What It Means to Work From Home [WLO: 1] [CLOs: 1, 2]
Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, read the articlesWorking From Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Impact on Office Worker Productivity and Work Experience(Links to an external site.),Diverse and Dispersed: Accessing the Hidden Benefits of Your Virtual Team(Links to an external site.), andRecommendations for Working From Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic (and Beyond)(Links to an external site.).
It is also recommended that you review Chapter 2: The Challenges of Managing and Working Remotely and Chapter 8: Is Remote Working Right for Everyone? (Cook, 2019), and the articlesResearchers Working From Home: Benefits and Challenges(Links to an external site.),Diverse and Dispersed: Accessing the Hidden Benefits of Your Virtual Team)(Links to an external site.), andOur Work-From-Anywhere Future(Links to an external site.).
Reflect on the increasing trend of people working from home. In an initial post of at least 350 words and citing at least two required resource:
- Discuss the reasons why people might choose to work from home, in addition to the mandates stipulated by the COVID19 pandemic.
- Review the opportunities and challenges that working from home can present.
- Outline personal, family, social and work opportunities and challenges associated with working from home.
ByCarlosBaradelloand RebekahDibble Remote working arrangements have been thrust into the mainstream by the recent global pandemic. Without ques- tion, COVID-19 has transformed workplace culture. The pandemic confronted global knowledge workers with a multitude of changes within a few weeks. It forced us to work and collaborate remotely, uncover- ing new opportunities for inclusion of our increasingly diverse human capital. Com- munications that used to be in-person with teammates, co-workers, vendors, partners, stakeholders, investors, and others are now virtual. Has this development accelerated workplace diversity? If so, what is the net impact on organizations? The current pandemic is causing a massive global reset, during which many social behaviors and norms are changing. Old habits and routines are being replaced with new ones. Digital connectivity has brought home our work and all the meet- ings with various teams and workgroups. Working from home is no longer a privi- lege or a company perk; for many it has become the only option. Diverse, dispersed teams, if managed properly, can be effective in solving com- plex problems, developing new relation- ships with multiple firm stakeholders, executing projects, communicating, and providing innovative perspectives. From an OD perspective, one key opportunity presented by this development is for the role of change agent to be more broadly distributed. With the increasing ease and expertise in bringing together diverse, dis- tributed teams, members may be tapped more frequently for their varied perspec- tives and participation to drive and enact meaningful change. As increased diver- sity is incorporated into change processes, everyone wins. Effectively leading diverse teams is a common organizational challenge. When teams work virtually, challenges increase, as non-verbal and paraverbal communica- tions seen in a conference room are now eliminated or reduced. Further, socio- economic, cultural, age, and gender diver- sity, as well as differences in values, could lead to different interpretations of the same information, polarizing value-driven decision making and limiting participa- tion. Savvy leaders and OD professionals can avoid the potential pitfalls of diverse teams by working to mitigate the loss of trust, which often limits full engagement of team members. While virtual teamwork involves risks and challenges, working remotely may also enable us to unlock potential productivity Diverse and Dispersed Accessing the Hidden Benefits of Your Virtual Team “Diverse,dispersedteams,ifmanagedproperly,canbeeffectiveinsolving complexproblems,developingnewrelationshipswithmultiplefirmstakeholders, executingprojects,communicating,andprovidinginnovativeperspectives.” 69DiverseandDispersed:AccessingtheHiddenBenefitsofYourVirtualTeam gains. Diverse teams can bring their perfor- mance to new heights, something that may be difficult to achieve in the same physi- cal space. For example, virtual communica- tion may reduce the transmission of status cues and characteristics (e.g., hierarchical positions, organizational tenure, and socio- economic status). This may occur either by blocking or weakening status infor- mation or weakening of norms by which expectations around status get translated into participation- limiting behaviors. In turn, this may divert attention from status cues and allow team members to focus on what matters most—the diverse problem solving perspectives they bring to the table. To capitalize on these possible productivity gains, we propose six guidelines that lead- ers and OD practitioners might consider when guiding and facilitating interventions in diverse and dispersed teams: 1. Diversity is the point: Keep in mind that team diversity is your main asset as well as a potential challenge. It’s important to value the diversity of per- spectives, problem solving approaches, and skills that each virtual team mem- ber brings. A recent study by Mayer, Warr and Zhao (2017) found that fos- tering diversity increases innovation as measured by new product announce- ments, patent creation, and citations on patents, across many industries. Take time at the creation of a new team to take stock of the unique skill sets and resources that each member brings to the team. 2. Trust is the cornerstone: Bringing to bear members’ unique talents, assets, and knowledge requires vulnerability. Trust can help to bridge the functional, cultural, and geographical