5 tips for leading teams from home

With businesses now working remotely, without face-to-face management, how to lead teams working from home during the coronavirus outbreak has created new management challenges for organisations.

Researchers at the BI Norwegian Business School however, are viewing the crisis as an opportunity for businesses to trial new methods of leading teams from home.

Donatella De Paoli, Associate Professor from the Department of Leadership and Organisational Behaviour at BI Norwegian Business School, has outlined five tips for leaders to continue managing teams remotely when working from home:

1. Focus on Relationships – The current situation requires leadership which places importance on good relationships and is based on trust. The focus should be on how the team can get along: good dialogue is vital as well as understanding how people are coping mentally.

2. Adapt the Level of Control – Leaders need to use the right levels of control with remote team members. There are two main approaches for leaders working digitally: one more controlling and the other more accepting of autonomy. The most appropriate approach depends on the work; short deadlines might require more control, while work with more relaxed deadlines show better results with less control and greater autonomy.

3. Be Present – Computer screens create distance and hamper two-way communication in meetings. The quality of communication also declines as we cannot read body language through a computer screen. Turning on your video camera can ensure you are more present and focused in virtual meetings.

4. Vary the Means of Communication – One-way communication through email works for keeping the organisation up-to-date, but leadership aimed at building relationships requires two-way dialogue. Use digital platforms which enable informal social interaction, experiment with new ways to communicate and do not be afraid to be personal.

5. Co-create Leadership – De Paoli states leadership is co-created: effective leadership includes making it clear that every person is responsible for ensuring tasks are completed. When we are physically isolated from each other, team member must engage in greater self-management.

The coronavirus pandemic is likely to alter our ways of working long-term, changing the needs of teams and replacing traditional views of more centralised leadership. Coordinating effective teams now and in the future will help companies to succeed both now, during social distancing restrictions, and into the future as the workforce emerges from the pandemic with greater experience of new more flexible ways of working.