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Remote Innovation: Overcoming the Challenges of Distance and Disconnection

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Remote Innovation: Overcoming the Challenges of Distance and Disconnection

Innovation knows no boundaries, not even those of a home office. But inspiring creativity in a remote team requires a new approach.

In this article, we explore the strategies that successful leaders are using to foster a culture of innovation, encourage collaboration, and drive groundbreaking ideas, even when their teams are miles apart.

Read on!

Colleen Lerro Gallagher
President & CEO, OnWrd & UpWrd

At OnWrd & UpWrd, fostering a culture of innovation, especially in a remote environment, revolves around continuous learning and open communication. One specific strategy we’ve implemented is our weekly “AI Conversation” during team calls.

Each team member is encouraged to share their experiences with AI tools—what they’ve tried, what’s worked, and importantly, what hasn’t. These discussions not only demystify AI but also normalize the learning curve associated with adopting new technologies.

Additionally, we maintain a dedicated AI-focused Slack channel where the team posts articles, discusses different uses of AI, and shares updates on the latest developments in the field. This ongoing dialogue keeps everyone engaged and encourages a proactive approach to experimentation and learning.

The objective is clear: inspire every team member to embrace and explore new technologies, ensuring that experimentation and innovation become routine aspects of our work culture even when we’re spread across the country. We believe that understanding both successes and setbacks in AI applications is invaluable, as it drives improvement and sparks further innovation.

Burak Özdemir
Founder, Character Calculator

One effective strategy for encouraging innovation in a remote work environment is promoting collaboration between different departments.

By allowing team members from various areas to work together on projects or brainstorming sessions, you can bring different ideas and skills to the table, which leads to more creative solutions.

For example, pairing a developer with a marketing specialist on a project can lead to new ideas that neither would have thought of alone.

This teamwork not only sparks creativity but also helps break down barriers that can happen in remote work.

In our company, this approach has resulted in a 25% increase in new project initiatives over the past year.

Regularly switching team members into cross-department projects helps keep new ideas coming, which boosts innovation and improves overall productivity.

Gauri Manglik
CEO and Co-Founder, Instrumentl

In my experience, fostering innovation in a distributed team requires intention and effort. The spontaneous water cooler conversations that spark new ideas don’t happen when people aren’t together physically.
That’s why I make it a priority to create spaces for people to connect and collaborate across locations.

We have random virtual coffee chats, ideation sessions, and informal gatherings that are social but also spark that creative magic. I encourage remote brainstorming in small groups, using tools like Miro or Mural to capture ideas in real time.

It’s also key to promote a culture where speaking up and sharing ideas is welcomed, not just from the extroverts but from the quieter voices too. I consciously draw people out and make sure remote folks don’t get drowned out by the louder in-office crowd.

At the end of the day, innovation is unleashed when people feel empowered to think boldly and work creatively, no matter where they are. That’s the culture I aim to build.

Gary Collins
Managing Director, B2B News

To foster a culture of innovation in a remote setting, I recommend implementing a “Virtual Innovation Lab” program.

This initiative creates a dedicated space and time for employees to explore creative ideas outside their regular responsibilities. The program schedules monthly “Innovation Days” where team members step away from usual tasks to focus on innovative projects.

A digital platform, such as a dedicated Slack channel or Miro board, serves as a hub for idea sharing, collaboration, and voting on promising concepts. Cross-functional teams are formed to work on selected ideas, ensuring diverse perspectives and skill sets. Senior leaders provide resources and mentorship to help develop these ideas.

At the end of each Innovation Day, teams present their concepts to the entire company in virtual showcases. A reward system recognizes the most innovative ideas through acknowledgment, bonuses, or the opportunity to lead project implementation.

This approach fosters innovation by dedicating time for creative thinking, encouraging cross-departmental collaboration, providing a structured process for idea development, creating a safe space for risk-taking and experimentation, and recognizing innovative efforts.

This can be implemented by:

  • Utilizing collaborative tools and platforms like Slack, Miro, or custom virtual brainstorming spaces to facilitate easy sharing of ideas.
  • Scheduling regular virtual brainstorming sessions or “innovation days” where team members can step outside their regular duties to explore new concepts.
  • Creating a psychologically safe environment where employees feel comfortable sharing unconventional ideas without fear of criticism.
  • Implementing an “open door” policy for digital communication, where team members can easily reach out to leadership with new ideas.
  • Recognizing and rewarding innovative contributions through virtual “shout-outs” or other forms of public acknowledgment.

By making innovation a regular, structured part of the remote work environment, this strategy helps maintain creativity and forward-thinking, even when teams are physically apart, ultimately driving the company’s growth and adaptability in a rapidly changing business landscape.