divisions to allow a team to access the bene- fits of team member diversity. Work- ing remotely, trust is developed by the savvy leaders or OD practitioners who facilitate the system to develop norms and practices to keep agreements, be accountable and reliable in interactions and exchanges. This creates a culture which expects members to treat each other with respect and act in the best interest of the team. 3. Create clear norms and structures for managing team meetings: Virtual teams need clear guidelines, and expec- tations should be spelled out in detail when casual peer feedback and body language are not available. Creating meeting agendas and action lists, iden- tifying open and closed decisions, and coming to agreement on shared tech- nologies are helpful. OD practitioners can guide teams in inter ventions such as creating team charters that can help to increase the engagement of team members during virtual meetings, as well as the psychological safety that enables effective participation. Team charters can also ensure the creation of norms such as ensuring that every- one is heard, issuing action items and timely reminders of deadlines, and developing a predictable tempo of team meetings and deliverables. Other inter- ventions might facilitate the creation of spaces for socialization within the larger group or dividing into subgroups or breakouts, with subsequent reports back to the larger group. 4. Mix and match the communication tools to be virtually inclusive: Diverse virtual teams require the ability to draw upon multiple formats for inclusive participation, such as mediums that allow for both synchronous and asyn- chronous communication. Select the most appropriate communication to make it easier for everyone to contrib- ute. Integrate multiple communica- tion tools (e.g., Messages, WhatsApp, Slack, Zoom, e-mail, cloud reposi- tories, etc.) to help those who may struggle to deliver or respond to in- person presentations or discussions in the virtual meeting room. Selecting the right digital media may help equal- ize participation in discussion and mitigate domination. 5. Celebrate achievements and be gen- erous with tokens of appreciation: To keep motivation high, consider inter- ventions such as team evaluations, including peer assessments. Express gratitude to teams and highlight work that is well done. Consider coaching team members in areas for growth using approaches rooted in appreciative inquiry. Surprise team members with appearances from customers, clients, or higher-ranking executives at virtual celebrations. 6. Enable socialization mechanisms as an integral part of the meeting agenda: COVID-19 has limited our in-person socialization opportunities. The use of the breakout features of virtual commu- nication tools enable us to divide teams in smaller groups to address a spe- cific challenge, solve a business prob- lem, or take advantage of the diverse skills and experience of team members. Diverse teams can bring their performance to new heights, something that may be difficult to achieve in the same physical space. For example, virtual communication may reduce the transmission of status cues and characteristics (e.g., hierarchical positions, organizational tenure, and socioeconomic status). This may occur either by blocking or weakening status information or weakening of norms by which expectations around status get translated into participation-limiting behaviors. In turn, this may divert attention from status cues and allow team members to focus on what matters most—the diverse problem solving perspectives they bring to the table. ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT REVIEW Vol. 52 No. 4 202070 Promoting the use of smaller work- ing groups can enable the construction of bridges of respect and collaboration among diverse team members while engaging a diverse cadre of poten- tial change agents in solving critical business problems. Adapting to the changing work environ- ment over the last few months has taught us all a great deal about the importance of successful diverse and dispersed teams, and has helped to prepare us for the future, as many companies will continue to work remotely in the post-pandemic world. The increased prevalence of the virtual modality will enable organizations to hire employees both domestically and overseas to form the dynamic teams required to meet firms’ crit- ical business needs. The challenges inherent in the COVID-19 crisis may enable us to become more adept at global collaboration, and heighten the importance of successfully facilitating diverse, globally dispersed teams. Remote work is here to stay, and our experience indicates that firms will benefit by increasing their ability to capitalize on the diversity of their global virtual teams. References Driskell, J. E., Radtke, P. H., & Salas, E. (2003). Virtual teams: Effects of techno- logical mediation on team performance. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 7(4): 297–323. Mayer, R. C., Warr R. S., & Zhao J. (2017). Do pro-diversity policies improve corpo- rate innovation? Financial Management. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1111/ fima.12205 Carlos Baradello,investor,board member,andProfessorofGlobal Innovation&Entrepreneurshipat HULTIBS.CombineshisVCrole atSausalitoVenturesandAlaya CapitalPartnerswithacademic andadvisoryresponsibilities.His expertiseincludesdigitaltrans- formationandintrapreneurial strategiesonhowestablished businessshouldrespondacross EUandtheAmericas.carlos.
[email protected] Rebekah DibbleisanAssociate ProfessorintheSchoolofMan- agementattheUniversityofSan Francisco.Herresearchinterests centeraroundthetheoretical implicationsofboundaryfluid- ityinteams,leadershipinthe contextofdiversity,andglobal andvirtualteameffectiveness.
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