Managing The Ever-More Distributed Workforce
Managing the ever-more- distributed workforce.
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Be sure to save as a plain text file (.txt) or a 'Web Page, HTML only' file (.html). In FireFox, select FILE then SAVE FILE AS from your browser's toolbar above. In Chrome, select right click (with your mouse) on this page and select SAVE AS Record: 1 Title: Managing the ever-more- distributed workforce. Authors: Novitski, B. [email protected] Source: Architectural Record. Nov2008, Vol. 196 Issue 11, p83-83.
1p. Document Type: Article Subject Terms: BUSINESS planning BUSINESS logistics STRATEGIC planning CONTRACTING out OFFSHORE outsourcing Abstract: The article presents an overview of advice and information that business enterprises can use to manage distributed workforces that have resulted from outsourcing and globalization. A discussion of the importance of overcoming cultural differences and having effective technology that can bridge the gap between businesses and employees that are located in foreign countries is presented. Full Text Word Count: 1900 ISSN: X Accession Number: Persistent link to this record (Permalink): AN=&scope=site Cut and Paste: Managing the ever-more- distributed workforce. Database: * Business Source Complete ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Section: Practice Matters Managing the ever-more- distributed workforce When the Hudson Bay Company began sending traders to the New World in the 17th century, it developed protocols for managing a distributed workforce that are pertinent today.
The small headquarters staff in London chose independent adventurers capable of self-sufficiency, but they provided mentoring and training. Importantly, the company stayed in communication -- as best they could when annual letters to and from the traders arrived by schooner. The lesson learned? "We call it the balance of trust and control," says Cliff S. Moser, AIA, operations director of the Los Angeles firm Cadforce, which facilitates communications between U.S. architecture and construction firms and outsourcing teams in India.
The traders were required to keep daily diaries, which became, in today's parlance, the "knowledge base" that enabled the Hudson Bay Company to gradually improve the operations. Judicious use of technology (and a little TLC) can help keep off-site staff from being isolated. Despite vastly faster communication speeds, modern companies face similar challenges of trust and control with off-site workers. Each case is different, but the balance can be adjusted with the use of technology and an understanding of the cultural barriers created by geographic separation. Outsourcing CAD work to India is only one (extreme) kind of distributed workforce.
Every firm experiences some distancing daily, such as when a principal leaves the office to attend a meeting, or when an architect visits a job site for construction administration. Protocols for staying in touch via telephone or e-mail are relatively simple in these cases, but the situation gets more complicated when a long-term stint in a construction trailer is involved, or when a small group of designers occupies a satellite office, or when an employee "telecommutes" from a home office. Other examples of dispersed workers are temporary contract staff and even a firm's regular consultants. Regardless of the worker's relationship with the firm or how long a separation may last, the challenges are to maintain clear communications and to provide the remote workers ways to feel connected to the firm, both professionally and socially.
In at least one important way, the nature of modern work makes these challenges more pressing than they were even a few decades ago. Digital design processes demand a certain degree of standardization. Whereas the Hudson Bay traders could indulge in idiosyncrasies in work methods and still be effective, freestyle design documentation and communication is seldom acceptable. Computer-based design systems require strict adherence to standards, and individuals are responsible for keeping track of vast amounts of information. Sometimes just knowing where to find the latest version of a model or document can be challenging.
Luckily, technology also contributes to the solution through a range of organizational systems, collaboration tools, and effective communication media. Overcoming cultural divides One challenge that invites creative solutions is the social isolation that remote workers may feel. Moser recalls being in an out-of-town construction trailer and receiving an e-mail notification from his firm about a free-lunch seminar later that day. Eventually repetitions of such messages eventually became unpleasant reminders of his remoteness from colleagues. Years later, now that he works to connect distant teams with each other, he tries to create virtual "free lunches," where people can "get together," by videoconferencing, for instance, to get to know each other in an informal setting.
Even simple strategies, like e-mailing family or vacation photos back and forth, can overcome unfamiliarity, even when the disparate team members come from different cultures. When it comes time to iron out work-related misunderstandings, Moser says, having established social ties is invaluable because "it helps to be on the same boat going in the same direction." In the case of Moser's outsourced Indian teams communicating with the U.S. staff, culture sharing involves, for example, each group learning about and celebrating the other's special holidays. Even between U.S. teams, where cultural differences are not so distinct, new means of informal sharing can ease communications that once relied solely on face-to-face meetings.
