Remote Work Revolution: Succeeding from Anywhere

by Tsedal Neeley

Overview

LONGLISTED FOR THE FINANCIAL TIMES & MCKINSEY BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR

“I often talk about the importance of trust when it comes to work: the trust of your employees and building trust with your customers. This book provides a blueprint for how to build and maintain that trust and connection in a digital environment.” —Eric S. Yuan, founder and CEO of Zoom

Harvard Business School professor and leading expert in virtual and global work Tsedal Neeley reveals how to thrive in remote and hybrid organizations.

Succeeding in a hybrid work environment comes with unique challenges. Managers must lead virtually more and more, keep teams motivated and productive, employ the most effective digital tools, and build trust. Employees need to feel connected, foster creativity, and continue to learn and feel supported. Remote Work Revolution answers the eight questions Tsedal Neeley gets asked the most about overcoming hybrid and remote work challenges, such as: How can I trust colleagues I barely see? How should I use digital tools in remote work? What do I need to know about leading virtually? Can my team really be productive remotely? Providing evidence-based answers to these and other pressing issues, key takeaways, and an interactive action guide, this book will help leaders and team members quickly develop an actionable plan and deliver results previously out of reach. This book is essential reading for navigating the enduring challenges teams and managers face in remote and hybrid work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063068308
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	03/30/2021
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	1,107,902
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 6.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Tsedal Neeley is the Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, an award-winning scholar, teacher and expert on virtual and global work, digital tools, leading global and digital transformation. She heads the Leadership and Organizational Behavior required MBA course, co-chairs the Leading Global Businesses executive offering, and is the author of the award-winning book, The Language of Global Success. Her work has been published in top journals and has been featured on BBC, CNN, Forbes, Financial Times, MarketWatch, New York Times, Nikkei, NPR, the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and many other outlets. She received her Ph.D. from Stanford University, specializing in Work, Technology and Organizations. She was named one of the inaugural Forbes Future of Work 50.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

Chapter 1 How Can We (Re)Launch to Thrive in Remote Work? 1

Chapter 2 How Can I Trust Colleagues I Barely See in Person? 19

Chapter 3 Can My Team Really Be Productive Remotely? 39

Chapter 4 How Should I Use Digital Tools in Remote Work? 61

Chapter 5 How Can My Agile Team Operate Remotely? 85

Chapter 6 How Can My Global Team Succeed Across Differences? 109

Chapter 7 What Do I Really Need to Know About Leading Virtually? 131

Chapter 8 How Do I Prepare My Team for Global Crises? 151

Action guide 173

Acknowledgments 191

Notes 193

Index 205

Editorial Reviews

★ 02/08/2021

Neeley (The Language of Global Success), a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, shows in this much-needed survey that the seismic shift from in-person to virtual workplaces has been long underway and is here to stay. While Neely cites many benefits of remote work (increased productivity among them), she also shows that there are considerable drawbacks, including employee isolation, lack of synchronization and the ability to have shared goals, and problems with bonding and trust. To combat these challenges, she offers employers and managers research-based guidance, tackling common issues such as how to best use digital tools (cloud-based apps such as Slack and Microsoft Teams “require virtually no investment in infrastructure”), assess productivity, manage global teams across different cultures, and identify when remote working fails. Among the examples of companies who have made successful transitions to remote work, Neeley cites Unilever’s formation of agile teams and petrochemical company Tek’s move to add “respect for others and their cultural differences” to their annual employee evaluation criteria. A supremely helpful guide for addressing topics covered in each chapter rounds things out. Significant and timely, Neeley’s guidance will provide vital information to those struggling to work and lead in the virtual workplace. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Significant and timely, Neeley’s guidance will provide vital information to those struggling to work and lead in the virtual workplace.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A timely, thoughtful and practical guide to moving to effective remote teamwork. . . . This Harvard Business School professor's 20-year research project comes at just the right time, with practical, accessible tips for leading remote work teams.” — Shelf Awareness

“I often talk about the importance of trust when it comes to work: earning the trust of your employees and building trust with your customers. This book provides a blueprint for how to build and maintain that trust and connection in a digital environment.” — Eric S. Yuan, founder and CEO of Zoom

“Neeley draws on her nearly two decades of research to answer the critical questions regarding how we best build productive and enjoyable virtual routines into our post-COVID-19 professional lives. Few of us are going back to the way we worked. Read her book and begin to prepare for the other side of this pandemic now.” — Larry Culp, CEO of General Electric (GE)

“I can’t imagine a more timely book or a better person to write it. Neeley has deep knowledge of the science behind team communications and how best to lead from the next desk over or at a distance. Her vivid examples and insightful interpretations make the case for the growing importance of empathy and diversity. And her solutions to the productivity challenges of remoteness make this an essential guide for the future of work.” — Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business School professor and bestselling author of Confidence and Think Outside the Building

