Question of the Week: Team Effectiveness
As I recently shared, I'm launching a new blog series, Question of the Week. Let's start with the very popular topic of remote work. I think there's an overlooked question that all leaders should explore…
First, let me share Gallup's latest numbers: 6 in 10 employees with remote-capable jobs want a hybrid work arrangement. About a third of employees want to fully work remote. In addition, there are plenty of data points that suggest employees are happier and more engaged when they work remotely.
I find most conversations about remote work are binary. Employees and leaders fall into one of two camps. They either support or don't support remote work and treat it as an all or none proposition. In the podcast I shared last week with ADP's Chief Economist, Nela Richardson, she eloquently says:
"I think it starts with a difference in perspective. So when the employee says, 'I'm more productive than ever,' they mean it. They're getting more of their work done. When the company says, 'I'm concerned about productivity,' they mean it, too. They're concerned about people working together for a corporate goal. It's the same desire. It's a different perspective."
And therein lies the challenge. Conversations about remote work need to be more nuanced than “I support remote work for all employees,” or not. This is one topic where, “it depends,” is truly a better approach.
Let me explain more. The focus of employee engagement is one of psychology. It seeks to answer what it takes to make people happier and more productive on an individual basis. When it comes to remote work, this is where I observe more conversations happening—on the individual level. However, consider organizational health, where the focus is one of sociology. It seeks to answer what it takes to make people more cohesive and productive when they’re working as a team.
So, the key question for leaders to ask: is my team better when they work remotely? Of course, as a leader, you have to define better. Generally, it’s viewed as increased productivity or output. But you could also look at metrics like rework, time-to-value, and net promoter score. All of these metrics effectively help a leader understand if their team is working well together or not.
Or even better, you can just ask them! Here’s an open-ended question that would give you an immediate read on the situation: “Based on the last 6 months, what’s the ONE thing we need to improve as a team?” Your team’s answers will provide insight around things that are preventing productivity and output. They might respond about inefficient processes, communication challenges, and/or lack of clarity.
If you choose the top answer or two and do the root cause analysis, what will you find? Are they describing challenges that are symptomatic of systems/standards that are outdated in a remote work environment? Can you overcome those challenges? If not, perhaps remote work doesn’t make sense in your business. If so, engage that same audience on the best way to solve the problem(s) and give people what they want—remote work flexibility.
If you’re lacking a tool to ask an open-ended question with your team, try POPin. There’s a 14-day free trial that will help you host an honest conversation in a psychologically safe and trusted way. I’ll see you next week when I share a question that reveals exactly how people feel about their workplace.
Chris Laping is the best-selling author of People Before Things. He is also the Co-Founder & Managing Partner of People Before Things, LLC., a boutique consultancy that helps leaders galvanize people for change.
