Challenges of Managing a Remote Team
The challenges of managing a remote team include all of the major challenges of managing any team, as well as several others, some of which are obvious, but equally, some of which are not.
The challenges of managing any team include more than anything that one which requires that the manager be able to deal with each member of their team as an individual, as well as being a part of the collective whole. This means that the manager has to view each team member as being a very specific and important cog in the wheel and recognise the contribution which they make to that whole, which is often said to be greater than the sum of all the parts. This in a conventional sense requires a manager to at least get to know each team member on a personal level and, if not to necessarily bond with them, at least determine what it is that motivates them personally and how to ensure that they make the best contribution they are capable of to the bigger picture.
The obvious challenge of managing a remote team in this respect means that face to face, personal contact with the team members is not possible. Contact may be by telephone, or even simply by e-mail or some other online medium. This requires the manager to have considerably greater one to one contact with each team member and ensure that they not only get to know the team member in a personal sense but that the team members themselves get to know something of one another and how they can assist one another in getting the required job done or stipulated objective achieved.
Managing a team requires that the manager always be seen to be approachable by the team members in the event of difficulty. One challenge of managing a remote team in this respect is that it is not possible for a team member to simply knock on an office door in order to speak to their manager. The manager therefore has to ensure that team members know at all times how to get in touch with them and when it is reasonable to do so. Very often, time differentials will have to be taken in to account in this respect in modern times, so it is important that team members be made aware of this consideration, should it apply.
Managing a remote team makes it very difficult for a manager to keep specific tabs upon what each team member is doing on an hourly, daily, or even weekly basis. This means that it is even more important for the manager of a remote team to set defined, measurable performance targets, which they can easily keep track of remotely. It is advisable in this respect to set these targets over a longer period of time, such as a week or more, as measuring them on an hourly or even daily basis could very easily become cumbersome or even impossible.
The challenges of managing a remote team mean that it takes a very special type of manager in order to successfully do so. Patience is a virtue not always found in conventional managers but one which is essential in managers of any remote team, as is understanding and a considerably greater degree of flexibility and adaptability. It is only by recognising and adjusting to all of these factors that any manager can adapt to the challenges of managing a remote team.
