It’s been nearly five years since the pandemic ignited the shift to remote work, and achieving team cohesion remains a prevalent challenge for leaders.
Why is it so hard to get it right? Well, let’s be fair to ourselves; in the grand scheme of things, five years is not a lot of time to fully adjust to such monumental, global change. So, if you’re one of many leaders struggling with digital collaboration, don’t beat yourself up.
Here, I’ll offer guidance for bringing teams together by leveraging digital communication tools to achieve smoother collaboration, clearer communication, and better cohesion.
Acknowledging the Challenge (and the opportunity)
Today’s leaders face the unique challenge of fostering team cohesion in the era of remote work. Even though the core principles of leadership remain intact, we cannot ignore the drastic changes remote work presents. But rather than coming up with a whole new skill set for the new age of work, leaders can take the skills they already possess and apply them to the new way of collaboration.
Adaptability, for example, was already a valuable skill before remote work became the norm; leaders can apply this skill to adapt to remote work and all other inevitable changes the state of work continues to face, whether due to emerging technologies or evolving employee priorities. While it can be difficult to adapt to change, such a challenge offers opportunity to strengthen not only your leadership skills but your team’s collaboration.
Choose the Right Tools for Each Communication Need
Digital tools are meant to make our lives easier, but with what feels like dozens of new “cutting-edge” applications popping up every week, the selection process can feel overwhelming.
Resist the urge to subscribe to them all. Rather, take the time to identify your team’s specific digital collaboration needs, and then research your options from there.
Here are some tools I’ve seen work well for remote teams:
- For instant messaging: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Chat
- For video conferencing: Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet
- For project management: Asana, Trello, Monday
- For document sharing: Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive
- For email correspondence: Gmail, Microsoft Outlook
Tip: If you haven’t selected your team’s collaboration tools yet, consider asking team members what has worked best for them in the past. Not only will this give you direction, but it will also show your team members that you value their input.
Lay Out Clear Communication Guidelines
Setting clear expectations is vital for smooth communication. This is especially important for remote teams, as physical distance creates more room for misunderstandings. Get ahead of complications by exploring areas where miscommunication can arise.
In my experience, here are some scenarios where communication guidelines can help:
- Outlining the purpose of each communication channel—i.e., determining and documenting which tools are for quick questions and casual chat and which are for sharing detailed project notes.
- Keeping meetings consistent—i.e., holding meetings focused on the same purpose at the same time each week to establish a routine.
- Establishing communication boundaries—i.e., explicitly stating whether reaching out via phone is appropriate, and if so, during what time window.
- Ensuring accessibility—i.e., choosing video meeting platforms with automated captioning.
As you put communication guidelines in place, remember that it may take time for them to become second nature, which makes it crucial for leaders to consistently re-communicate guidelines with patience.
Leverage Virtual Team Building Activities
Seeing the same people each day allows a rapport to build naturally (think chats by the water cooler) but remote work offers little to no built-in time for team members to connect on a casual basis. This poses a challenge for leaders who want their teams to be bonded, but don’t have the time or resources to organize virtual or in-person off-site activities.
Digital communication tools like Slack can be an effective replacement for the water cooler, as they create an environment for quick, casual communication, where GIFs and emojis serve the same function as exchanging jokes in the breakroom.
Leaders can also use synchronous team-building activities to foster team cohesion. There are plenty of organized activities for this exact purpose, like get-to-know-you quizzes, virtual pictionary, or online escape rooms. If games aren’t your thing, you can still bring your team closer together by holding check-ins at the start of team meetings, making sure you ask questions that invite more substance than just “How is everyone?”
Conclusion
As with all decisions and activities that involve your team, make sure to ask for feedback. You don’t want to assume all your team cohesion initiatives are working for everyone, as we all have different needs when it comes to work. By staying open and flexible, you can better serve each team member and therefore motivate them to do their best work.
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