Hayley Gillman
CEO of BOTI

A practical way to encourage innovation in a remote team is by setting up regular virtual brainstorming sessions using tools like Miro or Microsoft Teams. These sessions help break down barriers between departments and promote teamwork across different areas, often leading to new and creative ideas.

Using structured methods like mind mapping or SCAMPER keeps these sessions focused and engaging, giving everyone a chance to share their thoughts without feeling restricted by traditional office hierarchies.

Equally important is creating a space where employees feel safe to express their ideas without fear of judgment. Promoting open conversations and viewing mistakes as learning opportunities can help team members feel more comfortable taking risks and trying new things.

This supportive environment allows teams to explore new ideas and make continuous improvements, even when working remotely.

Nick Valentino
VP of Market Operations, Bellhop Atlanta Movers

If we want our remote teams to innovate, we need to give them time and resources to do it.

We keep a to-do list of innovation tasks: pain points in our business model, open-ended questions, and software platforms to try out. Our employees can spend up to 10% of their working hours each week tackling anything on this to-do list, and we offer performance bonuses for any problems solved or new platforms adopted.

This provides just enough structure to keep things on track, and lets employees display their creativity and versatility.

Warner Quiroga
President & Owner, Prestige Home Buyers

I would say first and foremost, be a great listener, we have two ears and one mouth for a reason.

Listen to your team members’ concerns, listen to what their needs are, listen to how they act, how they do their work, how they come into work.

If it’s virtual, how you see them on zoom, how they interact with other people on the team.

Listen and see because that tells you a lot about it.

Take it into consideration and who knows, you’d be surprised and in some cases their advice or the collective advice of a big group of team members talking and just debating ideas could result in a better idea than the one you might have initially had.

That’s why it’s also important to know and make sure you hire people that are willing to be coachable and to grow with you.

As the company grows this way, nobody gets left behind and everybody can stay ahead and continue growing because as the years go on, there’s gonna be more and more obstacles and competition that will arise.

So we need to stay ahead of the curve to be able to continue succeeding and having a prosperous future.

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing their insights.

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

Recent Posts

Hiring a Fractional CMO: 11 Leaders Share Insights

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Hiring a Fractional CMO: 11 Leaders Share Insights

The HR Spotlight team reached out to industry leaders and experts for their take on hiring a Fractional CMO. We enquired if they were in on the idea or against it and asked them to elaborate on the elements that influenced their decision as well as the pros and cons on the ground. Here, we share with you some of the most revealing insights. Read on!

Celeste Levitt
Project Manager, ECA Partners

At ECA Partners, we’ve seen firsthand the positive impact that hiring a fractional CMO can have on a company’s overall marketing strategy and long-term growth.

Hiring part-time C-suite talent in general is an economical solution for companies navigating rapid change, managing major projects, or filling a leadership gap. But cost-efficiency is far from the most persuasive reason to hire a fractional CMO.

Instead, companies should consider how these executives offer a unique blend of agility and specific expertise that can be tailored to their particular needs and challenges in the moment.

Companies can opt to hire fractional CMOs not solely for their general experience, but for their specialized knowledge, niche industry connections, and expertise in field-specific data analytics.

This hiring strategy can therefore allow marketing teams to maximize the potential benefits of a CMO.

Jim Kreinbrink
CEO, Hyper Dog Media

As the president of an SEO agency, I understand the value of a fractional CMO, especially for businesses operating on a tight budget or in their growth phase. Hiring a fractional CMO provides the benefit of gaining high-level expertise without the long-term commitment or cost of a full-time executive.

However, the primary drawback rests in their lesser involvement in daily operations compared to an in-house CMO. This means a potential lack of understanding of the company’s vision, culture, and team dynamics. I believe the decision to hire a fractional CMO needs to be influenced by company size, business growth phase, and most significantly, the specific marketing needs of the business.

Anna Parvatova
Brand Manager and Creative Director, SNS Nails

I can see how a fractional CMO can be valuable in specific cases. In particular, it would make so much sense in a startup that’s starting to dip its toes into scaling and expansion but doesn’t have the resources yet to hyper-specialize. A fractional CMO can fill in the void left by a non-existent marketing team to make sure the organization’s marketing goals are strategized and delivered.

However, I don’t think of a fractional CMO as a permanent solution. Eventually, the organization will have to think of building its internal marketing team that’s fully committed to the organization’s goals and voice. Any company that gets stuck with a fractional CMO for an indefinite time is either not growing or getting itself stuck in a bottleneck.

