Manage the Technology in which it goes into detail near the importance of engineering science in the remote working earth. I won't go too much into item here, as each organization has their ain unique tools, only the key takeaway for me was effectually establishing rules for the use of the technology inside your organization / team. How do you share and store content? What is the etiquette for the use of this engineering science? While the volume doesn't advise which tools to apply, it does talk almost agreeing on using a standardised list of products. Regardless of whether you are going to employ Slack or Teams - it suggests choosing i and sticking with it.

For me, i of the primal areas of this book is around creating a shared vision with the team. What is the purpose of your team? Tin can you explain information technology in a clear, compelling language? Whether you are working with a team on a long-term project or a shorter goal, it's important to clearly ascertain what is the vision for the team and what will make information technology successful. Past documenting this vision and goal, yous tin can use it as a reference signal to bring everyone dorsum to common ground when distance and time fries away at the team'due south cohesion.

As a People Manager, I know how tough it is to keep a remote working team engaged and happy. The book goes into some detail and provides a few tips and tricks such equally:

  • Providing praise and recognising collaborative behaviour when yous see it
  • Encouraging people to acknowledge each other's work
  • Playing games together!
  • Finding a daily working rhythm with the team

Finally, Leading Virtual Teams besides touches on the common bug that you might face with remote teams. There is a office of this chapter that is dedicated to managing disharmonize on a virtual team. It is not a question of if, merely rather when y'all will face conflict with a team. Dealing with this remotely can be sensitive ground and will demand to be handled differently to how you lot might do face to confront. The book provides a few examples and ideas for how to navigate this territory.

Final Verdict

Would I purchase this book? Yes, absolutely. It's an like shooting fish in a barrel read and is filled with practical, actionable details. In that location isn't a lot of "fluff" - information technology gets to the point and leaves you with useful insights.

This volume was written long before the majority of workers were forced to work remotely due to the pandemic. The authors have had existent-globe feel implementing this and faced challenges that they provide practical solutions to.

While some of the topics covered may come naturally to you and your arrangement, there are definitely some tips and tricks that you can option up and employ to ameliorate your squad'southward remote working. The book doesn't go super deep into all of these topics and possibly skims the surface a little more than I'd like, simply later on all this is entitled the xx Minute Director Series for a reason. I'd still recommend you buy this book!