How to Effectively Manage a Team Across Different Locations

In todays global business environment, managing teams across locations is challenging due to a variety of factors, including remote work, international expansion, and collaborative working. Leaders are compelled to devise innovative strategies and employ more competent technologies to bridge geographical gaps, enable seamless communication, and cultivate a cohesive organisational culture amidst the dispersion of their teams.

In today’s globalized world, businesses often have employees, offices, and teams spread out across multiple locations. While having a distributed workforce provides great flexibility, it can also pose some unique management challenges.

As a manager, how can you effectively lead a dispersed team when people are not physically in the same place? How do you keep everyone aligned, connected, and productive when working remotely?

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore proven strategies for managing a team successfully across multiple locations. From communication tools to goal setting, learn how to overcome geographic barriers and keep your multi-site team engaged.

Understanding Distributed Teams

First, let’s define what we mean by a distributed team This refers to a team where members are based in different physical office locations The locations may be

Different buildings in the same city
Different cities within the same country
Different countries and time zones all over the world

This is in contrast to a colocated team where everyone works in the same office and location.

There are many benefits of having a distributed team, such as being able to hire talent globally and provide flexibility However, the main challenge is collaborating effectively despite the geographic separation between team members. That’s what we’ll focus on addressing.

Keys for Managing Distributed Teams

When managing a team spread across multiple sites, there are five key strategies that contribute to success:

Fostering open communication
Building relationships and camaraderie
Aligning the team through goals
Accommodating different needs
Embracing diversity

By focusing on these areas, you can unite your multi-location team and enable productive remote collaboration. Let’s explore each area more.

1. Foster Effective Communication

With a distributed team, lack of communication can easily happen since people don’t interact face-to-face daily. That’s why you need to establish clear communication practices as a manager.

Set expectations – Ensure everyone understands communication methods and norms. Explain the preferred channels and frequency for certain types of discussions.
Communicate often – Over-communicate to combat isolation. Update on company news, celebrate wins, and check in regularly.
Ask for feedback – Get input on improving communication across locations. Adjust as needed.
Record meetings – For remote team members in different time zones, provide meeting recordings to stay up to date.
Visit when possible – If practical, visit each office location periodically to connect in-person.

With intentional effort, you can keep communication flowing across distance.

2. Bridge the Distance Through Meetings

Virtual meetings are vital for distributed teams. Regular video calls can help align everyone and provide needed face time.

Have a mix of meetings – One-on-ones, team-wide, department-specific, social meetings each serve different needs.
Make meetings interactive – Use polls, chat, screen sharing and breakout rooms to keep people engaged.
Vary meeting times – Accommodate different time zones when scheduling calls. Rotate when possible.
Record meetings – Let absent team members watch later. Also use for note taking.
Send pre-reads – Share key documents before large meetings so everyone’s prepared.
Limit meetings – Be mindful of meeting length and frequency to prevent burnout.

With thoughtful planning, virtual meetings can help bridge geographic distance.

3. Set Clear Goals and Expectations

Alignment around goals is always important – but extremely vital for distributed teams. When people are separated, they need shared purpose and focus.

As a manager, set crystal clear objectives and expectations:

Establish team goals – Make sure everyone understands key results and priorities. Revisit and realign regularly.
Set individual goals – Tie goals back to team objectives. Ensure they are relevant for each location.
Define work norms – Be clear on availability expectations, response times, meeting practices, and general work culture.
Document everything – Put guidelines, plans, and procedures in writing so people can reference later. Don’t rely solely on verbal explanations.

With distributed teams, documenting goals and guidelines is crucial. Don’t assume everyone is on the same page – make expectations unambiguous.

4. Be Flexible and Accommodating

With a dispersed team, it’s essential to accommodate different needs across locations. Avoid a “one-size-fits-all” mindset.

Consider time zones – When scheduling meetings and deadlines, factor in time zone impacts so you don’t disadvantage certain team members.
Recognize holidays – Be aware of local holidays and adjust expectations accordingly. Respect days off.
Enable collaboration – Provide digital tools for real-time editing, brainstorming, and teamwork regardless of location.
Empower local leadership – Delegate decisions and authority when possible instead of full top-down control.
Solve issues – If challenges arise that are specific to one office, address them directly rather than blanket policies.

With flexibility and empathy, you can make a distributed team setup work for everyone.

5. Embrace Cultural Diversity

Having a team spread across different countries introduces exciting diversity – make the most of it!

Learn about cultures – Take time to understand cultural backgrounds, styles, and norms across your team.
Highlight achievements – Recognize holidays, events, and accomplishments unique to each culture.
Share perspectives – Encourage people to share local insights that may apply globally. Diversity brings strength.
Discuss sensitively – Certain topics like politics and religion may be viewed differently across cultures.
Prevent exclusion – Ensure no location feels like an afterthought. Fully include everyone.

