Everyone today is talking about managing remote teams. The pandemic made working from home a reality, and hybrid teams soon became a growing trend. Research has shown that 66% of workers expect to work in a hybrid model post-pandemic. More and more organizations are now emphasizing the importance of working together despite pandemic-induced restrictions. However, managing a hybrid team requires additional competencies compared to the old in-house team management.
Listed below are the skills and the crucial aspects required to manage a hybrid team efficiently.
Set Clear Rules of Engagement
When clear rules are put forward beforehand, the team members know how to go about and what to expect. This makes them more productive, and they get the job done much faster. Managers need to make sure that all team members have clearly understood the instructions that have been given to them and must Team meeting agenda template schedule meetings to clarify and address queries. More guidance should be given to members who are not co-located.
Have the Right Tools
It is important to facilitate each student with their specific needs to ensure that every task is being completed efficiently. The right tools can include better and faster Wi-Fi service and webcams. It is important to identify each team’s unique needs and each member working within a team.
This will result in much better results and outcomes. Not being provided with the right tools can affect their performance and demotivate team members to a great extent. This is a very important skill as to how to manage hybrid teams.
Promote Effective Meeting Facilitation Practices
It is very important to make sure that the message being communicated to the listener is understood the way it is supposed to be. Sometimes, when a message is being communicated, team members tend to zone out or engage in sidebar conversations, making meetings ineffective.
In a hybrid team, ensuring that the communication is effective is very hard but also very important. Those who are on the phone or video chat might find it impossible to understand the message or follow what is being said. Hence, facilitators must avoid sidebar conversations and summarize what has been discussed in the meeting at least once.
Remember to Summarize Conversations
In a hybrid team, it is imperative to summarize conversations. Leaders of the groups and facilitators must ensure that remote workers are not missing out on productive and important conversations and meetings. This is one challenge that hybrid teams must overcome to work in the most effective way.
It is easier for members who are physically present to understand the main message of a meeting, but leaders should make sure that conversations and meetings are being thoroughly summarized for remote team members to avoid feelings of frustration and isolation. After incorporating the remote team members in the collaboration process, important decisions must be taken.
Be Culturally Sensitive
Hybrid teams can consist of people belonging to different cultural backgrounds, and leaders must not neglect that at any cost. Taking a few minutes to catch up personally with the team members can be very beneficial, especially for members who are not physically present at the office.
This will contribute greatly to the motivation and satisfaction level of an employee. Hence, it is important for leaders to check in with each individual.
Make Work Purpose Driven
Studies have shown that people who feel like their work does not contribute to the betterment of their organization are more likely to feel demotivated and quit their jobs than people who do. To help overcome this, leaders can make jobs mission-driven. This way, employees will be sure that their work and input are actually being taken seriously. Managers and leaders should repeatedly shed light on and emphasize why the project is important and how it contributes to the company’s mission.
Trust Your Employees
To help hybrid teams succeed, it is imperative to show them integrity so they trust you. Making employees feel trusted can happen through many ways, such as giving them authority and letting them make important decisions such as how to go about a task. This might feel uncomfortable but is very beneficial at times as it makes way for many innovative ideas as more people get involved.
Moreover, studies and research have shown that teams who feel trusted and are given authority to perform tasks the way they want to are 40% more productive than those who lack trust.
Be Empathetic
Leaders need to keep track of how workers feel about their work and work-life balance. Remote employees might feel that they have to put in extra effort and work harder because of not being physically present. At the same time, those physically present might feel that they have to contribute more as they are right in front of the leaders. Hence managers should make sure they are empathetic with each team member regardless of where they are located.
Encourage Team Building
No matter how different people are, managers need to make sure that team members understand the spirit of working in teams. This can help solve difficult problems with ease. Team working will bring up creative ways of doing things, and members will be able to find the solutions that work best. Moreover, teamwork makes learning from others possible and easier, hence increasing productivity. There are trivia question ideas you can use for virtual team building activities.
Improve Listening Skills
Managers and leaders of a team should take input from their employees and should implement it. They are required to listen to what the employees have to say regarding a specific task or job to learn from their mistakes. Feedback from employees can be very beneficial and teams can overcome major challenges by implementing it.
Conclusion
Ever since the pandemic took over our lives, we have switched to a hybrid system, either for studies or for work. Hybrid teams are here to stay, and leaders and managers must manage, engage, and build a positive culture regardless of the team members.
