On March 31, during a webinar with Olena Zhiltsova, we talked about new trends in team work organization and how it will affect the outcome.

We share the key points from Olena's speech:

1) The world will never be the same, and the decisions we make now will stay with us in the future. So, if you are doing something now, do it with a perspective in mind, not just for the quarantine period.

2) Today, it is important for a leader to be visionary, forward-thinking, and flexible, but at the same time set expectations, communicate decisions honestly, clearly, and understandably; be confident, genuine, and empathetic, as well as a worthy corporate citizen. The first person is always a role model, but the role of the CEO is transforming today. They are becoming the Chief Meaning Officer, Chief Energy Officer, Chief Empathy Officer, Chief Education Officer.

3) For productive remote team work:

say "goodbye" to every process, agreement, meeting that does not add value to either the internal or external client. Instead, create real-time coordination mechanisms that will help receive feedback on internal and external changes and find effective organizational solutions;
hold regular Daily Check-Ins, short daily meetings about what was done yesterday and the results, as well as what will be done today;
establish rules of interaction in the virtual world: agree on expectations regarding the frequency, means, and ideal time of communication with your teams;
trust your employees and do not send them numerous messages; at this time, we manage results, not processes;
find technologies for interaction in the virtual environment that suit your team;
provide additional training for the team on remote work, as these skills are not innate.

4) And what to do to maintain office fun and employee energy during remote work? This can be helped by: informal communication at the end of meetings, interesting surveys, employee's drawing of the day, joint coffee breaks on Zoom, virtual pizza parties, thanking the team for their work, etc.

Olena Zhiltsova is a kmbs lecturer and organizational development consultant. She has 16 years of experience in human capital management. She led the organizational development and team management function in pharma, retail, IT, and food production. She teaches owners and top managers organizational design, organizational culture, organizational development, strategy, and tactics of human capital management.

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