Managing offshore teams is not an easy task, as it involves various parameters to balance out between offshore and onsite teams. Cultural sensitivity is one of them and it should be handled with effective strategies.

Hiring offshore teams has become not only a permanent trend but also a turning point to bring the global talent pool to work for business success. When it is hard to find the right candidate in your proximity then you can choose better options available at offshore locations. With more talent, experience and less cost for making offshore individuals a permanent part of your team.

But there are many challenges managing offshore teams like time zone differences, data security issues and cultural and communication barriers.

To make things work smoothly and friendly and to deliver maximum productivity with both teams a lot of integration and team merging is needed. How to break the ice? So that both teams can work in parallel directions by collaborating effectively with each other for the company’s success. There are many things that need to be done to bridge the gaps. Here in this guide, we will highlight some of the deepest insights about what challenges managing offshore teams comes across.

Managing Offshore Teams

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How Cultural Sensitivity Effects Managing Offshore Teams

Cultural considerations and sensitivities often come with offshore hirings as every individual belongs to a different region comprising their own cultural beliefs and values. In workplace settings culture seems to be hard to define.  As every individual has his or her own set of skills and thinking. These include behaviors, habits, nationality, and much more.

For instance, if the company is US-based they may give a compliment by saying “you are totally killing it” or “You are on fire” but for other regions some individuals might find it hard to digest or get offended by it. When teams work from different regions the cultural sensitivity needs to be managed effectively. Here we are sharing some tips on how to overcome some of the cultural sensitivities.

Cultural Familiarization is a two-way road

For both teams if they are existing to any offshore location understanding and getting the initial familiarization with each other cultural aspect well benefit both the teams. They can start by taking part in active participation, building mutual trust in beliefs, values, and traditions to make communication more friendly. This approach also develops trust and confidence.

Training and Onboarding

Challenges managing offshore teams also include incompetent training and onboarding. Well, whenever hiring offshore teams either through the recruiting agency or by your company HR always make sure to provide them with detailed training before onboarding them to the current work off team. And most importantly the training not only includes technical or professional learning, but it should also include the cultural and behavioral aspects of working with offshore or onshore team.

Prompting Social Interactions

Well, you can always promote social interactions among the teams so they can get to know each other better. These interactions can also include going on virtual coffee or meal break. The company HR can also arrange some effective communication virtual activities which will help to understand each other and interact.

Overcoming Communications Barriers

In managing offshore teams one prime challenge comes from language. The main language in which business must be delivered should be learned and understood by both teams. Whether its English or mandarin the offshore teams should be fluent enough in business language to perform the active communication without any barrier or difficulty. Language familiarization also opens further communication lines and assists daily, weekly, or monthly meetings.

Daily Meetings are the Key

Offshore team management also requires daily updates through day-start or day end meetings. These meetings play an active part in discussing the project updates, any challenges to face, things which need to be improvised and important deadlines. This also gives the chance to another team member to communicate with each other and know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

Always give or seek the Feedback

Giving feedback or seeking it are very crucial for managing offshore teams effectively. As feedback gives in-depth insights into your work performance and capabilities. Your company can encourage team members to share their thoughts, concerns or any questions they have. The constructive and collaborative feedback will improve both teams’ communication and performance and will give a boost to their confidence.

Organizing the Workflow

For clear and effective workflow organizing team member tasks is very important. You can use an app or software for managing offshore teams. Assign them the task on that software mention the deadline and generate ETA also give instruction what tools to use while performing that task. They can also collaborate with other team members and report any challenge or difficulty if faced.

Avoiding the Micromanagement

Offshore team management also involves giving leverage, useful resources, and decision power to the team members. This power of autonomy will ensure that the team can generate a sense of confidence. But you can always review their performance to avoid any blunders or guide them in the areas where improvement is required.

Giving Appraisal

Who does not love getting appreciation and appraisal for the hard work they have done? You can track the performance of both teams and monitor performance and KPIs (key performance indicators) to evaluate teams’ productivity and meeting deadlines. Give them appreciation and recognition will also encourage them to work better for the future workflow.

Celebrating Achievements

Managing offshore teams also involves actively celebrating achievements. Make offshore team also a prominent part of your celebration so that they do not feel neglected. Connect with them online at any milestone like cutting cake or ribbon.

Celebrating Achievements

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Case Study highlighting Remote Scouts and its efficient offshore workforce management

Located in the USA and Pakistan, the Remote Scouts is the leading recruiting and staffing agency which has access to global talent pool for successfully staffing professional candidates. With its head office located in the USA, the company manages both offshore teams which is in Lahore, Pakistan and nearshore team which is in Costa Rica.

Remote Scouts has set the prime example of managing offshore teams effectively. There offshore teams work effortlessly through Lahore, Pakistan, without any challenges of language, time zones and cultural sensitivities.

Let us see what company’s board member has to say:

“The Remote Scouts offshore teams have mingled up so well with our current onsite workforce. It almost seems like they are located next door. Despite the time zones difference, they have integrated so well and managed to attract new clients and increased the number of staffers for business expansion.”

According to the Global Culture Survey 2021:

By the consulting firm PwC, 66% of C-suite executives and board members believe culture is more important to performance than organization’s strategy or operating model. This also becomes more important when integrating and collaborating with the offshore team.

Effective Strategies for Overcoming Cultural Insensitivities.

Awareness implementation

Cultural awareness is very important for both teams working together. The company can prepare some training materials to educate and give basic awareness to the employees about the cultural practices.

Open Communication Channels

Establishing a channel for honest communication will give them the benefit of getting to any query or clear any confusion. Implementing regular meetings will also help avoid any cultural mismatch or communication.

Exemplary Leadership

The companies who are blessed with good leadership always thrive and flourish. They make sure to establish and communicate some rules and regulations for both offshore and onshore team members.

Hire Remote Scouts for Hiring & Managing your Offshore Teams

Managing offshore teams effectively seems difficult but you can make this task easier with Remote Scouts. We can help you hire offshore and nearshore talent, and on top of that we will manage an offshore team for your business needs. No matter which industry you belong to we can bring a talented professional or the whole team for your business requirements.

Make a discovery call to get started on building your offshore team with us!