Businesses are increasingly outsourcing offshore services. However, managers still face challenges in managing offshore teams.
For optimal business growth, it is crucial to ensure that remote teams are properly managed and coordinated. Here are some tips to improve your offshore team management process for more efficient workflow and higher productivity. Check out—
Help the team see your vision
To manage remote teams effectively, it is not advisable to delegate tasks without first educating them about your vision and goals. Effectively managing offshore teams requires that each member is a part of your strategic planning process. To make sure everyone understands the roadmap, share your plans with them and get their feedback.
Effective communication is key
Managers must have the communication skills necessary to communicate with and connect with their offshore team members. Managers can communicate effectively with people and situations. It helps teams overcome their inherent differences and creates a lively environment for solving problems and sharing ideas.
Video conferencing is a great tool for managing offshore teams. It builds trust between you and your employees. Video conferencing and other communication methods build trust and allow you to read the emotions of your employees and understand their concerns.
Micromanaging is not a good idea
Your team’s morale will improve if you allow your team leaders to take over. Micromanagement can lead to uneasiness, which can negatively impact productivity and performance. Team leaders can help you effectively manage offshore teams as they are more familiar with the dynamics of your team. Micromanaging can be frustrating and make your team feel stifled.
You can still continue with remote management. Remote management is about allowing your team to do their work and not interrupting to answer questions or check on progress. Instead of observing every move of your remote team and fixing every mistake, assign tasks to them, give them deadlines and goals and then let them finish the task. Your employees will be more open and creative if you create an environment that encourages freedom.
Delineate tasks correctly
It is possible to make managing offshore teams easier by giving each member specific tasks. To avoid duplication of tasks, ensure that all members of the team have a list. It is possible to automate repetitive tasks and allow the team to concentrate on other tasks by clearly defining the tasks.
With the help of team leaders, communicate clearly each task’s instructions so that employees don’t make mistakes. Effectively managing offshore teams requires that every employee understands the scope and the schedules.
Create an inclusive environment
Effective management of remote teams requires that you understand how to foster cultural competence and create an environment that is inclusive. To understand how team culture can affect the way teams communicate and deal with problems, you should do some research on it. Communication and collaboration are easier when you know the culture of your team.
You can reduce miscommunications and conflict among remote teams by identifying cross-cultural training requirements and designing intercultural competency programs. It is easier to manage culturally competent teams. When all of your teams are working together for a common vision, managing offshore team members shouldn’t be difficult.
Every team member should be treated as an equal partner
As you manage an offshore team, make sure your offshore employees feel part of your project. As you would invest time improving employee satisfaction at your office, don’t forget your overseas employees.
Effective management of remote teams requires a strong relationship and a good rapport. Make time to visit your team and set up regular meetings. Employees who feel valued and appreciated will do everything to achieve the project’s goals.
Encourage teams to develop emotional bonds and an attachment to the project. Emotionally attached people are more willing to work with you and dedicate more time to your project. It is crucial to make your offshore team feel like a part of you. This will work in your favour.
Encourage them to succeed and give credit for their efforts. In offshore team management, it is a good idea to reward teams for exceptional performance. For exceptional performance, it’s also equally important to have good employees on board. By hiring an offshore team that is competent, you won’t have to worry much about performance.
Meetings should be held in a routine manner
Meetings are essential for managing offshore teams. They allow you to receive project updates, review performance, and give continuous training. Meetings bring everyone together and help them to be on the same page.
To improve manager-employee relationships, it’s important to meet with your remote team weekly. You should be available 24 hours a day to answer any questions and come across as bankable. This will help you manage remote teams more effectively.
In offshore team management, it’s important to ensure that every member of the group attends the meetings and gives a report about their tasks. Use video conferencing to deliver timely information. Meetings that are held regularly, or even daily, increase productivity.
Give dedicated responsibilities to team leaders
It is easier to manage offshore teams if you delegate tasks and give responsibility to leaders in each location. This will make it easier for you to manage your teams remotely. Your team leaders will supervise the other employees for you if you are not available.
Although team leaders are helpful in managing offshore teams effectively, it is important to choose culturally competent leaders that can interact well with people from other cultures. These leaders will manage daily activities and provide proper and timely progress and performance reports.
Focus on employee satisfaction
Remember, when you are managing offshore teams, you are actually dealing with people. Pay attention to their feelings and reactions. Dissatisfaction can cause employee turnover, which is time-consuming and makes you spend a lot of money on training and on boarding.
As the manager of an offshore team, it is important for you to have casual conversations with your team members and determine if they are comfortable working. Facilitate learning and work in a positive environment to promote satisfaction. Be open to listening to employee complaints and addressing them appropriately.
Understanding the capabilities of your team
Determine if the skills of employees match the tasks they have been assigned. You can assign tasks to evaluate their performance based on the skills they claim to have. You can learn about the strengths and weaknesses of offshore teams, their professionalism, and their flexibility by using performance-based experience.
If you want to ensure that your offshore team management is easy and successful, then the first step to take would be hiring offshore team leaders you can count on.
