Email sent ! Meeting accepted ! hello, yea please share your screen !! A typical conversation between two people in the same office, in the same building two floors away from each other.
ANNOUNCEMENT : CEO on video conferencing from head office.. tune in ! And probably you are just sitting two rooms away from the CEO and see him 3 days in a month walk in and out of his room...
My point is, even if your colleague is one cubicle away or 2000 miles away, ALL teams are virtual. In a profession nothing is verbal. Non-verbal, un-written communications are forgotten and usually irrelevant. Every data required to work is available online via file sharing. Almost each one of us are working remotely in some capacity. This gives rise to the concept of being 'Location Independent' specifically for creative careers.
This shift towards becoming 'Location Independent' rather than being 'Location Dependent' has helped companies tap talent resource from all over the world. Is it really a cake walk to work in a virtual team spread all over the globe ? What are the basic skills to work in a virtual team ?
ACCOUNTABILITY is the key to success. This is the biggest challenge the team lead has when working with remote workers. It's a normal feeling for your manager to imagine you are chatting, eating, watching TV on the company dime. To build a trust, establish a regular way to communicate. Be responsive. Convey each days work, however negligible. Establish a pattern to be at your desk. Your desk should be your own personal space with absolutely NO intrusions when you are working. This leads me to the next very essential rule to stick to.
PRIVACY : When working remotely, it is very easy to slip to a relaxed pace of working. Don't take the slippery road. Stick to a discipline. Make your family members, friends, neighbors understand that working from home does not necessarily make you available for them always at any time of the day, specially during your working hours. Only when you maintain your privacy others will respect your private space. This will also ensure focus on your work increasing productivity.
With these two most important areas to adhere to, you are ready to conquer the world with your technical skills and knowledge by working on your communication skills.
COMMUNICATION: " Writing is today’s currency for good ideas.” When working remotely the biggest disadvantage is you are working blind. Faceless interaction can lead to misinterpretation.The lack of visualization and contact has to be balanced with very clear, continuous and effective mode of communication. Learn to write out your thoughts. Key to this is to know your work. Virtual teams require a good infrastructure to overcome the lack of personal interaction. During my experience of making Realm Of Empires extensive use of chats, screen sharing, video-conferencing , audio-conferencing in addition to one‐on‐one conversations and email has been constantly maintained by the CEO
And finally there is this last bump to cross. Adjusting to each others time zone. Well, it is difficult to bend your complete life style accordingly but if you look at the benefits of having flexible hours to maintain work / life balance it would not come in your way.
In my experience, to be part of an international team is very exciting. You get to know the various management techniques in different cultures,have a pool of diverse ideas, broader experience and exposure thereby maximizing your output.
We are looking for interns for positions in marketing, business & creative writers, illustrators and programmers. Join the fun!
ANNOUNCEMENT : CEO on video conferencing from head office.. tune in ! And probably you are just sitting two rooms away from the CEO and see him 3 days in a month walk in and out of his room...
My point is, even if your colleague is one cubicle away or 2000 miles away, ALL teams are virtual. In a profession nothing is verbal. Non-verbal, un-written communications are forgotten and usually irrelevant. Every data required to work is available online via file sharing. Almost each one of us are working remotely in some capacity. This gives rise to the concept of being 'Location Independent' specifically for creative careers.
This shift towards becoming 'Location Independent' rather than being 'Location Dependent' has helped companies tap talent resource from all over the world. Is it really a cake walk to work in a virtual team spread all over the globe ? What are the basic skills to work in a virtual team ?
ACCOUNTABILITY is the key to success. This is the biggest challenge the team lead has when working with remote workers. It's a normal feeling for your manager to imagine you are chatting, eating, watching TV on the company dime. To build a trust, establish a regular way to communicate. Be responsive. Convey each days work, however negligible. Establish a pattern to be at your desk. Your desk should be your own personal space with absolutely NO intrusions when you are working. This leads me to the next very essential rule to stick to.
PRIVACY : When working remotely, it is very easy to slip to a relaxed pace of working. Don't take the slippery road. Stick to a discipline. Make your family members, friends, neighbors understand that working from home does not necessarily make you available for them always at any time of the day, specially during your working hours. Only when you maintain your privacy others will respect your private space. This will also ensure focus on your work increasing productivity.
With these two most important areas to adhere to, you are ready to conquer the world with your technical skills and knowledge by working on your communication skills.
COMMUNICATION: " Writing is today’s currency for good ideas.” When working remotely the biggest disadvantage is you are working blind. Faceless interaction can lead to misinterpretation.The lack of visualization and contact has to be balanced with very clear, continuous and effective mode of communication. Learn to write out your thoughts. Key to this is to know your work. Virtual teams require a good infrastructure to overcome the lack of personal interaction. During my experience of making Realm Of Empires extensive use of chats, screen sharing, video-conferencing , audio-conferencing in addition to one‐on‐one conversations and email has been constantly maintained by the CEO
And finally there is this last bump to cross. Adjusting to each others time zone. Well, it is difficult to bend your complete life style accordingly but if you look at the benefits of having flexible hours to maintain work / life balance it would not come in your way.
In my experience, to be part of an international team is very exciting. You get to know the various management techniques in different cultures,have a pool of diverse ideas, broader experience and exposure thereby maximizing your output.
We are looking for interns for positions in marketing, business & creative writers, illustrators and programmers. Join the fun!
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