Using Tech to Manage a Global Team

Three important things to consider while facing the challenges of managing a global team

As a business centred on automation, we spend our days discussing the benefits of online solutions that allow organisations to operate around the clock. Xref clients benefit from 24 hour support but as we grow, add people to the team and increase the number of markets we service, we’re faced with the evolving challenges of managing a global team.

There are three key reasons we believe every organisation embarking on global expansion should use technology to ensure efficiency, maintain culture and continue to offer a consistent level of service.

1. Constant communication

While we encourage our people to find a work/life balance and enjoy their time away from the office, we also want them to feel part of one, global team. We may be geographically dispersed but, in terms of our communication, we are very close. We make use of technology wherever possible to share news and updates across the team. Platforms such as Slack, Wrike and JIRA support our project management and allow us to instantly share professional achievements globally, while conferencing solutions such as appear.in and Google Hangouts facilitate our “face-to-face” meetings. We also keep up our informal communication via WhatsApp. It’s not uncommon for us to enjoy pictures of colleagues’ views in various beautiful locations around the world, and share in the exciting personal news and achievements of teams overseas on the Xref global WhatsApp group.

2. Find the right people in any market

While cultural differences and timezones can make traditional recruitment techniques difficult, tech-based approaches enable you to hire the right people wherever in the world they are. Xref partner Expr3ss! offers this capability via its unique, online predictive hiring solution. Using a proprietary attitudinal test, Expr3ss! Analyses a candidate’s engagement and suitability for a role. It ensures that, wherever in the world you and your candidate are, you can make that initial call on whether they are the right fit for your organisation, with ease, speed and confidence.

3. Avoid timezone bottlenecks

At Xref, we practice what we preach. We live by the mantra, “If we touch it three times, we automate it”. We are committed to making every business process as efficient as possible, globally consistent, and easy to manage across the team regardless of the markets each team member is in. To get this right, it requires a level of agility and access for staff to the right technology, taking the time to analyse the options available and ensure you introduce the right solutions for your business is key. Take a look at our HR Tech checklist for some guidance on the questions you should be asking before making any HR tech investment.

There will always be variations in the way a business operates in different markets, focusing your understanding of these differences on getting your product or service right for your customers globally is essential. However, with the technology available to overcome the challenges of physical distance between colleagues, there’s no reason why it should impact the sense of unity and shared purpose across a global team.

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