Distributed teams allow you to tap into diverse skills and ideas. Make the most of this multicultural advantage through inclusion and understanding.

Digital Tools for Distributed Teams

The right workplace tools are crucial when managing teams across multiple sites. Here are some of the best apps and platforms for enabling seamless remote collaboration:

Video conferencing – Apps like Zoom, Skype, and Google Meet for meetings, training, and social events.
Team chat – Platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Flock for instant messaging, groups, and knowledge sharing.
File sharing – Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, and Notion for centralized documents and real-time editing.
Task management – Trello, Asana, Jira, and Monday.com for assigning and tracking team projects.
Project management – Tools like Basecamp, Wrike, and Teamwork for workflows, schedules, and collaboration.
Intranet – An internal employee network for announcements, resources, discussions, and wiki knowledge base.
Digital whiteboard – Miro, Mural, Stormboard for visual collaboration during virtual meetings.

Don’t expect a distributed team to collaborate effectively without the right digital toolkit. Invest in the essential apps and ensure your team knows how to use them.

Tips for Managing Remote Employees

As part of a distributed team, some of your direct reports may work remotely full-time while you’re in an office. Here are tips for managing individual remote employees:

Have 1:1 video calls to build a relationship and prevent isolation
Set clear expectations around online hours, response time, and availability
Avoid micromanaging. Focus on outcomes rather than monitoring activity.
Recognize and accommodate valid needs like childcare responsibilities
Encourage social interaction with the team through online events
Provide opportunities for remote employees to share local knowledge
Use project management tools to define responsibilities and track progress
Give remote employees ownership over their work to boost engagement

With empathy and digitally-enabled management strategies, you can make remote employees feel valued, motivated, and connected.

Bringing Your Multi-Location Team Together

Despite the logistical challenges, having a distributed team can provide incredible opportunities – if managed effectively. Follow the strategies outlined to keep your multi-site team connected through:

Proactive communication
Interactive online collaboration
Clear goal alignment
Respect for differences
Digital workplace tools

With the right approach, you can overcome geographic barriers and build a cohesive team culture. Distance doesn’t have to equal disconnect.

So embrace that global workforce and lead your dispersed team to shared success! The strategies in this guide will help you manage across multiple locations while keeping everyone united, informed, empowered, and productive.

managing team in different locations

Important tips and best practices:

Set clear goals and expectations: Having a unified objective that drives all the teams forward is vital for any organisation. Keeping all the teams and their respective employees on the same page helps in building a consistent and seamless operational environment.
Promote communication and collaboration: Encourage regular and open communication between partners. Use technology tools such as video conferencing and collaboration platforms to facilitate communication and collaboration between sites.
Build trust and relationships: Knowing your employees on an individual level, studying their strengths and weaknesses, providing them with the opportunity to develop and fulfil their true potential is a significant aspect in managing remote teams effectively.
Improve project management: Use hybrid working software or project management tools to streamline business processes, deliver projects, and track progress. These tools help maintain transparency and ensure accountability for remote teams.
Adapting to cultural differences: It is important to understand cultural differences and adjust your management behaviour accordingly. Create a successful workplace culture in your team where diversity is acknowledged, respected and accepted.

Managing communication with your employees

Leveraging the different management software available in the market can prove to be decisive when coordinating with teams across various geographical locations. This is where management software comes in handy, as they help to bridge the communication gap and create a solid, unified workforce. Here are a few other techniques to manage communication with employees:

How To Manage Teams Across Multiple Restaurant Locations – 7shifts Academy

How do you manage multiple teams in multiple locations?

While managing multiple teams in multiple locations, you also want to create a cohesive team atmosphere within your company. To do this, you can use some of the following tactics: Hold a staff retreat twice a year for team building and strategic planning. Have weekly team meetings so that everyone can get together.

What are the challenges of managing team members across multiple locations?

But, first, let’s examine some of the challenges. Managing team members across multiple locations can be challenging. When you have several teams to manage, it can be hard to make sure that you’re giving each of them the attention that they deserve.

Can a regional manager manage multiple hourly teams in multiple locations?

Whether you’re a regional manager of multiple locations across the state or just opening a second location across town, managing multiple hourly teams in multiple locations is an entirely different challenge than just one location.

How do you manage a team?

1. Set expectations for your team Making sure your team is aware of their individual roles can help them ensure they can perform the expectations of their job responsibilities. Offering clearly defined objectives and expected results to your team can allow you to hold them accountable and provide meaningful feedback.