In today’s global market, many industries have expanded their workforce to other parts of the world, animation and entertainment industries included. The demand for the production of high-quality animated titles continues to increase with the release of newer consoles and the popularity of animated features on the box office, but so does the desire to ensure that animation production budgets remain reasonable. Cost is one of the main factors that have industry leaders looking outside the U.S. for production help, as it is a much more viable and cost effective support option. The idea of outsourcing was a pretty unpopular topic for discussion. Today, while there are more people outsourcing labor, there are still many companies who are wary due to employment concerns. In fact, an increasing number of companies are moving away from outsourcing and adopting an external development approach, in which there is a closer collaboration between the client and vendor where they see each other more as partners with a common goal.
I am very familiar with the stresses and benefits that come with managing a workforce an ocean away. If you’re thinking about moving part of your company, or even certain projects outside of the country, and you’re unsure how to manage that team moving forward – below are a few tips to help you get started:
Find a trustworthy and dependable manager who shares your same work ethic and company vision.
This will be the person managing the team while you are away and the person you will be trusting to direct the company. It is vital to have strategies in place that will assess skills across divergent talent sources when hiring an onsite manager. You want a manager who will share in the vision and work ethic of your company, which will help minimize potential conflict on a very basic level.
Allow the manager(s) to handle the day-to-day.
If you are like me, letting go of certain aspects of management is a difficult task. However, this is essential to allow you to do what you are good at. As a CEO, micromanaging your employees is counterproductive, especially when managing a global workforce. Do not sweat the small stuff! Clearly define the roles between you and your manager to make life simpler and more efficient.
Ensure there is open and regular communication between you and the appointed manager.
Clear communication is the only way to truly guarantee that you and your employees are on the same page. Being a part of a global workforce can leave employees feeling disconnected. It is important to maintain constant and innovative forms of communication, like video conference calls, to make your global workforce feel a part of the bigger picture. The last thing you want to happen is to not recognize a company you started.
Have a presence.
It’s important for your team to know that you’re aware of the positives and negatives going on in the office, especially when there is a great distance between you and your team. Regular visits help your employees see you as a real person, rather than another faceless CEO. This will help build relationships with your global workforce and keep everyone motivated and connected.
Stay on top of the newest software or tools that help keep team members organized and close, even when physically far apart.
We are living in a world where a vast array of technology is available to us. For instance, cloud platforms are enabling people to access centralized information and the automation of administrative tasks is creating a virtual work environment. It is important to utilize state-of-the-art HR technologies when managing a global workforce to allow employees to access files/data from anywhere and make their, and your, physical presence less crucial.
Remember to keep things in perspective knowing that any workforce is a task to manage whether across an ocean or across the street.
At the end of the day, managing a global workforce is still very similar to managing a local team. In fact, it is beneficial to have a super global and super local approach. To prevent fragmentation, allow each region to develop its employees differently and give them the freedom to handle HR processes themselves. There are a few necessary tweaks to ensure proper communication is maintained and to make sure that goals are heading in the same direction but the bottom line is, you want each region of your global workforce to fit into their local environment as well as the company’s overall image.
