未來(lái)的老板須學(xué)會(huì)遠(yuǎn)程控制
A quiz on arcane facts about Bollywood and cricket might seem an unusual way to start a teleconference between workers in the US and India. But the game, used by US insurer MetLife when training its Indian IT team in new processes, has proved powerful in breaking down cultural barriers and building trust.
有關(guān)寶萊塢(Bollywood)和板球等鮮為人知的事實(shí)的小測(cè)驗(yàn)，似乎是一種不同尋常的開(kāi)啟美國(guó)和印度員工之間電話會(huì)議的方式。但事實(shí)證明，美國(guó)保險(xiǎn)公司大都會(huì)(MetLife)在培訓(xùn)其印度IT團(tuán)隊(duì)新流程時(shí)使用的這種游戲，在打破文化障礙并建立信任方面非常有效。
“We heard them laughing and joking with each other about the questions,” says Janet Conn, who led the virtual training at MetLife and now works at technology company Cisco. As an American unversed in cricket and Bollywood minutiae, she consulted Indian contacts to make sure the questions were suitably challenging.
曾擔(dān)任大都會(huì)虛擬培訓(xùn)主管、目前在科技公司思科(Cisco)工作的珍尼特•考恩(Janet Conn)表示：“我們聽(tīng)到他們大笑，并拿這些問(wèn)題互相開(kāi)玩笑。”作為一個(gè)對(duì)板球和寶萊塢具體細(xì)節(jié)知之甚少的美國(guó)人，她咨詢(xún)了印度人，以確保這些問(wèn)題具有適當(dāng)難度。
“In India, people are less likely to jump in and ask questions than in the US, and we wanted them to feel comfortable enough to begin to speak up and give us the feedback needed for successful collaboration,” she says. The questions sparked the Indian workers’ curiosity.
她表示：“與美國(guó)相比，在印度，人們不太可能插嘴提問(wèn)，我們希望他們?cè)诟杏X(jué)足夠自在的情況下發(fā)言，向我們提供成功合作所需的反饋。”這些問(wèn)題激發(fā)了印度員工的好奇心。
The importance of the human element cannot be overstated. Ms Conn says the Bollywood-infused training increased connection and discussion between far-flung colleagues. “Too often, offshore teams are treated like a machine rather than a group of people who have useful input. We’re all humans . . . and you have to figure out how to find the commonalities in order to build collaboration.”
人的因素的重要性再?gòu)?qiáng)調(diào)也不過(guò)分�？级鞅硎荆谂嘤�(xùn)時(shí)問(wèn)幾個(gè)有關(guān)寶萊塢的問(wèn)題，增強(qiáng)了相隔遙遠(yuǎn)的同事之間的溝通和討論。“離岸團(tuán)隊(duì)太多時(shí)候被視為一臺(tái)機(jī)器，而非能夠帶來(lái)有用投入的一群人。我們都是人……要建立合作，你必須搞清楚如何找到共性。”
The role of today’s manager is becoming more demanding with teams dispersed across locations, time zones and cultures. Not only do they need the skills of a good “people manager”, such as empathy and adaptability, they also have to put more effort into planning, communicating and thinking creatively.
如今管理者的任務(wù)變得越來(lái)越苛刻，因?yàn)閳F(tuán)隊(duì)分散在不同的地區(qū)、時(shí)區(qū)和文化中。他們不僅需要良好的“人事經(jīng)理”技能，例如同理心和適應(yīng)能力，還必須將更多努力投入創(chuàng)造性的規(guī)劃、溝通和思考。
“I see it as increasing the level of good management across the company,” says Isla Ramos Chaves, a senior executive at Lenovo, the computer company. Keeping people motivated is even more important if they are remote than if they see each other every day, says Ms Chaves, who has led virtual teams of between five and 200 people across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
電腦公司聯(lián)想(Lenovo)高管伊斯拉•拉莫斯•查韋斯(Isla Ramos Chaves)表示：“我認(rèn)為這么做的作用是增強(qiáng)整個(gè)公司的良好管理水平。”查韋斯表示，與員工每天見(jiàn)面相比，如果員工距離遙遠(yuǎn)，保持他們的動(dòng)力就變得更重要。她管理著歐洲、中東以及非洲的虛擬團(tuán)隊(duì)，團(tuán)隊(duì)人數(shù)從5人到200人。
She says managers need to articulate clearly, both to individuals and the team, how they are contributing to the results of the business unit or wider organisation. Failing to do so can lead to staff feeling isolated or unimportant.
