By Michele McDanel (opens in new tab)
Image credit: iStock
The concepts of asynchronous communication and collaboration aren’t new, but the move to remote work in the past eighteen months forced many organizations to incorporate these methods (opens in new tab) broadly and quickly. The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid change and evolution to a new state of work, and signs point to these shifts in communication norms becoming the “new normal.”
Historically, many organizations have put a high value on face-to-face communication, or if not in person, at least synchronous communication and collaboration. This kind of communication works best when all team members are present in the same location, but as companies and teams become dispersed and even global, this model is less feasible. For a remote worker with team members in various regions, the load of online meetings could mean many hours of meeting starting in the early morning and stretching into the evening, which is mentally and physically draining.
When to work asynchronously – and when not to
As the world becomes more complex, so too do the problems we need to solve together – so less collaboration isn’t the answer. What teams need is more collaboration, and more effective and efficient collaboration, so that everyone can contribute when it’s best for them. Some tools for doing so:
- Shared whiteboards (opens in new tab) and other cloud-based collaboration tools, such as Figma, are a great way for collaborating and getting feedback on a new idea.
- Briefing documents help people get up to speed on a new development, allowing everyone to read at their own pace and schedule. Tip: use @ mentioning to get the attention of specific people you need to comment, particularly those who are busy.
- Teams channels provide spaces for sharing information, answering questions, posting documents, and team chat. Tip: Be deliberate about where and for what purposes channels are created, and avoid proliferation of channels, which can overwhelm users (opens in new tab) who can’t keep up with all the notifications or find them distracting.
Other documents depending on the format of the information being gathered are also useful – Word documents with drafts that others need to edit and comment on; Excel spreadsheets for sharing draft budgets; OneNote repositories for brainstorming and notes; and so on. Tip: To avoid confusion, consider outlining team norms as to which documents to use for what kind of work. It’s also key to leverage cloud storage so everyone can access and contribute to the documents.
Once you’ve shifted some of the work that would normally be conducted in meetings to asynchronous collaboration, what are some requirements and potential pitfalls?
- Support. Face-to-face and synchronous meetings are an ingrained habit for many; or some people may have other reasons for preferring these ways of collaborating. For asynchronous collaboration to work within a team, the majority need to be in support of the change, or at least willing to experiment.
- Scheduling. Some people will need support and/or coaching on how to schedule the asynchronous work because their calendars are full. Collaborating asynchronously won’t work if some people don’t have time to contribute.
- Time. Changing habits takes time; give people time to adjust and see the benefits of spending less time in meetings.
- Deadlines. Be clear about deadlines, and make sure to include the day and time zone by which information or contributions are needed so there’s no confusion for others working in a different region.
- Communication. Document when people will be out of office, including vacation time, so the team will know that you’re away. In many cases, over-communication and detail are important to avoid back-and-forth that could mean losing time between unclear messages. When communicating about a new project or request, include context up front; don’t assume that something will be known by everyone on the team.
Shifting work to asynchronous collaboration will still leave some situations where synchronous meetings are not just unavoidable, but crucial:
- Team building and morale – With people working remotely, finding ways to build a sense of community (opens in new tab) is more important than ever; these are worth scheduling as synchronous or sometimes in-person meetings.
- Decision-making – When the team needs to make a decision, a synchronous meeting is ideal; however, we can shorten the amount of time needed by sending briefing documents beforehand. Tip: Some people find it difficult to find time for reading documents. If you schedule time on their calendar for reading prior to the meeting, that will help ensure everyone has done the pre-reading. Some companies allocate synchronous reading time at the beginning of meetings as standard practice. (Those who are more adept at asynchronous work will not need the “reading meeting” and can skip it.)
Dealing with discomfort
User researchers put a high value on synchronous communication; after all, customer conversations are a critical component of our work (opens in new tab) and the source of the insights we provide our product development counterparts. As a result, some individuals may find it uncomfortable to ask colleagues to work asynchronously and may be concerned about the social impact. For example, they might worry that their colleague will feel put off or not valued if they suggest asynchronous collaboration instead of a meeting.
Tip: When requesting to collaborate asynchronously with someone, particularly if you are refusing a meeting request in the process, be up front about wanting to take more control of your schedule. Ask if contributing without a meeting first is something the other person would be willing to try.
A remote team that doesn’t optimize synchronous communication risks team members burning out due to being in meetings and doing work at all hours; they will also lack time for thinking and strategizing. A team that doesn’t conduct asynchronous communication effectively will have team members who feel isolated and disconnected, and people will have difficulty working together. When teams find a good balance between synchronous and asynchronous work, on the other hand, they will be efficient, effective, and connected – perhaps more so than they were before. Balancing both modes of collaboration and communication will be the key to success as remote work increasingly becomes the norm for companies worldwide.
What do you think? Will your team continue working remotely or in a hybrid model? How will these ideas help you? Tweet us your thoughts at @MicrosoftRI or follow us on Facebook (opens in new tab) and join the conversation.
Michele McDanel is a builder, an organizer, and a storyteller with a bachelor’s degree in Communications and an MBA. She is energized by solving problems and meeting business needs through communications and customer experience solutions that raise the bar. Michele enjoys building relationships and managing teams; and overall, just figuring out what the “special sauce” is that will be the competitive differentiator for a business and its solutions. She joined the team in 2019 to amplify the great UX research and data science work they do, and to showcase the thought leadership of the team across internal and external communications, events, and social media.