Strengthening Communication and Collaboration Across Distance and Time Zones

This is a whole new set of challenges for an organisation with the rise of hybrid and remote work across industries. Bridging the location and time zone gaps in employee communication and collaboration is increasingly becoming a must—most notably, where traditional ways of doing things in an office no longer apply. 

Clear communication supports team alignment, productivity, and morale, however, physical distance and differences in work hours can strain these connections. They recently published an article on the challenges of hybrid work models and complicating communication with best practices for building and maintaining high-functioning virtual teams.

Theories Supporting Effective Remote Communication

1. Media Richness Theory

Proposed by Daft and Lengel, Media Richness Theory (MRT) posits that the various means of communication—email, chat, and video calls—differ in their ability to convey complex messages with subtlety (Daft & Lengel, 1986). MRT states that teams working across time zones should choose their communication media carefully, taking into consideration the complexity of the message and the level of understanding required.

Strategic discussions can be carried on with richer media, like video conferencing, saving emails for simple updates to close some of the gaps in remote work communication.

2. Social Presence Theory 

Social Presence Theory suggests that the more interactive a communication method, the higher the social presence carried (Short, Williams & Christie, 1976). Social presence is highest in face-to-face contact; real-time video and voice calls are next in line. It would thus be relevant in a hybrid team to use means of higher social presence for important or collaborative discussions, as this would make participants feel less disconnected physically and help build team bonds stronger.

3. Psychological Safety 

Amy Edmondson's theory of psychological safety points out the role of a trusted environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas without fear of criticism (Edmondson, 1999). This is especially true in a hybrid setup when some of your workers are working from home, and such employees may feel lonely or hesitant to put forward their ideas. Managers can create a safe space for all employees to be included and valued by allowing open channels of communication and frequent check-ins.

How Hybrid Work Models Complicate Communication

Hybrid work presents certain unique challenges, including

• Asynchronous Communication Challenges 

The different time zones will not allow real-time collaboration. Delays and misunderstanding in asynchronous communication, such as emails, messages, and comments on shared files, will surely make project coordination challenging (Allen et al., 2015).

• No Face-to-Face Interactions

Regular face-to-face contact might build camaraderie and trust. In their absence, the relationships in the team might become transactional, lessening engagement (Gajendran & Harrison, 2007). 

• Dependence on digital tools

While digital tools may render communication easier, they also created "Zoom fatigue" and message overload. Clear guidelines shall be given in order to avoid too many notifications and prevent stress (Nayak et al., 2021).

CASE STUDY - GitLab's Fully Remote Work Culture

GitLab is one of the world's largest fully remote companies, with more than 65 countries represented by employees. To address the challenge of coordinating across time zones, GitLab has implemented an "async-first" approach to work, complemented by heavy documentation and guidelines in communication and collaboration. Key elements of their approach include:

• Documentation and Knowledge Sharing

GitLab follows the "handbook-first" philosophy: every process, decision, and workflow is documented and easily accessible. This decreases misunderstandings and ensures information is available at all times (GitLab, 2023).

• Flexible Work Hours and Clear Expectations

GitLab asynchronizes work, allowing all team members to work at their own pace and asynchronously communicate with clear guidelines on response time and priority levels (GitLab, 2023).

• Automated Tools for Overlap Management

GitLab relies on automation tools to handle time zone overlaps by having the scheduling tools automatically suggest meeting times with the highest possible overlap (GitLab, 2023).

Best Practices to Communicate Effectively Across Distance and Time Zones

1. Establish Communication Rules

Teams should agree on guidelines to include how and when different tools are used for different purposes. Use video calls for brainstorming, chat tools for quick questions, and emails for updates or summaries.How quickly team members can be expected to respond. For example, teams can agree whether it is acceptable to expect that responses to urgent emails are received within a couple of hours. "Offline" and "Available" Hours. Teams should allow and encourage all members to post work hours and communicate proactively when they plan to change those hours.

2. Utilize Tools Supporting Asynchronous Work

Tools such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Google Workspace allow for asynchronous communication, team members can choose when to respond to messages (Nayak et al., 2021).

3. Foster Virtual Face-to-Face Interactions

Regular video check-ins and virtual meetings are a must. Virtual "water cooler" interactions can provide more casual venues for staff to connect (Gajendran & Harrison, 2007).

4. Leverage Overlapping "Core Hours

If teams are in widely separated time zones, consider having "core hours" where team members can overlap, even if it is only an hour or two a few times per week.

Example: International Marketing Team for a Tech Startup

Imagine an international marketing team operating between the U.S., Europe, and Asia. The team uses various practices that enable communication across time zones to flow efficiently, including:

• Bi-Weekly Virtual Meetings: The team holds virtual meetings every other week during overlapping core hours for important discussions.

• Task Ownership: Each team member has clearly defined ownership of particular tasks, thus enabling asynchronous updates.

• Updates occur on a weekly basis through Slack: Every week, team members give updates on their activities; after which responses are not necessarily warranted immediately. 

• Tracking Project Management Software: They use Asana for managing tasks and deadlines, which disrupts a lot of responses. 

Conclusion

With remote and hybrid work becoming the new normal, companies need to continue evolving communication and collaboration strategies that keep productivity and morale aligned across distance and time zones. By deploying the right communication tools, practising best practices in their use, and fostering a culture of psychological safety, organisations can minimise the complexity with which remote teams work and enable them to collaborate with confidence.

References

Allen, T.D., Golden, T.D., & Shockley, K.M. (2015). How Effective Is Telecommuting? Assessing the Status of Our Scientific Findings. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 16(2), pp. 40–68.

Daft, R.L., & Lengel, R.H. (1986). Organizational information requirements, media richness and structural design. Management Science, 32(5), pp. 554–571.

Edmondson, A.C. (1999). Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), pp. 350–383.

Gajendran, R.S., & Harrison, D.A. (2007). The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown About Telecommuting: Meta-Analysis of Psychological Mediators and Individual Consequences. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(6), pp. 1524–1541.

GitLab (2023). GitLab Remote Work Handbook. Available at: https://about.gitlab.com/company/culture/remote-work/ (Accessed: 5 November 2024).

Nayak, R., Naik, N., & Kumar, S. (2021). Digital Tools and Team Collaboration: A Case Study on Overcoming ‘Zoom Fatigue’ in Remote Working. International Journal of Management and Applied Science, 7(5), pp. 10–15.

Short, J., Williams, E., & Christie, B. (1976). The Social Psychology of Telecommunications. New York: John Wiley & Sons.