One of the wonderful benefits of modern technology is the ability of organizations to scale without investing in bricks and mortar. It is commonplace in a number of industries for people to work together for years and never set eyes on each other.  It’s also common for the leaders in these virtual organizations to lose track of the fact that there are real people behind the e-mail and text messages. 

People choose a virtual professional lifestyle because they like the freedom and flexibility that it provides.  However, when a virtual organization is faced with the need (or desire) to shift gears into a new growth mode or to change its strategy, it is essential that the leaders of this firm rethink their communication and engagement with their remote knowledge workers. For many leaders used to not communicating frequently with these invisible associates, this can mean a significant change in behavior.

A services company in the health care market facing increasing competitive pressures embarked on its first-ever formal strategy development program.  The leadership of this firm did a good job drawing in a number of the remote individual contributors to the strategy process, but dropped the ball when it came to communicating what was going on and why to the broader organization.  Concerned that the firm was going to be sold or that it was experiencing financial problems, several key associates quickly moved to more secure ground at other industry participants.  Once the trend was uncovered, a few were saved, but overall, the lack of proper context for remote employees resulted in some key losses and a lot of cycle time scrambling to save people that had no real reason to run for safety. 

Leaders in virtual companies need to keep their associates engaged and informed.  While this seems like common-sense, it is my experience that many leaders in virtual companies do a lousy job on this critical task.  Your employees might work in virtual offices, but they are real people.  A few suggestions:

  • Establish a regular process (monthly) of communicating company performance metrics and progress against key strategies.
  • A quarterly internal all-call or webinar is low-tech, but relatively high-touch for remote associates.  It’s good to hear from the leadership, and if well organized, these calls can provide others an opportunity to share successes or ask questions.  Record the call or webinar and allow people that can’t make the schedule work to listen/watch at a more convenient time. 
  • Top leaders should engage personally with as many remote associates as possible during the course of a year.  A personal e-mail message, a phone call or a cup of coffee when travel schedules collide are all priceless in strengthening relationships.
  • Constantly ask for input from this remote workforce.  I like to regularly ask people three questions:  What’s working, What’s not and what do we (or I) need to do differently?  These are simple questions that can draw insights from remote associates and help them feel that their perspectives count.  If you ask these questions, you are duty bound to take action from time to time on germane ideas, and when you do, you need to cite the source. 
  • Don’t over-do the attempts at reaching out.  I’m always sensitive that many people that choose virtual work-styles don’t like a lot of encroachment by the corporation into their activities.  Be sensitive to balance.


The bottom-line:

Organizations succeed on the brains, commitment and enthusiasm of their associates.  Today’s virtual organization offers many economic and lifestyle benefits, but brings with it some significant social drawbacks.  Leader, find and maintain the right balance of engagement with your virtually located knowledge workforce.  Chances are they know a lot more about what is working and what’s not than you do. You would be wise to tap into this knowledge.