“Find new ways to integrate increasingly dispersed teams”

With Dominic Price, work futurist at Atlassian

For companies with a workforce spread across cities or countries, integration isn’t easy. But it’s only going to become more important to get it right. Expect to see a greater number of distributed teams, which will force companies to reassess their communication approaches and tools.

Start working on your approach by improving your human interactions, habits and rituals – and then amplify that with the right technology and tools, says Price. The software behemoth, Atlassian, has mastered communication, employing more than 2500 people globally who connect regularly. It makes good business sense – distributed teams can work on projects 24/7 and specialists can be found in less competitive markets.

Flexible working is the way of the world now. “Organisations will need to ask themselves if there’ll be any real need to have people physically sitting together in the same office all day long. Being able to build dispersed teams will mean the talent pool is no longer limited by geography.”

Price advocates the importance of virtual collaboration, adding that selecting the right communication tools is paramount. Even teams in the same building can save time by utilising extranets, chat tools, digital whiteboards and digital project management tools that foster accountability among teams. “If your intent and way of working isn’t there then technology isn’t going to deliver you the results you’re looking for.”

There are many things that can alter the dynamics of a team, such as an individual’s customs, working across different time zones, management style and company culture. “We use technology here to ensure everyone attends meetings. It’s really important to be sure that you don’t forget the remote workers. You’ve got to look for ways to get people together.”

A pivotal part of Atlassian’s success has been ensuring everyone has a shared understanding of the common goal so everyone is pushing to achieve the same outcome, says Price. Make sure you over-communicate decisions across all geographies and clearly define the definition of “done” to eliminate ambiguity, he adds.

“We then agree on the roles and responsibilities for everyone and decide how we should communicate about reaching that goal. This could be communicating daily, by report, by update, or whether the reporting is formal or more informal. It’s like the company’s nervous system and it ensures the team stays on the same page.”