That doesn’t take away from the immense value that a CMO brings to the table, however. As is the case with the fractional CFO, a fractional CMO allows an organization to leverage industry-leading expertise for a fraction of the cost of hiring an internal team.

Ryan Keiffer
CEO, Track 2 Consulting

Most smaller companies (less than $20M) and non-profits of all sizes don’t have the budget to hire a full time CMO. But they’re at a distinct disadvantage to larger competitors if they have no C-level marketing insight to guide them. A fractional CMO engagement gives them that critical strategic leadership, whether the need is for 10% or 75% of a full time CMO.

Our Fractional CMO clients get tremendous value from our work leading their strategy, optimizing their marketing staff and vendors, avoiding costly missteps, and maintaining focus and energy on the bigger picture: purpose, effectiveness and results.

And, as a Fractional CMO, our clients can trust that we are focused purely on their best interests because we have no interest in encouraging them to spend more money on marketing. We receive no financial incentives or kickbacks from any vendors or other marketing expenditures.

Joy Bian
Sales and Marketing Manager, RELYIR

As the Marketing Manager for a globally recognized artificial grass manufacturer, I see the potential value in hiring a Fractional CMO. The strongest influence on this perspective is the potential for obtaining high-level guidance and expertise without the full-time investment.

For instance, in the dynamic and competitive artificial turf market, having a Fractional CMO ensures we benefit from top-tier marketing strategies and innovation, while also maintaining financial prudence. Plus, it holds the possibility of bringing an external view into existing processes, which can prove beneficial in identifying improvement areas or untapped opportunities.

Therefore, in scenarios where the company is expanding or transitioning, this hire could provide key strategic insights with the flexibility to scale back when necessary.

Lens Watson
Public Relations Manager, ELEHEAR

The idea of hiring a fractional CMO can be highly beneficial for businesses like ours at ELEHEAR, where innovation drives us. When we deal with niche technology like hearing aids, the need for specialized marketing insight is paramount.

A fractional CMO brings diverse industry experiences to the table, contributing to a fresh perspective that helps in strategizing our marketing efforts. They offer tailored advice, focusing exclusively on areas that need improvement. That being said, businesses need to be ready for a high degree of adaptability that this position demands, due to its very nature of offering fractional time and attention.

Saugat Adhikari
Co-Founder, Magical Nepal

Drawing from my digital marketing background, I’d assert that hiring a Fractional CMO can be an excellent strategy depending on a company’s needs.

The most significant advantage is the wealth of experience brought to the table. Fractional CMOs often come with years of diverse experience across industries, enabling them to develop and execute versatile strategies effectively. They provide startups and SMEs access to top-tier marketing expertise that may be financially unviable to maintain full-time.

Conversely, the critical drawback is the lack of full-time availability. This limited engagement may result in less commitment and fewer contributions to the culture and inner workings of the organization.

Therefore, whether or not a Fractional CMO is a good fit largely depends on the specific needs, budget, and long-term goals of the company.

Greta Maiocchi
Head of Marketing & Admissions, OPIT

As the Head of Marketing and Recruitment at OPIT, I see significant advantages in hiring a Fractional CMO, especially for start-ups and mid-sized companies.

The most compelling point in favor is access to top-tier marketing expertise at a fraction of the cost. A fractional CMO can bring industry insights, strategic direction, and a vast network without the full-time commitment. This means companies benefit from the strategist’s knowledge and experience, which can efficiently drive marketing efforts and facilitate growth.

However, it’s important to ensure the CMO understands the company’s vision and culture, as alignment here is crucial for success.

So, while the cost efficiency is a major pro, the potential lack of cultural understanding could be a con to consider.

Sarah Mitchell
Marketing Director, Relyir

From my perspective, one key factor shaping my view is the access to high-level expertise that may otherwise be financially strenuous for small to mid-sized businesses.

By hiring a Fractional CMO, companies can tap into a wealth of knowledge and experience to implement strategic marketing goals without having to bear the full-time executive salary.

However, the potential downside could be a lack of deep understanding of the company’s unique culture and objectives because of their divided attention between multiple clients.

It’s essentially a balancing act between acquiring top-tier expertise and maintaining an in-depth understanding of your business.

Peter Lewis
CEO, Strategic Pete

One thing they often appreciate is the ability to get high-level marketing expertise right when they need it, without the full-time commitment.

For example, a client of mine needed to overhaul their go-to-market strategy for a product launch but didn’t have the budget or need for a full-time CMO. We worked together for six months, nailed the launch, and then they scaled back once they were on solid ground.

