How To Enhance Team Coordination In A Hybrid Workforce Setting

Team coordination is a tricky task to master — particularly for hybrid teams. How do you coordinate a team that’s not working in the same building?

The reality is effective team coordination is essential to success. It keeps communication flowing, provides clarity around roles and responsibilities, and ensures that hybrid employees can work as efficiently as possible.

So what can you do to boost team coordination?

A lot. From using the right technology to setting up clear processes, let’s look at how you can set your hybrid workers up for success.

Quick summary:

To improve hybrid team coordination, focus on using the right technology, such as collaboration and scheduling tools, to enhance communication and alignment. Establish clear communication guidelines, define roles and responsibilities, and provide sufficient training to ensure all team members are equipped to collaborate effectively. Encourage open and honest feedback to build trust and continuously refine team processes. These strategies ensure clarity, accountability, and seamless collaboration across remote and in-office team members.

What Is Team Coordination?

Team coordination is the process of team members working together effectively toward a common goal. For example, to achieve a specific project outcome or build a new product.

For hybrid teams, the process involves organizing and aligning efforts between remote and in-office team members. It requires clear communication, transparent role definition, and digital tools to facilitate seamless collaboration — regardless of location.

What Are the Different Types of Team Coordination?

There are two main types of team coordination: explicit and implicit. Let’s look at these in more detail.

Explicit Coordination

Explicit coordination is the process of discussing and sharing team coordination efforts. You create clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and processes that are communicated and agreed on by team members.

A good example of explicit team coordination is project management.

A project manager creates a detailed project plan outlining each team member’s tasks, deadlines, and how to track progress. The project team reviews the plan, knows their role, and understands the process of completing the project.

Explicit coordination is helpful when managing hybrid employees as it provides clarity, ensuring everyone’s on the same page. However, it can become a little overbearing if it crosses the line into micromanagement.

To avoid micromanaging, focus on the outcomes — not the processes. Use explicit coordination to communicate objectives, deadlines, and deliverables, but don’t control how the work gets done more than necessary.

Implicit Coordination

Implicit coordination relies on a shared understanding and mutual trust among team members. It’s more casual than explicit coordination as it doesn’t involve cut-and-dry boundaries and expectations.

Imagine a graphic designer and a content writer are working together on a new campaign. Without needing constant direction, the designer anticipates the writer’s need for visual assets and proactively shares design drafts. The writer also adjusts the copy to align with the design without needing specific instructions.

Throughout the process, they both adjust their work based on unspoken cues. When one notices the other is behind schedule, they step in to assist. Both team members intuitively support each other without explicit instructions.

Although the idea of implicit collaboration is appealing, it can be challenging for hybrid teams. It lacks the clarity and certainty that most teams require to work together successfully. However, it can be useful for building rapport and trust between team members.

Other Types of Team Coordination

In addition to explicit and implicit coordination, other types of coordination play a part in successful hybrid collaboration:

• Task coordination. You assign team tasks, set deadlines, and monitor progress to avoid overlap or confusion.
• Communication coordination. You organize how team members share information, updates, and feedback to ensure smooth communication.
• Role coordination. You clarify each team member’s responsibilities to eliminate duplication of efforts or gaps in coverage.
• Schedule coordination. You align team members’ schedules to ensure timely collaboration and task completion. You also accommodate various working hours and time zones.
• Resource coordination. You manage the allocation and distribution of resources (like tools, equipment, or materials) to ensure team members have what they need to succeed.
• Goal coordination. You ensure all team members understand and are working toward a collective goal.

Coordinating all of these elements provides structure, clarity, and alignment, ensuring that hybrid teams work well together.

Why Is Successful Team Coordination So Important for Hybrid and Remote Teams?

Successful coordination in hybrid teams can help:

To Improve Team Communication

A key part of team coordination involves clarifying when and how to communicate with team members. It ensures that everyone knows:

• Which communication platforms to use
• Who to contact with specific questions
• When to contact people

For example, let’s say that your hybrid team is working on developing a new product. Someone in the marketing team has a question about product functionality. With effective team coordination, the marketer knows:

• Who to contact — the product development lead
• How to contact them — via an instant communication channel
• When it’s best to contact them — during some free time in their schedule

To Ensure Accountability and Responsibility

Team coordination involves establishing roles and responsibilities in the team. The clear division ensures that team members know exactly what they’re responsible for, which boosts accountability.

Why is this important?

Because having accountability can increase employee motivation and overall happiness. And a happy workforce is more productive (12%), according to studies from a UK university. All that improves the overall team dynamic.

To Increase Efficiency

Failing to align hybrid teams can impact efficiency. Duplicating work, wasting time on unnecessary activities, and working toward different goals are a few examples.

Team coordination brings everyone on the same page, minimizing errors and ensuring hybrid teams work as efficiently as possible.

Think about booking a meeting room space as an example. With effective coordination, you ensure that bookings are smooth and efficient. Without it, you risk double bookings or overstaying meeting time frames — both of which can impact the team’s ability to work.

5 Tips to Improve Hybrid Team Coordination

In workplaces where teams operate across remote and in-office settings, maintaining seamless coordination is key to effective collaboration and remote work productivity.

But how exactly can you ensure successful hybrid team coordination?

Here’s a quick checklist:

Let’s walk through this checklist in more detail.

1. Use the Right Technology

Technology is essential when coordinating hybrid teams. It facilitates seamless communication, enhances collaboration, and helps manage tasks and projects effectively — all of which ensures that hybrid team members stay connected and aligned.

