NewYork2008:Challenges of remote collaboration

Challenges of remote collaboration:

• Timezone
• Lack of casual conversations
• No face-to-face leads to lack of "getting to *know* people"
• Language barriers
• Travel for requisite f2f meetings can be troublesome
• Communications are made slow and difficult which CAN lead to slower decision making
• Management (productivity, "nagging," checking up on staff)
• Tools and styles of remote collab can lead to overwhelming amounts of info and tool burnout

Group communication tools (chat, audio, etc.) <-- success dependent on organizational culture, etc.

Specific problems with video - uncomfortable.

Related to culture, differences in gender, differences in position, can cause problems with online conversation... is this a reflection of problems that happen offline as well or unique to online?

Communications-styles are really the driving force here...

Management issues: personality, motivation, preferred communication styles, productivity/task, collaboration requirements

Offline/remote situation has SOME challenges, but most of them seem to be *management* issues that are exacerbated by the remote situation

• "TRUST" is a very big part of successful remote work/collaboration. Know people already or have a good reference/"vetting" process through trusted links to build trust.

Is it "better" to go face-to-face? (ref.: SCRUM development {everyone on site in one room working together day in and day out})

--Multiple offices within one company -- does that cause different organizational dynamic between offices, hierarchy, cultures of each office. are they unified, "confederated," or super different?

Good way to keep informed: end of day call or meeting, or morning "scrum" where everyone talks about "what i've done, what i'm doing, what i'm going to do, how am I?, what are my problems/challenges right now?" --- also, immediate personal goals (intra-personal, personal productivity, etc.) and immediate project goals (accomplish Task X, Y)

Some things are appropriate for online communication, but other things aren't (some HR stuff, whether to put negative information in writing, actionable/discoverable/CYA info, privacy things, some gossip/chat)

Bad News Won't Travel Up -- news gets filtered "more positive" as it rises up the hierarchy... so management needs its own sources of information to find out bad things...

360 reviews - constructive criticism and positive feedback going both ways

• • If you CAN, then you should f2f as much as possible, especially at beginning
  • Impasses -- negative blocks -- can be resolved easier f2f
  • Strategic and vision related discussions should be f2f
  • Easier to avoid negative convos when online; but you still have to have those sometime

• • Strive to replicate the BENEFITS of f2f in an online mode
  • Intentionality - you must strive to overcome challenges
  • Tools: group chat, video, conference calls
  • Some tasks should be f2f, some should be online