Facilitated Systems: Distributed Workgroups

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Distributed Workgroups

Some view online facilitation as a set of techniques used to compensate for a group's inability to meet together.

There is another view: online facilitation enables a team to be as effective as it can be without the constraints provided by face to face work.

The constraints of face to face work? Yes; they include

The need for location synchronization—assembling in the same place
The need for schedule synchronization—assembling at the same time
Limited detail in the typical presentation media—overhead slides
The need for all to proceed at the same pace
Limited information transfer rate—only one person talks at a time

With a well developed work purpose, techniques chosen to match, and suitable pacing, online work can best its face to face counterpart. Everyone works at their best time and with their best information. Detailed information can be shared. Communications can flow in parallel streams without losing context.

Most importantly, you can assemble the right team for the job quickly, no matter where in the world they may be located.

If you have a distributed team and want to explore ways to make its distributed nature work for you, not against you, contact Facilitated Systems, offering organization, process, and productive deliberations for distributed work.