Perspectives on the Future of Work: September 26

Upwork’s biweekly column brings you the latest news on the future of work, including trends, freelancing, and other shifts in the way we work.

This week’s roundup highlights:

• How your business can bring people in different locations together more effectively.
• What current collaboration tools are missing.
• How to deliver negative feedback when you’re concerned about an emotional reaction.

Here’s a look at some of the latest headlines.

Entrepreneur | Distributed Teams Are Disrupting Tech. Here’s How to Join Them.

Distributed teams are increasingly commonplace and, as Clevertech founder Kuty Shalev notes, that growth makes sense for business: “Distributed teams move faster to produce better results and are more self-motivated than their cubicle-tethered counterparts.”

The benefits can include faster speed to market and improve productivity, but if you’re new to remote work, establishing a process that runs smoothly can seem a challenge. Shalev says adopting best practices—like over-communicating, relying more on videoconferencing, and using tools that facilitate collaborations—can make the shift more effective.

“If you want to survive the next evolution of the tech industry, you’d be wise to join them,” he concluded.

Forbes | Social Collaboration, Team Messaging And The Future

Enterprise-level companies rely on collaboration as much as startups. But are the tools available as strong as they could be?

David Carr, author of “Social Collaboration for Dummies,” thinks current options don’t go deep enough. “One of my pet peeves is that the social user interface is often a thin veneer, where profile pictures are displayed but they are not tied back to a rich profile that allows me to understand who that person is, in context,” he said.

Beyond the lack of a comprehensive social graph, Carr says it’s tough to find the right way to communicate effectively with a team: While messaging tools like Slack have their place, they don’t meet all the communicating or knowledge management needs and organization may have.

So where should collaborative tools move next? Carr cites comments by Constellation Research analyst Alan Lepofsky: “The real potential, he argued, is for software to get smarter about integrating all those modes of planning, communicating, and collaborating, while doing more of the busywork for us and allowing us to focus on productive and fulfilling activities.”

HBR | How to Give Feedback to People Who Cry, Yell, or Get Defensive

Particularly when you have a working relationship that spans miles, it can be difficult to deliver critical feedback. When the work that’s been delivered isn’t great, how can you tell people what you think—especially when you’re worried about how they’ll react?

Amy Jen Su, co-founder and managing partner of an executive coaching and leadership development firm, offers insights into this potentially intimidating process:

• Remind yourself why providing this feedback is important, not just to you but to the person you’re speaking with.
• Prepare and organize yourself ahead of time, and be thoughtful about how you approach the conversation.
• If someone responds emotionally to your comments, stay calm.
• Shift the conversation from what went wrong to next steps.

“By focusing on good intentions, preparing with integrity, and calmly and effectively responding in the moment, we can move to the same side of the table and help the other person grow,” she said.

How has your business changed to accommodate changes in the way the world works? Share your experience in the comments below.

The post Perspectives on the Future of Work: September 26 appeared first on Upwork Blog.

from Upwork Blog http://ift.tt/2ddFwSX