Journal: People Science - Human Capital Management & Leadership in the public sector Volume 1, Issue 2 Spring/Summer 2014 | Page 36

face, while at other times, virtual. Needless to say, we need
environments to support these dynamic activities. Many
organizations, including the General Services Administration
(GSA) of the US Federal Government, have started changing
their workplace environments dramatically to focus on the
work and, as such, have eliminated dedicated desks and are
creating a variety of spaces, each designed to support different
kinds of work that happen throughout the day.
Despite the recent proliferation of distributed work, it is no
wonder supervisors struggle with the key question of “How
do I manage a team I can’t see?” After all, this is a new reality
for most leaders. The key is in setting goals and measuring
results.
By setting clear goals that are achievable
and measurable, you’ll provide clarity and
will naturally manage by results, not line of
sight. In leading a distributed team, you have
a heightened responsibility to effectively set
the goals that focus the team on results and
deliverables. So set goals that are achievable
and measurable. This requires open and frank
discussions with each team member to ensure
that they fully understand and are personally
committed to the goals established.
Mastering goal setting is critical for driving
effective teamwork and performance. When done well, each
person will clearly understand their goals, how success is
measured, how their effort contributes to the organization
and relevant deadlines and schedules that guide their work.
Be clear, concise and timely in communicating expectations
to your team. Coaching and tracking the
work process can help avoid project pitfalls,
redundant work, and missed deadlines. Weekly
one-on-one calls are a good way to stay up to
speed and connect to your team, helping to
ensure that the work is moving forward. Again,
always measure performance by results, not
the time you see people at their desk.

When you think about leading a distributed team and how that
is different from leading a co-located team, you’ll probably
conclude that the core skills of a leader don’t change much.
Fundamentally, good leaders use the same core skills
regardless of where their teams may reside. However, the tools
used and the emphasis on contact might differ significantly.
For example, managers of distributed teams should get
comfortable with using collaborative technology, ensuring that
they understand how to connect with their team and their
employees. Distributed teams often use tools such as instant
messenger and video technology more frequently and at a
higher level than co-located teams.

Mika Cross

One of the more important roles you can
play as a manager is to help keep the work
of the team visible for everyone to see. Most
of the work we do, as knowledge workers, is
invisible, but also highly collaborative, so the
use of good technology tools that make that
work accessible and visible to the team is a
must. This level of transparency helps build
team trust when they can see the work that
their colleagues are doing. And it can also
spark