By: Nicole Parmar
Distributed team modeling may just be the best option for startups. It can save businesses time and money, and it can prove to be very effective.
What Is It?
A distributed team is one that involves both on-site and off-site workers. Some companies might call a team that’s divided among different locations a remote team or a virtual team.
No matter what you call it, distributed team modeling has proven to be a cost-saving and time-saving structure for organizations of all sizes.
How It Works
Traditionally, if a business wanted to hire someone, they’d have to find them within the local talent pool. That person may be hired temporarily or into a part-time or full-time position, depending on the type of work.
Nowadays, businesses have far more flexibility when it comes to assembling a team. Whether it’s a short-term or long-term relationship, organizations get to pick from literally a global talent base. This allows them to unlock far more opportunities than ever before.
In addition to being able to hire a person who has special abilities that the local talent pool may not offer, today’s flexible work environments will benefit from the ability to hire on a per-project basis or even pay by the hour, but only when the worker is really needed.
The Benefits
When you take a moment to consider this model, it’s easy to see how it will save money. You aren’t paying wages for people you don’t need, and you’re only paying them when you do need them.
It’s also a time-saver thanks to modern platforms that make finding the right talent easy. Most of all, it’s the perfect model for startups. It enables them to take advantage of some incredible talent even if they don’t have the biggest budget.
The sheer flexibility of this model makes it an excellent choice for startups and established companies alike. That’s why more and more distributed teams are popping up around the globe. To put it simply: They work!
How To Get Started
Not everyone is made for remote work. Not everyone will be a great fit for your team. Think about the traits you value in a top developer. You’d want that team member to have technical excellence, they work well in a team setting (but also know when to lead – if need be), and most of all, they must posses open and honest communication skills.
In order to find a great team member for your distributed team model you will need to look for people who are:
- Proactive and not reactive: The best distributed team member hires are self-starters who don’t need tasks assigned or constant guidance to get things done. Not only that, when you do task them they go above and beyond for you and never complete just the bare minimum.
- Ruthless Prioritizers: Great hires have an intuitive sense of what’s important and what isn’t on a given project, narrowing in on what matters. Great team members rank all requirements from the most important to the least important, with the most important given a value of 1, the second most important given a value of 2, and the least important a 3. From there, most of the work is carried out on the 1’s and 2’s while delegating or planning to get to the 3’s.
- Superior Writers: With remote teams, communication is key. Teams are usually on Slack, RedDoor, etc and writing skills are especially crucial for remote teams.
Once you have found a key new hire, use those skills and prerequisites to continue building out our team.
Good Luck!