Managing operations internationally was once about creating subsidiaries in various countries, organising work in different time zones, and dealing with cultural differences firsthand. Companies can now operate virtually in international markets, allowing flexible work and access to the best talent.
The work-from-home revolution is “one of the major shifts in the U.S. labour market in the last couple decades,” said Nick Bunker, economic research director for North America at job site Indeed. But this modern approach is not without its difficulties. Working with a team across different continents requires a new way of working, excellent leadership, and thinking outside the box.
Fear not! Whether you’re already leading a global team or starting right now, here are seven tips to help you sustain and grow your business, whatever your people and market location.
Table of Contents
Establish a Clear and Unified Vision
The global workforce is hugely diverse, and as a manager, you encounter a lot of challenges when you have to bring all team members under a single cause or goal. However, the key to organisational development is to guarantee that all employees are on the same direction and page as the organisation.
A set mission gives orientation to people, and a vision makes employees understand they are not just working for the company but towards a bigger picture. When individuals understand how their roles fit into the broader organisational mission, there is an enhanced sense of responsibility and focus, meaning they do not abandon their positions quickly.
It’s advisable to remind the employees about the vision and mission frequently and in as many ways as possible to ensure everyone in the team understands. This could be done through newsletters, virtual staff meetings, or having a goal progress indicators board for constant reference.
Repetition of the vision and supporting visuals in every communication channel constantly remind employees that the vision remains the focus of their work. Communication should be regular and unambiguous, with non-verbal cues eliminated, especially when team members are from different cultures or locations.
Another potential problem of people alignment in a global team when defining a shared vision is cultural diversity. Culture may influence the means and ways of relating to others, communication choices, and how they perceive certain things at the workplace. However, one must be able to translate this cultural sensitivity to the message conveyed by the vision statement while still holding onto the paramount aim and purpose.
Having discussions during group meetings where all the employees are present or soliciting their opinions from time to time is helpful, as it guarantees that the vision is not only communicated but also implemented and accepted. This creates a feeling of ‘belonging’, allowing employees to buy into organisational goals and objectives, thus boosting teamwork and group achievement morale.
Leverage Technology to Bridge the Gap
Technology is the pillar of any efficient remote business. Proper tools can go a long way to ensuring that teamwork happens without a hitch, regardless of the distance apart. Instant messaging services such as Slack and Microsoft Teams ensure the constant sharing of information in the company. Apps like Zoom are ideal for face-to-face meetings and improving interpersonal relations.
Tools such as Trello or Asana help increase productivity and track the progress of specific tasks so that everyone is aware of their progress. Productivity tools also serve the purpose of keeping track of work performance without having to micromanage tasks. They enable you to monitor work progress while the employees are free to organically address tasks at hand, offering suggestions on improvement where necessary.
However, reliance on technology can also overwhelm employees, especially when working on multiple interfaces. That is why it is critical to simplify the tech stack and choose the tools that can not only work efficiently in terms of integration, but which also work in all markets.
Knowing your options is essential if you need financial assistance to purchase a specific tool or resource for your business. For instance, an online loan can be beneficial to your goals but how do you know which one to get? Understanding this can help you determine how repayments will impact your finances, ensuring you’re well-prepared, just as choosing the right tools ensures the smooth operation of a remote business.
Having clear systems in place, means that your remote employees can work responsibly without your constant inputs.
Embrace a Global Perspective
You can leverage talents from multiple locations and explore new business markets with an international position. It’s an opportunity to employ people from your locality and the rest of the world. Having employees from different parts of the world benefits your business because you work with people from different backgrounds who bring fresh ideas.
Employing talent from other countries can also have financial perks. It means that talent in some areas may cost far less than talent in others, yet they still provide similar levels of efficiency. This can be advantageous to your business, since hiring from different time zones allows you to respond to customers from across the globe constantly.
Besides, a diverse team from different locations can give a new outlook on different markets, which might be helpful when deciding on expansion matters, as well as enriching your company culture.
Nonetheless, challenges exist in the area of culture and time difference. Implement a flexible working schedule with the employees. This way, they can work at their optimum time but must meet their managers during the week or on working days. One must find ways to prevent problems, and fostering acceptance of cultural differences within the team may prove challenging as methods of dealing with criticism and feedback vary across the globe.
Foster a Culture of Accountability
Remote settings also make it difficult to constantly supervise employees the same way as it can be done in a conventional workplace. That makes it imperative to adopt a culture of accountability.
The employees ought to be in a position to know what is expected of them and to know that their actions will lead to the success of the business. Communicating effectively about expected performance and achievements is crucial when managing, directing, and coaching employees.
Instead of setting up rigid expectations of work time and stamina, ensure that more focus is placed on the results and achievements. Responsible people should be allowed to control their time, and their plans must be well understood. This lies in flexibility due to working from home because employees who make their schedules tend to have better results. This way they can plan their work based on their commitments and experience more satisfaction in the workplace.
