InComm

The Web 2.0 revolution delivered a myriad of interactive social applications collectively known as collaboration tech (CT). CT makes coming together to solve problems nearly effortless. Undoubtedly, organizational leaders are well-versed on the following benefits offered by CT:

● Reduced Travel Time & Expense – Adoption of CT at scale significantly reduces travel costs and idle time spent between meetings. The virtual world removes geographical barriers. This permits immediate and boundless collaboration at a fraction of the traditional cost.

● Access to Global Talent – Reduced friction of distance grants access to infinite talent. CT fuels improved matchmaking between workers and organizational needs. A more worldly workforce means new and existing markets can be better served. CT makes language skills and cultural understanding easier to locate and organize.

● More Opportunity – Employment opportunities grow because resources can work from anywhere. Geographical limitations can no longer deny access. CT means more employee control and less frustrating commutes.

● Diversity & Creativity – More global talent means more culturally diversity. Organizational diversity means more creativity. Unsurprisingly, diversity and creativity correlate well with innovation and motivation. Virtual teams are more creative,more productive, and experience less conflict.

● Work-Life Balance – Some of the benefits above work in concert to offer a better work-life balance. CT offers more autonomy and more inclusivity. A CT landscape can better accommodate those with physical disabilities or similar challenges. By enhancing work life and personal life, CT facilitates greater opportunity, greater flexibility, greater creativity, and greater productivity. Obtaining a healthy work-life balance is extremely advantageous to everyone, including organizations.

  ​Adopting the CT at scale significantly reduces travel costs and idle time between meetings  

The events of the COVID-19 pandemic solidified CT as a critical component of everyday life. Without it, human welfare, institutional success, and the global economy would have all been at much greater risk for collapse. Yet, even with all these benefits, CT has a less talked about dark side. Accordingly, organizational leaders must account for the following drawbacks:

● Disparity in Management Skills – Team success is highly correlated to leadership experience. Virtual teams are no different. Digital workers are often best led by those who have previous experience with leading virtual teams. Resources and funds must be dedicated to ensuring all levels of management are properly prepared to lead virtual teams.

● Disparity in IT Skills – Resources possess varying levels of IT expertise. This means CT users will range from highly skilled to not skilled at all. Some employees will become irritated, less effective, and may contribute less. This can be avoided by proactively training and supporting all CT users. This practical approach minimizes skill gaps and makes working with CT a more pleasurable and productive experience.

● Trust Issues – Lack of in-person interaction makes building teams and fostering trust challenging. Teams that lack strong bonds formed by trust tend to perform poorly. This can be mitigated by encouraging regular face-to-face (F2F) interactions. This means virtual teams should spend more time on video and conduct more frequent team building exercises.

● Inefficient Communications – CT makes resources lazy. Often, an email or IM is sent when a phone call or F2F meeting would be better. Prioritization of written communication over F2F interaction leads to frequent misinterpretation. F2F exchanges allow for non-verbal communication where other types of exchanges may not. Again, promoting the use of video can curtail some of the struggle.

● Social Isolation – F2F interaction is needed for more than just clarity. Lack of regular human contact promotes feelings of social isolation. CT users can begin to crave the social connection afforded by the traditional office environment. Yet again, social isolation is combated by encouraging more F2F exchanges and by sponsoring social-oriented events like virtual coffee breaks or happy hours.

● IT Costs – Adopting CT at scale also means increased IT costs. Build-out and maintenance expenses must be considered along with current infrastructure capabilities and organizational needs for the future. Costs related to hardware, software, training, and support can increase rapidly.

● Security Risk – A strong correlation exists between CT user base size and IT security risk. As one increases, so does the other. Businesses must invest heavily in security training and infrastructure. These costs are in addition to those previously mentioned.

● Poor Status Tracking – Sometimes CT can make tracking progress difficult. Without frequent F2F interaction, disagreement on status may occur. Moreover, social loafing can exacerbate the situation. This phenomenon is especially common in large teams. A good rule of thumb is to keep virtual teams to 13 members or less. It helps to emotionally connect employees to the work and to sub divide big virtual teams into several smaller ones.

CT’s performance during the recent world events paints a picture of what the future of productivity might look like. But as many learned, the unintended consequences of limiting in-person contact can be overwhelming and damaging. Understandably, many companies have started bringing workers back to the office. And many more are carefully contemplating doing the same. One thing is for certain, CT continues to play a major role in the evolution of societal norms. Hence, effective institutional adoption means not only harnessing the benefits but also being forthright, proactive, and diligent in defending against the downsides. Organizations that can successfully maintain the balance between CT’s light and dark sides will emerge as employers of choice in the ever-changing modern workplace.