DEW

Communicate in a clear and effective way to your digital team

Recognize the most efficient digital tools for team management

Adopt an OKR methodology within your business and team

Guarantee the work-life balance of your employees

Compensate weaknesses by teaming up with others

Advanced level of the EntreComp competence

SELF-AWARENESS & SELF-EFFICACY

Inspire others and get them on board for value creating activities

Advanced level of the EntreComp competence

MOBILISING OTHERS

Smart working has been defined as:

• A new way of working based on flexible work arrangements and an extensive use of information technologies that support employees to potentially work in any time and space
• An agile and dynamic way of working that leads to high performance, increased productivity, and improved job satisfaction that result is a “triple-win” configuration for customers, employees, and organizations

  - Always answer emails and messages to confirm that you received them

  - Include the subject in every email to speed their classification and management

  - Keep workmates posted and clarify any misunderstanding if needed

There is a whole array of ICT tools that can improve business and team management in smart working. Here some of the most useful:

Even though a specific platform for each task would be optimal, platforms that encompass all functions are still a great option:

It is one of the most known cloud storages apps. It allows users to save and share files from the users’ own virtual hard drives, so files are safe and accessible from any compatible device.

It allows for easy planning and management for most of the tasks of a business within the same workspace. This includes project and task management, CRM, marketing, design, human resource etc.

It enables remote access to other devices. It allows users to share and control their desktops, make online meetings, videoconferences and transfer files.

An all-in-one that offers project and file management, task lists, email, messaging, tracking and follow-up etc. It is completely customisable, letting users import information from other projects and managers.

A correct task distribution is fundamental to guarantee a proper business management and improve workers’ performance, in particular in smart working contexts. These are some of the ICT tools which can help project planning and team management:

It offers details on tasks and projects and implements communication, organisation and planning in order to achieve team success.

It organises tools via Kanban tables, which allows for an enjoyable view of teamwork management.

In the free version, Zoom gathers up to 100 participants but the duration of a session is limited to 40 minutes. The Pro version costs 13.99 euros per month and per moderator.

Cisco Webex provides capabilities including online meetings, team messaging and file sharing. Users can join video conferences from a desktop or mobile app. A web version of Webex, with less feature, is available as well.

MicrosoftTeams gathers up to 250 participants and online events with up to 10,000 participants. In addition to video conferencing, Teams offers extensive virtual collaboration features, including Office 365 integration.

GoToMeeting is an online meeting, desktop sharing, and video conferencing software package. It is available for the computer, but also as an app for smartphones and tablets.

Skype is an optimal choice for any company. Users can video call and chat via PC, tablets and smartphones. It gathers up to 50 people.

Jitsi is a free open source tool. Users can create a meeting without needing an account and invite participants sharing a URL.

Slack is a messaging app for companies, which enables conversation grouping, sorting them in threads or by topic for easier access to any team information available.  

For a smart leader, overall flexibility may lead to:

• A need to adopt more coached-oriented behaviours, due to the increased autonomy and job demand that smart working may place on employees
• Difficulties in supervising
• Feelings of isolation and overload

To face these challenges, a smart leader should support employees in the development of strong intrinsic motivation and self-determined behaviours.

To mobilise and inspire others, a leader shall keep high the motivation of the team. How?

• Inform the team about the results
• Provide feedbacks and congratulations
• Listen to employees’ suggestions and demonstrate that their opinion counts
• Involve the team in the making-decision process so to align individual and organizational values

Do not forget the Pareto Principle:

80 % of results come out of 20% of our actions

To work in a digital team there are some golden rules, such as:

• Fair workload distribution;
• Open  communication;
• Select and use the most appropriate platforms.

Being a leader in a digital team can lead to several challenges (e.g., difficulty in supervising); these can be overcome by supporting employees in the development of strong intrinsic motivation and self-determined behaviors.

The Objectives and Key Results (OKR) methodology for goals and people management is the most suitable within a digital team.

Each digital team should have a smart and digital leader, who explores how IT tools can make the organisation more competitive and makes digital a central part of the business’ operations and culture.

Work life-balance and well-being of the employees should never be underestimated, particularly in a digital team.