There seems to be a global consensus that the post-COVID office world will include a measure of hybrid working.

The level of hybrid working will vary across industries and countries, but in a world where talent is at a premium, the call from employees for more flexibility will be heeded.

Like it or not, that means organisations will have to accept remote working is here to stay, and they’ll just have to get better at it.

Canadian leadership strategist and bestselling author Dan Pontefract is one of the resources that leaders might use to think about how they manage their remote teams and strategies to improve the effectiveness of remote staff.

In this video from his Leading Remote Teams series, Dan draws on the Thomas–Kilmann Conflict Mode model as a way for leaders to understand the different dynamics in how they manage their teams.

On the Y (vertical) axis, we have assertiveness while on the X (horizontal) axis, we have cooperativeness. The Thomas–Kilmann Conflict Mode identified 5 categories of assertiveness / cooperativeness that teamsand individual team members may exhibit.

Dan says he adopted animals to signify each of the 5 leadership categories:
•    shark (win / lose) –leaders are too competitive
•    turtle (lose / lose) – leaders avoid their responsibilities
•    teddy bear (lose / win) – leaders are too accommodating
•    fox (partial win / partial lose) – leaders engagein compromises
•    humpback whale – (win / win) – leaders promote and encourage assertive and cooperative behaviours.

The metaphor that Dan wants us to understand is that successful team leaders are teachers of collaboration in the same way that humpback whales teach each other both sets of behaviours.

Dan’s leadership takeaway tips are:
•    Involve the team often, but stop when it becomes excessive
•    Be crystal clear about inclusiveness in decision making, and actions once decisions are made
•    Provide feedback, which acts to reinforce collaboration
•    Be timely and responsive, don’t wait and leave colleague confused
•    Use proactive means, especially effective for managing remote teams
•    Look, listen and learn, use all of the available communications channels to keep in touch with your teammates
•    Eliminate virtual silos, which can make remote working even more isolating.

Making our remote teams more productive is a win for everyone, and it means that organisations are much more likely to give employees the flexibility so many staff want from their employers.