Working on a global team can pose a number of logistical and cultural challenges, but the biggest obstacle is often intimacy – or lack thereof. So, how do you connect and engage global teams? Here are some tips.
Create a shared space
For communication to be effective, everyone needs to feel they have access to the same facts wherever they are. An easily accessible shared space, like a dedicated Workplace by Facebook group, can help join everyone together and keep them on the same page. In this way, updates and information come from within the team not just from the top-down. And that creates a better sense of interconnectivity between members.
Recognise that we don’t all work in the same way
Savvy multinational organisations recognise that each country does business differently and employees from different cultures work differently. Having said that, it is possible for employees to come together and share common corporate values and recognise common organisational cultural characteristics. There just might be the need for local fine tuning.
Make meetings virtual
Meetings can help build trust and cohesion and help break down barriers. So, it can be important to have the right meetings – even when team members are in different parts of the world. Fortunately, with modern video-enabled collaboration tools, physical distance is no longer a barrier to team meetings or one-to-one sessions.
Have fun
You can learn so much from being part of a global team if you open your mind and heart to new ways of thinking and acting. The global team rarely meets. But members can become adept at forming new teams with minimal face-to-face human contact. This is a great skill to acquire. If you get the chance to meet, even in smaller subgroups of the whole team, take it. It will greatly enhance the team’s effectiveness and is a great use of resources. What an opportunity!
Working on a global team has its rewards and challenges, both for the colleagues involved and their organisation. Thinking globally means thinking smarter. Making all members of a global team feel a part of that team, no matter where they are located makes all the difference. Everyone should be regarded as an ‘us’ and not a ‘them’.
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