Why I think face-to-face is best - Viewpoint - careers advice blog Viewpoint careers advice blog

Why I think face-to-face is best - Viewpoint - careers advice blog Globalisation has made the world in which your business operates a much smaller place. Working in a global marketplace encourages your people to rethink their boundaries and appreciate the bigger picture. Digital technologies facilitate interpersonal communication that is no longer restricted by distance. But with your team already digitally mobile from their desks, and working in a world of Whatsapp and Skype, is there still a need to facilitate face-to-face internal mobility within your business? In my experience, I think there is, and there is huge value in it. Face-to-face is the glue that binds a business together and, in my opinion, is still the best way to create the relatedness between colleagues that allows a business to get things done. Humans after all are social animals, we generally do better when we operate together as opposed to separate. Everyone benefits Undoubtedly, the ease of remote communications via technology have huge benefits, but face-to-face interactions go far beyond that. Mobility can come in many forms, whether it be an occasional inter-office or inter-departmental visit, or a secondment and placement nationally or internationally. Sometimes you need to force that mobility and create the option. Other times its a more natural event. However, the benefits can be significant, including: Fostering stronger working relationships:  How many of us have worked with colleagues based in different countries for years, but have never actually met them or spent any real time with them? Face-to-face meetings are invaluable in helping you form a better understanding of how someone operates and their personality. This is one way to ensure your working relationship is more productive. Promoting big picture thinking:  By encouraging all members of your team to get out and experience different aspects of your organisation, you will see your employees improve their understanding of the bigger picture, which in turn enables collaboration and an appreciation of the challenges other teams and departments face. Common understanding is a path to better results. A powerful succession planning tool:  Secondments and placements nationally and overseas can help develop those candidates who you believe have leadership potential, by taking them out of their comfort zone and seeing how they perform when they are pushed in at the deep end. I havent found anything yet that can replace this experience. Encouraging innovation:  Face-to-face internal interaction will encourage innovation as a result of skills transfer and learning new ways of working. My most productive sessions are those where a group of people are in the same room grappling with a problem and building on each others solutions. Improving your staff retention:  For some of your most talented and high performing employees, internal mobility or even secondments to client organisations, will be what it takes to keep them working for you and stop them leaving to join a competitor. Many people thrive on the diversity that national and international travel offers, and will bring that enthusiasm along with their new skills back to your team. It demonstrates trust:  By encouraging more and more physical internal mobility, you are sending out a clear message to your employees that you trust them to use this time productively and get as much out of it as possible. You are investing in them and in return you can expect a return on that investment. But there are challenges Despite the clear benefits of encouraging your team’s talent to be mobile, you will encounter challenges: Cost and perception:  Sending  employees out of the office costs money and could start to raise eyebrows. While away, others may question whether they are able to fulfil their core responsibilities if they are in meetings elsewhere. After all, digital technologies mean you can be closer to colleagues and clients on the other side of the globe than ever before, without leaving your desk. So why the need to go and visit them?  Ive seen this Industrial Tourism many times over my career, but one way to stamp it out is to insist that a clear agenda is agreed beforehand by all parties, with clear follow-up expected. Its amazing how quickly this becomes self-policing once everyone follows the principle. The grass is greener:  Encouraging your high performers to be more and more mobile could actually put you at risk of losing them altogether. Travel to different offices and different places, meeting different people and experiencing new things will certainly open their eyes. However, do they then wonder â€" is the grass greener on the other side? Could it get out of control?  Yes, it can unless you are careful. People need to understand you are making this investment in them because you expect their own productivity to improve. Be clear that this is what you expect in return for the trust you are placing in them and ask them to point to real life data on what has been achieved as a result. No benefit should mean no further investment. Furthermore, build a culture where people recognise they are acting as ambassadors of their business when they are mobile. Their actions as well as their words create a huge and long-lasting impression on those they interact with so it is vital they carry the responsibility of this ambassadorship well. Ultimately, it’s all about balance, and the needs of each team member should be judged on a case by case basis. It may be that digital technologies are fit for purpose in some cases, or simply that you need to encourage your employees to rely less on email, and pick up the phone or walk down the corridor more. But as I see it, as a leader, you should never underestimate the importance of real conversations, in real time, in real rooms, in real offices for both your employees and your business. Hopefully you found this blog valuable. Here are some other related blogs that you will also enjoy: Is your business doing too much typing and not enough talking? Prioritising personality in your hiring process To promote internally or to hire externally? 4 ways to grow yourself global Training at the top Prioritising personality in your hiring process Establishing an effective middle management tier How to lead from afar 15 Questions To Ask Your Interviewer from Hays