Text: Marikka Nevamäki, photos: Junnu Lusa
Mika Okkola is a Director, Developer and Platform Evangelist at Microsoft Finland. He has a special interest in organizational development and digital working environments. Prior to moving to Microsoft he held several executive positions, most recently at Quartal, Defcom, and WM‐data.
Working in global online teams – what are the pros & cons of speed? Working with people from different time zones can either be an advantage or disadvantage, depending on your ability to schedule the workflow to your benefit. At best, when one “shift” ends, another team player catches the baton seamlessly, so that there is someone working on the case around the clock. But if the baton is not moving around according to time zones, it can be dropped for a long time in-between.
How are cultural differences regarding speed manifested in online meetings? I think cultural differences are not as significant now as they were some years ago. People are more aware and able to adapt, probably thanks to travel, globalization and social media. Of course some cultural characteristics still remain. For example, the Finns are very hands-on and result-oriented, sometimes at the cost of personal relationships. While others might feel the need for further discussions and softer communications, a Finn might push ahead rather relentlessly. We should perhaps learn to appreciate the fact that a great deal of the added value in knowledge work is created through interaction. Another great skill is to stop for a minute and think – speed can blind us to attractive alternatives.
How should an online meeting be organized to proceed at good speed? It is important to involve all the participants in the online meeting. If there are people “listening in”, the chances are that you will lose their attention in no time. A common mistake is that the organizers who sit in one room together start to dominate the discussion. You should find a good rhythm, ask a lot of questions to involve people and avoid long monologues. Establishing mutual trust is more difficult online than face-to-face, but just as important.
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