The 5 Levels of Distributed Teams

Remote working, and distributed teams have quickly become an unexpected reality for many. The risk and opportunity sits with how committed our organisations are to truly embracing this way of working as we look to emerge from our lockdown in (hopefully) the coming weeks.

I was blown away by a recent episode of the Sam Harris Podcast, where Sam was speaking with Matt Mullenweg, Co-founder of Wordpress. Matt shared a frame of his 5 levels of distributed teams, and I thought it might be helpful to summarise them in a handy list. Feel free to share your thoughts, or reach out if you need any help in setting up a distributed team.

Level 1 - Unprepared

• You aren't using any tools to support remote work

Level 2 - Making an effort

• You are using tools like Zoom, Teams, or Slack, but the modes of work are the same. 
• Employees are less productive than in the office

Level 3 - Taking advantage

• You're investing in better technology and equipment, working on investment in better written communication, emphasising notes, models and collaboration.
• You are starting to feel the benefit of different types of information sharing, and the team are performing better

Level 4 - Becoming Asynchronous

• The team have agency to design their days, you are able to tap into the global talent pool and run on a 24 hour cycle
• The focus is on handing work between team members, and decision making is becoming asynchronous. 
• More space for introverts, ponderers, and those who don't speak english as their first language, to contribute.

Level 5 - Nirvana

• Your environment is designed around health and wellness, in ways you couldn't do in an office.
• The team are bringing their best selves to work, your doing better work than any in-person organisation