Going remote during the COVID19 outbreak, is a tremendous benefit to an organisation that’s usually almost 100% centralised. Not for the processes, or because “remote is better”. No, just because of the new set of communication challenges that have to be overcome.
A steady stream of challenges is a must for keeping any team sharp, and aligning a team to deal with the a whole new mindset and toolkit for communication is a healthy exercise for the plasticity of the organisation and, more importantly, the minds that make up the organisation.
There is no watercooler-chatter or lunch break to share. There are no stand-ups. There is no handshake or fistbump. There’s an infinite number of meeting rooms that can contain up to 300 people each. There’s a whole house full of distractions to contend with. Some team members have to divert focus to taking care of kids, who can’t go to school because they’re locked down. Every day is bring your dog to work day.
New processes have to be put in place to deal with all these things – and they come from the individuals on a team, not from top-down planning. Top-down can get a frame set up, but the individuals have to find a way to work within the frame.
Suddenly going remote is hard. But it’s a challenge that can leave teams and individuals stronger.