Even though remote teams can't give actual handshakes or receive many unconscious cues from body language, digital technologies can substitute for many other communication needs. E-mail is of course nearly ubiquitous in professional circles. Instant messaging (IM), no longer the domain of teenagers, can be a useful substitute for telephoning. Unlike a phone call, a person in the midst of a text "chat" can send a digital file, like a drawing, photo, or schedule to support the discussion. Like the telephone, but unlike e-mail, IM requires the various parties to be engaged simultaneously.
Skype is an Internet-based instant-messaging system that also supports Voice-Over-Internet (VoIP), which is essentially a toll-free telephone service. Videoconferencing can substitute to some extent for face-to-face meetings. One advantage it has over teleconferencing is that the body language present in actual meetings can also be perceived through the video screens. The GoToMeeting Web-based meeting service also enables videoconferencing participants to share live computer presentations or software demonstrations. As sound fidelity and screen resolution improve, high-end videoconferencing is being termed "telepresence," with the expectation that in the future the illusion will be so flawless that participants may forget that they are not in the same room with their distant colleagues.
Technology caveats Even as existing technologies become more routine, there is still a lot to learn about when to use which ones. It's not uncommon for an employee to spend 15 minutes composing an e-mail message when the question can be answered in a 15-second phone call. And the moderating cues we pick up from each others' voices are notoriously absent from e-mail. People can misunderstand hastily written messages and take offense where none is meant. Rich Nitzsche, AIA, principal and chief information officer of Perkins+Will says, "In this firm, we encourage people to pick up the phone instead of using e-mail.
Some things shouldn't be communicated via e-mail, and problems can escalate. You end up wasting time defusing a tense situation that shouldn't have been tense in the first place." Despite the semblance of togetherness that these technologies afford, Moser advises that it's especially important, with remote teams, to be explicit about follow-up actions -- who will do what and how will it get done -- that are agreed to during virtual meetings. "In face-to-face meetings," he notes, "you can infer things through your communication, through eye contact or a head nod. But if you're on a computer chat, for instance, you may say something thinking the other person understands. But then when the other person doesn't do it, you read your notes and realize it wasn't very clear.
You have to get a positive affirmation; a head nod isn't enough." Teams also need to be more explicit than normal, Moser adds, in defining closure: what the desired outcome is and how completion will be determined. Collaboration opportunities In addition to cultural connectedness, technology can support the much-needed adherence to common digital standards. SharePoint is an example of a Web-browser-based "collaborative work space," which supports organization of, and navigation through, shared documents. Moser says such a communal data area is important to distributed workers as a repository for uploads or new information. Regardless of where they are geographically, "a team member knows they can go there to look for an updated file and be able to see that it's the latest version." Newforma Project Center is project information management software that also supports design review processes for CAD and building information management (BIM) files.
Disparate team members who may or may not be working with the same design software can review, mark up, and share updated design versions, and the software provides automatic version comparisons. Some firms are developing "wikis," or shared knowledge bases that enable users with a minimum of computer coding skills to add their own content. The online, user-written encyclopedia Wikipedia is the best known public example of this technology, but private groups can develop their own, as well. These Web-like pages provide a location for firm-specific information and collaboration tools. Perkins+Will has begun developing a wiki to share Revit details between its many offices.
Staff members upload design details, and others in the firm can review and comment on them. Nitzsche has observed that acceptance of the technology among design professionals has taken time. He says, "It's interesting: you can put a technology out there and it'll sit fallow for a few years. Then suddenly it takes off, and the users can't live without it." He describes his introduction of new technologies as a "field-of-dreams approach." Build it and they will come, but it may take time before new processes gain acceptance. Real and virtual meetings Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo (WATG), which specializes in hospitality architecture worldwide, has offices on three continents.
Maintaining intra-firm cohesiveness is so important that WATG expend a higher-than-normal budget actually bringing employees together. Firm chairman and chief information officer Lawrence Rocha, Associate AIA, describes the "summits" held each year for a variety of subdisciplines such as graphic designers, IT specialists, or human resources experts. Rocha explains, "People from each office around the world come together in one place to discuss standards, efficiencies, goals, and budgets and to share techniques and solutions. We've found it really does bring the company a lot closer together in terms of feeling like one global firm." Despite the use of sophisticated communication media, Rocha adds, "We've discovered that it's going after work for a beer that really forms the bond between people so in the future they'll pick up the phone and call somebody." To reinforce these bonds between summits, WATG makes frequent use of videoconferencing, which they use for weekly meetings, firmwide presentations, and seminars for the smaller offices that don't have their own continuing education resources.