On the flip side, a potential downside is ensuring everyone’s on the same page. If the company’s goals aren’t crystal clear, or if the team’s not aligned, it can create some disconnect.

I’ve seen this happen when the objectives aren’t well-defined—suddenly, you’re not sure if you’re rowing in the same direction. That’s why upfront clarity and regular check-ins are non-negotiable.

David Sides
PR Marketing, Gori Law Firm

In my experience, the strongest pro for hiring a Fractional CMO is the access to high-level marketing expertise without the full-time cost. As a law firm, we need sophisticated marketing strategies, but we don’t always need (or can’t always afford) a full-time CMO. A Fractional CMO brings a wealth of experience from various industries, which can lead to fresh, innovative ideas for our firm’s marketing.

They can help us stay current with digital marketing trends and provide strategic guidance on our overall marketing approach. This is especially valuable in the competitive legal field where standing out is challenging. We’ve found that a Fractional CMO can give us the strategic oversight we need while allowing our in-house team to handle day-to-day execution.

However, it’s important to find someone who can truly understand the unique aspects of legal marketing and our firm’s specific needs. The right Fractional CMO can significantly boost a law firm’s marketing efforts, providing expert guidance without the need to hire a full-time executive.

This approach offers flexibility and specialized knowledge that can really make a difference in how we reach and engage potential clients.

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing their insights.

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

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13 Factors Impacting Your Team Productivity

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13 Factors Impacting Your Team Productivity

HR teams around the world fight the productivity fight each day, within their own teams and out on the work floor of the businesses they serve.

What is team productivity, and why is your team productivity nosediving?

The HR Spotlight team set out to find answers to these questions, and here we are to provide you with a list that helps you identify shortcomings and shows you where you might be going wrong.

What is Team Productivity?

To shed more light on what team productivity is all about, let’s consider workers A and B contributing to the productivity charts of the company they work for with their own set of tasks and responsibilities.

Employee A is doing wonderfully well at the workplace and has all the traits from self-motivation to work ethics that keep delivery and performance 100%.

On the other hand, Employee B suffers from low morale and a general dislike for every task placed at their desk each day, which means that the delivery and performance B brings to the table is only 50%. Put the two together, draw out an average, and you know your team productivity stands at 75%.

But is this team productivity number of 75% only because of the high performance that A delivers and the low performance of B? Or are there other factors at play behind the scenes? Is this even the right method to derive team productivity? Or does this method take the spotlight away from other prevalent factors at the workplace and beyond?

Of course, employee contribution does drive productivity, but will the resolution of the problem on an individual level provide all the answers?

Factors Impacting Your Team Productivity

Well, as it turns out, team productivity has to do with a lot more than employee productivity, and here’s the list that tells you why your team productivity is nosediving.

#1: Recruitment

Your recruitment process is where it all begins, so yes, the recruitment strategies you have in place do have an impact. After all, it is your recruitment process that determines the percentage of As and Bs in your organization. It also determines the overall commitment you’re able to derive from your employees through all that you offer them right from the recruitment stages. If your recruitment isn’t being done right, it has a direct adverse impact on team productivity.

#2: Onboarding

Your onboarding process determines the commitment you derive from your employees. When an employee meets a highly driven HR team and is introduced to managers who are heartily sharing stories of how they lead a workplace that is all about performance and productivity, this approach rubs off on employees.

On the other hand, when new employees are met with a lethargic onboarding process and interact with a team that is not very willing to inspire or lead from the front, chances are they witness this same attitude playing out on the work floor too. Under these circumstances, even the most productive employees will find it challenging to keep up their drive to perform well.

#3: Managers and leaders

Are the managers and leaders at your workplace an inspirational lot? Or do they suffer from performance and productivity issues too? When the ones who lead are lost, how can they lead their teams toward optimal performance?

In the absence of managers and leaders who believe in leading from the front, no team can even create a team productivity roadmap, to begin with. If your managers are uninspiring, do little to trace the negatives in your team, do even less to inspire, and are just not committed to their roles, your team productivity is bound to nosedive.

#4: Productivity roadmap

No matter how self-driven, self-motivated, and well-trained, every employee requires a productivity roadmap that clearly references their tasks and responsibilities and shows them exactly how they can contribute to the team’s productivity. When this roadmap is unclear, when it is vague enough to confuse employees, or when it doesn’t even exist, team productivity will undoubtedly take a hit. After all, even the best workers need direction and know at least the basics of their production schedule to deliver their best. Without this roadmap, even the best efforts of an outstanding workforce are wasted.

