Team culture is defined as a team’s shared values, behaviours, and beliefs, but what does that mean, and why is it important? Every organisation has its own unique culture, and it’s integral to how they accomplish objectives and get things done as a collective. Its how people work together to achieve a common goal, as well as how they interact with each other.
Creating a strong team culture is important because it has an effect on factors that can be difficult to quantify but ultimately contribute to the success of the organisation. These include employee attitude, morale, and satisfaction. However, because team culture is mainly formed and fostered through shared interpersonal experiences, it can be challenging to nurture for decentralised organisations where most if not all employees do their work remotely. Here’s how to overcome that challenge:
Hire the Right People
When hiring people for remote work, you’ll want to be sure that they don’t only fulfil the necessary qualifications. You’ll want self-starters that can work independently and require little supervision.
To attract the right people, be clear about your organisation’s expectations and policies for remote work. Are the hours flexible? Are there guidelines that should be followed about how attendance is logged? Be upfront about these specifics so that applicants know what they’re signing up for from the start.
Communicate!
Effective and open communication is critical to the success of any organisation, but doubly so if its employees are working remotely.
Without effective communication, workers may not be able to understand each other in a meaningful way. Directives, goals, and objectives from management may be misconstrued. Lack of communication also leads to employees feeling isolated and disconnected, not just from each other but from the organisation itself.
Creating a collaborative atmosphere of trust and mutual respect is key, even if—or perhaps especially if—workers do not see each other on a regular basis. It’ll have to start from the top. Leaders and authority figures such as supervisors and managers should be transparent and forthcoming. Tasks and objectives should be outlined as clearly as possible to minimise misunderstandings. Employees should feel that they can speak up without fear of backlash or repercussions. Critique and feedback should be constructive and considerately delivered. Improving the team’s skills by joining training programs can help remote teams communicate and collaborate more effectively.
Use Technology Meaningfully
More and more companies have begun to adopt remote working strategies, especially now, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Technology continues to adapt and innovate to changing business needs, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t make use of every tech tool at your disposal to manage your remote team.
Most companies make use of email to communicate, but it may not be the most efficient mode of communication between colleagues. Instant messaging programs can help when relaying shorter or more urgent messages. Video conferencing apps can be used to check in on employees, hold team meetings, and conduct webinars. Online calendars can keep everyone on the same page schedule-wise. There are also various software programs available that can increase productivity, simplify scheduling, and streamline your organisation’s workflow.
Welcome and Introduce New Employees to the Team
Doing work remotely can sometimes feel like a lonely occupation. To encourage that “team sense” and help a new employee feel like he’s part of something, managers should facilitate introductions between new team members and existing ones. This is a practice that is done even in non-remote settings, and its effects can be dramatic.
Allowing the new hire to learn about the team culture directly from team members themselves gives them a deeper understanding of how things work. This also creates lasting bonds between colleagues and further heightens that sense of comfort and psychological safety that is so crucial to work communications.
Schedule Team Retreats
It’s completely possible to work without ever seeing or even meeting your team members. However, having the opportunity to get to know one’s colleagues outside of the work setting can create a deeper layer of interaction between employees that simply can’t be replicated, even with the most advanced connectivity tools.
Team retreats are a great way to get your people familiar with each other and unwind at the same time. Pick a great location and leave the tasks at the office. Do team-building activities and let employees mingle freely.
Building a strong team culture is an endeavour that will require a lot of time, effort, and cooperation. Make sure that you’re staying on the right track by keeping employees engaged and collecting feedback regularly. Use their critique to make adjustments and improvements to your plan. It should also help identify pain points so that you can address them more effectively. Before long, you should see your hard work bear fruit!