Here are some useful systems to consider:

• Collaboration technology that helps team members work together effectively, like client management systems or work scheduling platforms. The best collaboration tools depend on your business needs, but common examples include platforms like Google Workspace and HubSpot (both of which integrate with OfficeRnD Workplace).
• Communication platforms that allow hybrid teams to stay in touch when working in different locations. Instant messaging platforms like Slack and video call software like Microsoft Teams are a couple of examples.

OfficeRnD Workplace is also a useful tool for hybrid work management and team coordination. Use it to see who’s in the office, visualize hybrid employee work schedules, and find and book desks and rooms for onsite collaboration on any device.

2. Establish Clear Communication Guidelines

Clear communication guidelines establish expectations for how, when, and where individual team members communicate. It reduces misunderstandings and provides clarity when people are working at home or in the office.

Here’s how to create clear communication guidelines:

• Define communication channels. Specify which channels to use for different types of communication. For example, instant messaging for quick questions, email for long-form communication, and video calls for meetings.
• Set response time expectations. Establish how quickly team members should respond to communication so team members know when to expect replies. For example, two working days for an email and a single day for instant messages.
• Clarify who to contact for certain queries or updates. Identify team members responsible for specific topics to ensure everyone directs queries to the right person. For example, contacting the HR manager with personnel questions or team supervisors to find out more about specific tasks and activities.

Tip: Schedule a regular time for a full team catch-up to ensure everyone has a chance to be part of the wider workplace community.

3. Create Well-Defined Roles and Responsibilities

Clarify what everyone is responsible for in their day-to-day roles. When everyone understands their role and those of their colleagues, it reduces confusion and duplication of efforts. As a result, it’s easier for team members to work together.

Follow these steps to create well-defined roles and responsibilities for your hybrid team:

• Conduct a role assessment. Review current roles to better understand the tasks, skills, and responsibilities that sit within each position.
• Collaborate with relevant stakeholders. Work with managers and team leaders to define each role’s purpose. Their input is crucial because they bring hands-on insight into what the roles entail.
• Document and share everyone’s roles. Create a shared document that outlines each team member’s responsibilities to ensure everyone knows what they’re responsible for.

4. Provide Sufficient Training and Resources

Providing sufficient training and resources is one of the best ways to improve team coordination.

When hybrid employees know how to use systems, tools, and processes effectively, they can collaborate. And when collaboration goes well, team coordination is easier to manage.

There are a few ways to equip hybrid team members with the necessary skills and tools to collaborate successfully. For example, you can host virtual communication workshops to provide staff with the skills and knowledge to collaborate remotely.

You could also provide tutorials on how to use the company’s collaboration tools. That way, hybrid employees can use company tools to their full capacity.

5. Encourage Open and Honest Feedback

Encouraging open and honest feedback builds trust with hybrid team members. As a result, they feel comfortable enough to share feedback about your team coordination efforts.

Their feedback is incredibly useful for finding areas of improvement and ensuring that hybrid team members feel supported when working away from the office.

Take a look at some of the ways to encourage open and honest feedback:

• Create regular feedback opportunities. Schedule consistent one-on-one meetings and catch-ups so team members know they have opportunities to share their thoughts and feedback.
• Allow anonymity. Use surveys to gather feedback, allowing employees to share honest thoughts anonymously without fear of judgment or repercussions.
• Model the ideal behavior. Demonstrate openness to feedback by actively asking for it, responding positively to suggestions, and implementing improvements.

Improve Team Coordination With OfficeRnD Workplace

Effective team coordination is essential for success in any business, but even more so for hybrid teams. It ensures that everyone knows what they’re responsible for, how to communicate with each other, and how to perform their job effectively — even when they’re not in the same place.

FAQ

What Is an Example of Team Coordination?

Assigning the right tasks to relevant employees is an example of team coordination. For example, in a hybrid marketing team, you assign creating visuals to the designer, writing content to the copywriter, and tracking project progress to the project manager.

Why Is Coordination Important in a Hybrid Team?

Team coordination is essential for success in a hybrid team. It ensures clear communication, reduces work duplication, improves efficiency, and makes sure that everyone’s on the same page working toward a common goal.

How Do You Build a Collaborative Culture in a Hybrid Environment?

There are a few ways to foster collaboration in a hybrid work environment. Popular approaches include promoting open communication, encouraging regular feedback, and ensuring everyone feels involved in decisions that impact the entire team, like strategic goals or workplace policies.

How Do You Handle Time Zone Differences in a Hybrid Team?

Schedule meetings during overlapping hours where possible. Otherwise, asynchronous communication tools (like recorded messages or shared documents) allow team members to stay in touch and collaborate when it suits them best.

How do you Coordinate a Team?

To coordinate a team effectively, establish clear goals and communicate them consistently to ensure alignment among all members. Use tools like project management software to assign tasks, track progress, and facilitate collaboration. Regular check-ins and meetings help address challenges, provide feedback, and maintain accountability. Fostering open communication and encouraging teamwork ensures that everyone remains motivated and aligned with the overall objectives.

How Can I Be a Good Team Coordinator?

To be a good team coordinator, focus on clear communication by setting expectations and providing regular updates to keep everyone aligned. Build trust and collaboration within the team by fostering open dialogue and addressing concerns promptly. Use organizational tools to track progress, assign tasks efficiently, and ensure deadlines are met. Being approachable, adaptable, and supportive helps create a positive and productive environment where team members feel valued and motivated.