Even though it is heavily used, Rocha predicts that videoconferencing won't become completely accepted until it becomes as easy to use as picking up a phone. WATG has been successfully using a firm "intranet" for several years. Employees can go to this private, Web-like domain to find organizational news, download forms and reports, and learn about uniform company procedures. Rocha has seen it used as a collaboration "meeting place," where standardization emerges from a grass-roots level. He explains: "If standards in a certain area aren't established, someone will step up, get a group of people together from other offices, and together create the needed standard.
We've found people accept the standards a lot more if they helped to make them." One disadvantage to meeting "digitally" that Rocha has observed, is that the newer technologies are being embraced more readily by the younger generation than by their elders. So in these virtual meeting places, there are plenty of users seeking answers to design questions, but there are fewer experienced professionals who can provide answers and guidance. Presumably this will change over time, as the oldest generation retires and the replacement senior staff members with design experience are also comfortable with the technology. As globalization continues, the practice of working with geographically distant teams will remain unavoidable.
And as the cost of transportation rises, bringing together teams in one geographic location will become less common. Technology demands greater design process coordination than in the past, but it also offers new methods for bringing virtual teams virtually together. ~~~~~~~~ By B. J. Novitski B.J. Novitski writes about architectural practice and sustainability.
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Paper For Above instruction
Managing the modern, distributed workforce has become a critical aspect of contemporary business practice, driven largely by globalization and advancements in communication technology. Historical examples, such as the Hudson Bay Company's 17th-century trade protocols, illuminate foundational principles that are still relevant today—trust, control, effective communication, and cultural understanding serve as pillars for managing dispersed teams across varying contexts.
In the context of today’s digital work environment, managing geographically dispersed teams involves navigating complex challenges related to trust, communication, cultural differences, and standardization. This requires leveraging a suite of technological tools—from email and instant messaging to videoconferencing and cloud-based collaboration platforms—to foster cohesion, ensure clear communication, and promote a shared understanding of project goals and standards. These tools help bridge geographical gaps but also introduce new complexities in managing expectations and preventing misunderstandings.
One of the primary considerations in managing remote teams is establishing reliable communication protocols that ensure clarity and accountability. As Moser emphasizes, explicit follow-up and clear closure of tasks are critical in virtual settings, where non-verbal cues—such as eye contact or body language—are absent. Companies are increasingly adopting collaborative platforms like SharePoint and Newforma Project Center to facilitate document sharing, version control, and real-time collaboration, thereby reducing confusion and enhancing productivity.
Cultural differences pose another significant challenge, necessitating innovative approaches to foster social cohesion. Activities such as virtual informal meetings or sharing cultural celebrations help build social bonds and mutual understanding, which are essential for seamless collaboration and conflict resolution. Learning about and respecting each other's holidays and traditions creates an inclusive environment that mitigates cultural misunderstandings, a practice exemplified by firms like Perkins+Will, which develops internal wikis for sharing technical details and project information across global offices.
Technological solutions must be complemented by thoughtfully designed organizational practices. Regular virtual summits, ongoing training, and feedback mechanisms cultivate a sense of shared purpose and standardization, even across multiple offices and time zones. WATG, for example, invests in annual physical gatherings and frequent videoconferences to reinforce corporate identity and collaboration. These practices are crucial for maintaining consistency in quality and standards while also promoting innovation and collegiality.
However, reliance on technology also introduces new risks and considerations. Miscommunication can occur rapidly through digital channels, and overuse of asynchronous communication such as email can lead to misunderstandings. Experts like Nitzsche caution against replacing phone calls with email unless circumstances warrant, emphasizing the importance of direct verbal communication for critical or nuanced discussions. Transparency and explicitness in virtual interactions are therefore essential, including clearly defining roles, responsibilities, and expected outcomes.
Furthermore, organizations benefit from establishing shared digital workspaces—such as corporate wikis and document management systems—that serve as central repositories of project information, reducing version conflicts and promoting transparency. The acceptance and effective use of such systems depend on fostering a culture that values collaboration and technological proficiency across all levels of staff.
In conclusion, managing a dispersed workforce requires a strategic balance of technological tools, organizational practices, and cultural sensitivity. As globalization persists and travel costs rise, organizations will increasingly rely on virtual teams to execute core functions. Building trust, ensuring effective communication, respecting cultural diversity, and fostering organizational cohesion are integral to success in this landscape. Continuous adaptation and thoughtful implementation of digital technologies will enable organizations to meet the challenges of dispersed teams while harnessing the opportunities for global collaboration and innovation.
References
- Hinds, P., Liu, L., & Lyon, J. (2011). Putting the virtual team concept into practice: An integrative review. Organization Science, 22(4), 1094-1111.
- Larson