#5: Learning and development

Every workplace requires a set of learning and development practices that help employees do better. When your workplace does not commit to learning and development and has a workforce that isn’t learning anything new or even forgetting what they’ve learned until now, you will soon have a team that just isn’t as capable as their peers who are exposed to regular learning opportunities.

In addition to affecting team productivity, the lack of learning also leaves employees less capable. They learn nothing new, have nothing to show for all the months or years they’ve spent at your company, and soon enough, will realize that all they’ve done is work without learning anything worthwhile. And one look at the productivity numbers will show that they haven’t contributed a lot on that front either.

#6: Remuneration, perks, and benefits

Different factors drive every employee in your team, and it is up to you as a leader to provide the right balance. When you fail to do so, employee performance will face a negative impact too. The remuneration your employees receive on a regular basis and the perks and benefits that add up to this fixed amount are major influential factors on this list.

Suppose you do not offer suitable remuneration, and the perks and benefits in line do little to drive employees to give their best. In that case, there is a strong chance that your productivity numbers will reflect this lack of motivation.

#7: Growth opportunities

Promotions to the next seat in the hierarchy, better positions within the team, or even a full-fledged bump to the post of a manager are all key influencers that inspire employee productivity. Employees are driven hard by the motivation to grow within the team and even more by opportunities that lead them to managerial positions. In the absence of these opportunities, employees have little to work towards, and this means that your productivity will nosedive too.

#8: Ownership issues

When employees know they are being held responsible for certain productivity factors, they also plan their input accordingly. In the absence of ownership, employees find it difficult to peg responsibilities on themselves. This means that the onus of performing well at the workplace seldom finds its way to them. If your team hierarchy lacks this critical element of ownership and creates a rather vague ownership structure, it can affect productivity negatively too. After all, when employees don’t even know what they’re responsible for, how can they measure the effort required to accomplish them?

#9: Work distribution

Every employee has unique strengths and weaknesses, and when the work they do matches this unique list, the output is of the same caliber too. For example, if your employees are being allotted tasks that they’re not really good at, it would be a joke to expect high team productivity. On the other hand, when you’re able to identify each employee’s strengths and prepare a work list that makes the most of these strengths, productivity is bound to spike. Not paying enough attention to the work distribution process is, therefore, one factor affecting team productivity.

#10: Project management

A solid project management system helps managers define every work process and distribute responsibilities to the right members of their team and enables real-time tracking of every function. It shows managers as well as employees where they stand at any given point of the project in terms of schedule and output.

When your team does not have a robust project management system in place, there is no way to measure output against the requirements of the project, and even the timeline goes haywire. So if the project management system your team relies on isn’t the right one, you can be sure that this factor is draining your team’s productivity too.

#11: Employee freedom

Employee freedom is a rather delicate subject, and every manager who heads a team knows how tough it is to create the right balance when it comes to allowing certain employees freedoms and disallowing others. When the balance is right, team productivity is hardly an issue; when it’s wrong, the direct adverse impact on productivity is quite evident. So what is employee freedom in this context?

Suppose your managers are micro-managing the entire workflow and not giving employees the freedom to make even the most minor decisions. In that case, your employees do not have enough space to give their best and work freely. On the other hand, if your managers are not paying enough attention to their employees’ work patterns and it’s all haywire from a team’s point of view, this approach contributes to a productivity nosedive too.

#12: Teamwork

You can have 10 of the world’s best players on your team and still lose the easiest of games if there is a lack of teamwork and camaraderie among the players. This is how it is at the workplace too. If the employees on your team do not get along with each other, if there is a dearth of collaboration and communication, and even worse, if there are employees who make deliberate attempts to sabotage the performance of others, there’s no way your team productivity can stay away from the damage caused by such an environment.

The lack of teamwork contributes to a drop in productivity in more ways than you think, and even the ease of projects and simplicity of work schedules will cease to matter under these circumstances.

#13: Health and wellness

The health and wellness of your individual employees add up to the health and wellness of your team. And while encouraging your workforce to pay attention to their physical and mental health is always a good thing, ensuring that this is a thing at the workplace is crucial too. After all, your employees easily spend the most waking hours of their day at the workplace, and what they do here regarding their health is also influential to their well-being. In the absence of company commitment to employees’ health and wellness, team productivity is sure to bear the brunt.

Pulling Your Team Up from a Productivity Nosedive

Now that you know the possible reasons behind the nosediving productivity of your team, you can lay out the plans to tackle each problem too. At HR Spotlight, we have all the answers you need to latch on to high-productivity models at your workplace and enable the HR team to do more than they ever thought they would.

Do you have any more factors you think we can add to this list? Or is there something else you’d like to share with us?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.