她表示，管理者需要向個(gè)人和團(tuán)隊(duì)說(shuō)明他們正如何為業(yè)務(wù)部門(mén)乃至整個(gè)企業(yè)的業(yè)績(jī)做出貢獻(xiàn)。若做不到這一點(diǎn)，就可能導(dǎo)致員工感覺(jué)孤立或不重要。
She emphasises carving out dedicated time for each team member. “You have to create a virtual space with people, so you say, for example: ‘On Monday between 9am and 10am, I’m all yours. Whatever happens, this is the time we spend together.”
她強(qiáng)調(diào)要為每個(gè)團(tuán)隊(duì)成員騰出專(zhuān)門(mén)的時(shí)間。“你必須與人們創(chuàng)建虛擬空間，因此，打個(gè)比方，你會(huì)說(shuō)：‘周一早晨9點(diǎn)到10點(diǎn)，我跟你們?cè)谝黄�。不管發(fā)生任何事，這是我們一起度過(guò)的時(shí)間。’”
Hybrid teams, where some members are in the same office and others work remotely, pose particular challenges. Managers may allocate lesser tasks to the remote members — but the opposite can happen too.
混合團(tuán)隊(duì)的一些成員身處同一個(gè)辦公室，還有一些人則在遙遠(yuǎn)的地方工作，這構(gòu)成了特別的挑戰(zhàn)。管理者可能會(huì)將不那么重要的任務(wù)分配給遙遠(yuǎn)地區(qū)的員工，但相反的結(jié)果也可能發(fā)生。
In conference calls with hybrid teams, Ms Chaves asks everyone to use the phone, including those who are in the office, so they have the same experience and there is less sense of “them and us”.
在與混合團(tuán)隊(duì)的電話會(huì)議中，查韋斯要求所有人都使用電話，包括那些在辦公室的'員工，使大家都有同樣的體驗(yàn)，“他們和我們”的感覺(jué)減少了。
Virtual team leaders have to manage by results, rather than how many hours employees are tied to their desks. Objectives need to be clear from the outset, and methods agreed between manager and employee on tracking progress and giving each other feedback.
虛擬團(tuán)隊(duì)負(fù)責(zé)人必須根據(jù)結(jié)果進(jìn)行管理，而不是以員工在辦公桌前呆了多長(zhǎng)時(shí)間作為依據(jù)。目標(biāo)需要一開(kāi)始就明確，管理者和員工需要就跟蹤工作進(jìn)展以及相互提出反饋的方法達(dá)成一致。
“The team needs a clear vision so they know what direction to go in without having to be micromanaged,” says Marc Decorte, vice-president of connected digital technologies at Royal Dutch Shell, the energy group. His team is dispersed around the world. “Performance contracts need to be based on the value of what people deliver, because that’s the value to the bottom line, not the quantity of work or the way it’s done.”
能源集團(tuán)荷蘭皇家殼牌(Royal Dutch Shell)互聯(lián)數(shù)字技術(shù)副總裁馬克•德科爾特(Marc Decorte)表示：“團(tuán)隊(duì)需要明確的藍(lán)圖，這樣他們就可以在不需要被微管理的情況下明白前進(jìn)方向。”他的團(tuán)隊(duì)分散在世界各地。“績(jī)效合約需要基于員工工作的價(jià)值，因?yàn)槟鞘菍?duì)經(jīng)營(yíng)底線的價(jià)值，而非工作量或工作方式。”
The introduction of technology to virtual teams also has to be handled carefully. Trust can be undermined if remote workers perceive new requirements, such as use of a webcam, as a form of surveillance.
向虛擬團(tuán)隊(duì)引入技術(shù)也需要謹(jǐn)慎處理。如果遙遠(yuǎn)地區(qū)的員工把新的要求(例如使用網(wǎng)絡(luò)攝像頭)視為一種監(jiān)視方式的話，信任可能會(huì)受損。
Managers with no intention of spying on their teams need to make that crystal clear, says Wayne Turmel, co-founder of the Remote Leadership Institute, a US consultancy. “An open and honest discussion about why these tools are valuable, as well as how and when the team should use them, will go a long way to lowering the fear level. On the other hand, if you are using webcams to ‘bust’ your people, or make sure they are where they are supposed to be, maybe they aren’t the ones with the issue.”
美國(guó)咨詢(xún)公司Remote Leadership Institute聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人韋恩•蒂梅爾(Wayne Turmel)表示，無(wú)意監(jiān)視團(tuán)隊(duì)的管理者需要明確這點(diǎn)。“公開(kāi)且誠(chéng)實(shí)地討論這些工具為何重要，以及團(tuán)隊(duì)?wèi)?yīng)如何使用和何時(shí)使用這個(gè)工具，將大大有利于降低人們的恐懼。在另一方面，如果你要用網(wǎng)絡(luò)攝像頭‘突擊檢查’你的手下，或者確定他們是否在他們應(yīng)該在的地方，那么或許他們不是有問(wèn)題的人。”
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