The drawback of this approach is keeping people on their toes, making them want to stay productive without constant monitoring. Effective accountability could be achieved through daily, weekly, or monthly meetings, setting measurable targets, and establishing an appropriate communication network. Teach people in teams to be open about goals and achievements so that they understand what is required from them and how well they or the team is doing to meet those requirements.
Be aware that not every nation has the same attitude generally to deadlines and keeping time, so you need to establish what are the standards within your company, which each employee has to abide by.
Empower Independent Decision-Making
Micromanaging doesn’t work in a remote environment, not to mention if your team members are in different time zones. Workers require self-organisation where they do not have to seek permission to do something when it is necessary to do so. Autonomous decision-making is not only time-efficient but also helps your team to be more responsible for their tasks.
When the guidelines are established, and the employees are allowed to trust in themselves, they are more confident in tackling issues personally. Establishing a culture of trust requires you to provide your employees with the freedom and leeway necessary to take chances and learn from them. This results in a decentralised organisation that can respond to the changing environment faster without asking management for permission to act.
To support this:
- Ensure you equip them with the necessary tools and adequate training.
- Provide guidelines on how much independence is encouraged and where the manager needs to be involved.
- Ensure that the workers can seek help if necessary, but they should also be capable of making the right decision.
However, with independent decision-making, employees risk making decisions that may not align with the company’s goals. Therefore, ensuring that the company’s values and missions are conveyed is essential so that decisions remain aligned with the objectives.
Having clear systems in place supports remote team members not only in the day to day execution of their tasks, but also in their frameworks of decision making. If it’s clear when a line manager has to be consulted then it’s easier for the remote employee to manage their work.
Prioritise Expertise Over Junior Talent
With fully remote teams, organisations often aim to hire junior workers as the less expensive strategy, which may be ineffective. In many cases, those junior staff require more direction, practice and monitoring, which becomes a challenge if the managers are distant.
While recruiting and selecting inexperienced workers, there is an unfixed likelihood that they will have to depend on other employees to accomplish their tasks, thus creating a wiry web of dependence in the organisation.
Talented workers have industry knowledge and skills required to address challenges, hence not requiring much training. It can be beneficial when working with people located in other countries, and one has no opportunity to be a direct mentor for them. Professional staff can work independently and make their own decisions, which consequently eliminates the need for supervision by management.
The only disadvantage of experienced talents is that they may appear expensive; however, such an investment yields good returns in the long run. The time saved on training levels and the outcome quality often offset the expense. Also, the employees’ experience level is higher, which means they adapt well to the company, enabling projects to go on without much interruption.
The principal setbacks are experience and cost. Sometimes, it is much cheaper to hire inexperienced employees; however, experienced managers should implement many projects and new initiatives with minimal control from the company’s top management.
Prioritise Transparent and Effective Communication
Business communications are the lifeline of any remote business enterprise. If there are no efficient communication lines, problems occur, such as misunderstandings and ineffectiveness, which may even lead to frustration. There is nothing like mixed signals, especially concerning organisational communication and management; therefore, keeping everyone on the same page is essential.
Employees must comprehend how work is to be done, their responsibilities, and their expectations. This requires periodic communication from the leadership and feedback channels. Having as many communication channels as possible, be it by email, chat, or video call, guarantees that every team employee can share their ideas freely.
Daily and weekly team meetings are also needed to report to the employees, discuss existing and new projects, and deliberate collectively about them. These meetings can help managers know how their subordinates are faring and also assist the employees in feeling directed to the overall organisational objectives.
Meetings are essential and should be held occasionally but should not be time-consuming. During these sessions, ensure a free and open conversation where every team member can contribute their thoughts and ask questions. These are some of the reasons why it matters that employees are given a chance to present their ideas and be heard; this makes them remain focused and become more productive in the organisation.
Another essential factor to consider is not restricting communications to the official setting only. There needs to be a focus on the social or ‘soft’ elements of relationships required to reduce employees’ feelings of isolation. Quizzes, office humour, or even virtual water cooler conversations or video calls allow members to share personal time, mimicking office small talk. Such interactions ensure familiarisation, group cohesion, and reduced detachment that might be attributed to remote working.
Excellent communication doesn’t just happen naturally. It is a product of process, skill, climate, relationship and hard work.
Pat McMillan, author, CEO
Furthermore, clear communication increases confidence among employees working in different branches. When leaders provide information about company performance, issues and business strategies, the employees have higher chances of being faithful to their positions.
Transparency means that all the team members know the company’s path and can understand how their work impacts this path. Similarly, promoting an active feedback mechanism whereby workers can express their concerns, opinions or difficulties with their employers without necessarily risking their jobs enhances the development of a healthy organisational culture.
Conclusion
Running a fully remote international business has its fair share of unique challenges, such as across-time-zone meetings and other organisational issues. Still, if the proper course of action and decisions are made, setting up a flourishing international business is quite attainable and very beneficial. Instead of considering these challenges as obstacles, they should be viewed as opportunities.
These ideas help handle remote work challenges and shape a robust and productive organisation fit for today’s dynamic society. The important thing is not to get rigid, constantly adapt the technique, and always be willing to learn.
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