Top Engineering Managers’ Strategies for Leading Distributed Teams in the Modern Era

Over two-thirds of those who responded to Zapier’s 2022 Future of Work survey reported that working remotely can enhance productivity. In anticipation of National Work from Home Day 2022, five international IT executives, who manage pioneering remote teams, have shared their expert advice. This article summarizes the tips they provided.

Be sure to keep the lines of communication open.

Considering the asynchronous character of remote working, maintaining continuous communication is a major challenge. Without effective communication, remote teams may find it difficult to maintain their productivity. We were able to address key concerns regarding team productivity and communication channels in our discussion with Elena Ivanova, the Managing Director at Crunchyroll.

Elena and her team were successful in the test of remote working. Utilizing online tools such as Zoom Meetings enabled them to maintain contact, not just for business purposes, but also for personal and emotional support.

Crunchyroll utilized advanced remote communication solutions to help them achieve their goals while operating remotely, even though productivity is still a challenge for numerous organizations. Tools such as Jira, Atlassian and Github enable them to remain productive with an almost entirely remote workforce.

Use the best people in the world

Ismael Mouradi, Foodics’ Director of Talent Acquisition, has noted the benefits of remote working when it comes to finding and employing the best candidates from around the globe. This has enabled the company to access the best and brightest minds from a range of locations, enabling them to fill open positions on their Talent Acquisition teams with highly qualified and competent individuals.

Foodics utilize Slack not only for its organizational communication capabilities, but also to increase productivity. Additionally, the Foodics team places great importance on positive mental health and attitude. To this end, the CEO hosts weekly virtual meetings with all team members. Furthermore, the team regularly come together for group activities which promote face-to-face communication and provide an entertaining and informative experience.

Not everyone can be fit into a standard size.

Albane Bruyas, Chief Operating Officer at Scaleway, has highlighted the importance of understanding that a ‘one size fits all’ approach is not suitable for all situations. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, no organization could anticipate the transition to a fully remote workforce. As such, there is no single solution that is capable of overcoming all the potential problems that may arise in the future.

Scaleway has recently implemented a more flexible working schedule, allowing employees to select either working from home or in the office. The organization’s senior management trialed a number of solutions for overseeing both local and remote teams before finalising the most successful approach. As a result of this new remote work policy, Scaleway was able to draw in a range of highly skilled professionals from around the world.

Explore your options and choose the best one

The time zone difference is one of the largest challenges when managing a multinational workforce. It is vital for such a team to have an efficient way of transmitting information and obtaining outcomes between members, as some colleagues may be starting the workday while others are concluding it. To gain insight on how this difficulty can be addressed, we spoke with Alessandro Cavinato, co-founder and chief technology officer of Tresarti.

The Tresarti Group recognized the significance of having the right personnel, keeping open channels of communication, and motivating everyone to contribute to the work being conducted remotely. Consequently, they employed the most capable experts from around the globe after thoroughly verifying their qualifications and experience, and they ensured they applied efficient forms of communication and project management. Jira was utilized for technical matters, while Trello was utilized for business matters, and open lines of communication were maintained.

Instill confidence in your team.

Trust is essential for the successful functioning of Trustly’s global workforce, according to Christianne N. De Carvalho, the company’s Director of Engineering and General Manager. Despite the diversity of the workforce, Trustly’s management team ensure that all employees feel part of the team and are given the opportunity to take ownership of their tasks.

Trustly is an organization that highly values collaboration and the diversity of its employees. When recruiting for a team, it is essential to consider individuals that can honor and appreciate the individual views of others. Christianne believes that the Trustly team’s receptiveness to new ideas has enabled them to foster a more harmonious work environment and to create more enticing value propositions for their customers.

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