Coordinating Large Teams

Teams are spread across globally more than ever before. Coordinating teams in multiple locations is a challenge in itself and with pandemic hitting us and people working from home, it has become more challenging. Sharing some of the tips from my experience in managing teams globally.

Have a common channel

Establish a common channel that is accessible to the teams across. Slack or Teams channels are pretty effective in making sure people are able to communicate on a near real time basis. WhatsApp groups are also good for coordinating and for reaching people urgently at the time of critical launches.

Split into small team meetings

Having the whole team in all meetings is not at all recommended. While it might require multiple meetings with smaller teams to review the whole agenda, the output from the meetings tend to be better when these are with smaller teams.

Communicate with the larger team on a weekly basis

In today's work environment, things move really fast. Decision and directions could change on a daily basis. Today's priority may not be next week's priority. Hence it is key to keep the whole team updated on the progress and any deviations from plan on a weekly basis. A weekly status update email would help the team be up to date.

Town hall meetings

Conducting town hall meetings once a quarter is a good way to be connected with the team. Specifically, leave enough time for Q&A at the end of the session. This part of the session is when you get to interact with the team and address their concerns in person.

Pulse surveys

For any significant change that impacts the team, it is good to have pulse surveys. The diverse inputs from the team not only help make a better decision, but also reduce any adverse impacts once the decision is made. It also helps as an early communication and gives the opportunity for the whole team to be part of the decision making.

Communicate, communicate, communicate

The larger the team, the larger the effort needed in communicating with the whole team. The key to get the whole team aligned with the vision of the leader is to keep communicating. Use all avenues available for communication including the ones listed above. Along with this, make sure the team has an open channel for communication where anyone can reach out to you anytime.