COORDINATING

The management attribute of coordinating could be viewed as the ability to get groups and individuals to cooperate. Stimulating cooperation involves sharing of information, conflict resolution, and promoting the sharing of goals and problems.

Keeping the telecommuter informed of team, project, and corporate information (6.1)

The general problem is one of coordinating goals, tasks and behaviors so that all of the team members are in step with the latest thoughts, rules and ideas of the organization. It has been shown that individuals who are telecommuting can feel isolated from the organization due to a lack of information and feedback. These individuals can also begin to create their own set of rules and approaches to their work if they are not included in the normal flow of information and activity feedback. Possible approaches and solutions to this coordination problem are:

1 Require participation in all meetings, in person or by conference (telephone or video)

2 Ensure all office information, memos, and policy changes are sent to telecommuters

3 Create and use a weekly team/project report detailing corporate information accomplishments, plans, problems, and announcements

4 Designate a person in the office to help keep the telecommuter informed

1	Require participation in all meetings, in person or by conference (telephone or video)
2	Ensure all office information, memos, and policy changes are sent to telecommuters
3	Create and use a weekly team/project report detailing corporate information accomplishments, plans, problems, and announcements
4	Designate a person in the office to help keep the telecommuter informed

Discussion

Managers prefer to use the first two approaches as techniques for keeping the telecommuter informed of necessary information. Many managers establish meeting times and places which include a conferencing feature (phone or video) which allow the employees who are not in the office to participate in the exchange of information. This type of "required" participation should also include face-to-face meeting attendance. The inclusion of telecommuters in discussions and meetings, which technology now easily allows, provides the employee with both the project specific information as well as the corporate information which is likely to be disseminated in meetings.

Another approach preferred by managers is the automatic routing of information. Memos, corporate data, and other job related information can be set up to automatically route or copy to the telecommuter. Some organizations use electronic mail because most of the data is in that form, while others prefer to utilize paper copies and facsimile machines as the distribution technique. These managers arrange to have all information sent to the telecommuter ahead of time and on a regular basis. This provides the necessary information and lets the telecommuter know that they are a part of the organization.

Coordinating and maintaining a workgroup which includes telecommuters (6.2)

The management challenge of maintaining a team that is highly effective becomes harder when some of the members are not physically present during the work day. A manager is responsible for the coordination of the workgroup in order to ensure that the team goals are met and each employee coordinates their activities with the other team members.

Possible approaches and solutions to the coordination problem include the following:

1 Schedule regular social functions at or away from the office, to allow for increased social interaction and stronger interpersonal relationships

2 Establish clear objectives for all team members and routinely monitor progress, both with each individual and in a group setting

3 Provide telecommuters with assignments that require interaction with office co-workers

4 Concentrate on managing the process, rather than the people

1	Schedule regular social functions at or away from the office, to allow for increased social interaction and stronger interpersonal relationships
2	Establish clear objectives for all team members and routinely monitor progress, both with each individual and in a group setting
3	Provide telecommuters with assignments that require interaction with office co-workers
4	Concentrate on managing the process, rather than the people

Discussion

Managers overwhelmingly prefer to address this problem by establishing clear objectives for all team members and routinely monitor progress (approach #2). However, managers also prefer to concentrate on managing the process rather than the people (approach #4).

One implementation of the preferred approach is to use self-directed teams. This involves allowing both managers and employees to jointly identify goals, tasks, and results expected. Another way to implement the preferred approach is to use a standard Management by Objectives technique. This approach helps focus the individual and manager on the work output, not on individual style and technique. One example is a telecommuter who is assigned a creative or analytical task such as report writing, programming, analysis, or design. Due to their personal work style they may find it difficult to produce work in a group setting. By setting a deadline for that task to be completed, and objectives for the work output, the telecommuter can complete the task away from the office. In this scenario managers can coordinate the outputs of many individuals' tasks and monitor both progress and quality without judging work habits.

Managers also have shown that concentrating on managing the process, rather than managing the people, is a clear winning solution to maintaining an effective work group. Ensuring individual tasks are performed on time and delivered to necessary team members as a smooth process enables a work group that includes telecommuters to be effective.

To report problems and suggestions for improvement:

E-Mail to Bruce McGraw <bruce.mcgraw@cogtechinc.com>

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