The Key to Building a Successful Remote Organization? Data.

Centralized offices have one big advantage — you can get everyone in a room until they solve a problem. But when you work virtually, you have to plan every part of the decision-making process — especially when it is asynchronous. Small things that we take for granted in physical meetings, such as body language, non-verbal agreement, and interpersonal connections require a different kind of attention when you work remotely. For a virtual organization to function, geographically dispersed teams need the ability to communicate effectively. But that’s only half the story. Decision-making has to be delegated and decentralized as well — and that means using data to shake up your culture. Data will never be a substitute for genuine social interactions or company culture, but as we build more global, distributed, and virtual organizations, what it offers is something just as important: a common language for transformation.