Building & Managing the Virtual Workforce, by Paul Marciano

Building & Managing the Virtual Workforce, by Paul Marciano Paul Marciano is one of the leading experts in building and managing highly effective remote workforces and outsourced workers. How do you measure results? How do you balance flexibility and autonomy with discipline and team cohesiveness? Read on.

"Managing the Virtual Workforce" by Paul Marciano

There are many unknowns when it comes to the future but one thing is certain—the organizations that come out on top will be those who figure out how to most effectively manage their flexible and virtual workforces. The best talent at the best price will not be competing with rush hour traffic; they will be working largely on their own schedule from their home office.Link

Of course, this change offers significant challenges to traditional management approaches and to creating cohesive work teams. Here are some critical tips on hiring, managing, and building cohesive teams in this new paradigm:

* Not every employee will be successful within this more autonomous, highly self-disciplined environment. Make sure to hire employees who have demonstrated success working remotely—don’t assume that individuals who have been successful within the nine-to-five job will be successful in a more flexible work design.
* Utilize a highly valid and relible personality assessment such as the NEO-PI-R to select employees with personality traits indicative of self discipline and the ability to work autonomously.
* Managers must pay particular attention to setting crystal-clear goals and objectives, and spend time every day “checking in” and connecting with their virtual workforce. Employees must understand that while they are working on their own, they are not alone when it comes to support and supervision. Managers should know the work status of each employee at the end of every virtual day.
* Building virtual teams will be highly challenging. First, make sure that all employees clearly understand and align with the mission and vision of the organization and their team. Second, make sure that all employees understand the role they play and the interconnection of their work. Third, use web-based technologies and software (such as Basecamp by 37signals) or create a NING to keep your employees connected and updated with one another. Fourth, if at all possible hold a live team meeting event; if not, consider holding a virtual team building event.
* Recognizing employees for their contributions is both more important and challenging than doing so in a traditional office environment. When a team member goes above and beyond or reaches a milestone, consider sending out a tweet to the whole team. Employees working remotely still need to know that their work is appreciated and recognized!

Technology has afforded businesses an incredible opportunity to hire talented, hardworking employees all over the world. Taking full advantage of this opportunity requires new practices and especially skilled supervisors. Is your organization ready for the future? Because the future is here.

To learn more about keynote speaker Paul Marciano, please visit his speaker page.