“Everybody—not just the business community— is wondering how remote work will affect our future and how private and public organizations should adjust. With her timely and highly documented research, Neeley provides answers to questions on leadership from afar, on tools and methods needed to enhance productivity of dispersed teams, and on the psychological fundamentals of trust and emotional engagement. Today we do not know what the endgame of remote working will be, but we should definitely read Neeley’s book to ensure our organizations evolve and rapidly adopt the most virtuous models.” — Vittorio Colao, former CEO of Vodafone Group

“Tsedal Neeley gives us a much-needed playbook on how to embrace the challenges and leverage the opportunities of our new global, virtual workplace. Remote Work Revolution is a must-read for anyone aiming to excel in a world that is continuously being redefined.” — Lisa Skeete Tatum, cofounder and CEO of Landit

“Through examples and deeply researched insight, Remote Work Revolution details how to build and lead a culture of trust and inclusivity across distributed teams and time zones. It’s about what it takes to truly work together while being apart. Whether she’s writing about digital tools or the importance of social cues and context, Tsedal Neeley has created a guide that will help any organization withstand challenges and realize its full potential over the long-term.” — Eric Ries, CEO of Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE), author of The Lean Startup and The Startup Way

"Suddenly, the business world has changed fundamentally for all of us. With remote work remaining a necessity for many industries going forward, Tsedal’s book is a must-read for any manager navigating the challenges and benefits of a virtual workforce.”
— Liz Cheng, general manager of television at GBH and WORLD Channel

“Whether it’s part of a long-term strategy or simply thrust upon you due to the pandemic, a remote work program requires a systematic approach to succeed. Remote Work Revolution provides an intelligent framework and practical action guides to help you build a foundation of trust and inclusion that enables teams to be cohesive and productive in a virtual environment. The essential lessons in this book, drawn from years of real-world research, can make the difference between surviving and thriving in this new era.” — David L. Giunta, president and CEO of Natixis Investment Managers, US

“Irrespective of whether you’re in sales, manufacturing, or accounting; whether you’re in a small or big organization; whether you work in companies, schools, hospitals, or government; or where in the world you live—every modern manager who wants to succeed should read this book.”
— Morten T. Hansen, professor at UC Berkeley, author of Great at Work and Collaboration, and coauthor of Great by Choice

"The ability to effectively manage remote workers is equally likely to become a requisite skill set for leaders. You can obtain it through trial and error, or you can get a leg up by reading Remote Work Revolution." — Theodore Kinni, contributing editor of strategy+business

"[Tsedal Neeley's] book provides the guidance needed to navigate this new reality. It offers evidence-based answers (not just off-the-cuff advice) to managers trying to lead using digital tools, wondering how to keep everyone connected without in-person interactions, and making sure that work/life balance is not turning into collateral damage." — Forbes

"Filled with practical and nuanced advice for effectively leading people at a distance." — strategy+business

From the Publisher

I can’t imagine a more timely book or a better person to write it. Neeley has deep knowledge of the science behind team communications and how best to lead from the next desk over or at a distance. Her vivid examples and insightful interpretations make the case for the growing importance of empathy and diversity. And her solutions to the productivity challenges of remoteness make this an essential guide for the future of work.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter

"Suddenly, the business world has changed fundamentally for all of us. With remote work remaining a necessity for many industries going forward, Tsedal’s book is a must-read for any manager navigating the challenges and benefits of a virtual workforce.”

Liz Cheng

A timely, thoughtful and practical guide to moving to effective remote teamwork. . . . This Harvard Business School professor's 20-year research project comes at just the right time, with practical, accessible tips for leading remote work teams.

Shelf Awareness

Neeley draws on her nearly two decades of research to answer the critical questions regarding how we best build productive and enjoyable virtual routines into our post-COVID-19 professional lives. Few of us are going back to the way we worked. Read her book and begin to prepare for the other side of this pandemic now.

Larry Culp

Whether it’s part of a long-term strategy or simply thrust upon you due to the pandemic, a remote work program requires a systematic approach to succeed. Remote Work Revolution provides an intelligent framework and practical action guides to help you build a foundation of trust and inclusion that enables teams to be cohesive and productive in a virtual environment. The essential lessons in this book, drawn from years of real-world research, can make the difference between surviving and thriving in this new era.

David L. Giunta

Through examples and deeply researched insight, Remote Work Revolution details how to build and lead a culture of trust and inclusivity across distributed teams and time zones. It’s about what it takes to truly work together while being apart. Whether she’s writing about digital tools or the importance of social cues and context, Tsedal Neeley has created a guide that will help any organization withstand challenges and realize its full potential over the long-term.

Eric Ries

I often talk about the importance of trust when it comes to work: earning the trust of your employees and building trust with your customers. This book provides a blueprint for how to build and maintain that trust and connection in a digital environment.

Eric S. Yuan

Everybody—not just the business community— is wondering how remote work will affect our future and how private and public organizations should adjust. With her timely and highly documented research, Neeley provides answers to questions on leadership from afar, on tools and methods needed to enhance productivity of dispersed teams, and on the psychological fundamentals of trust and emotional engagement. Today we do not know what the endgame of remote working will be, but we should definitely read Neeley’s book to ensure our organizations evolve and rapidly adopt the most virtuous models.

Vittorio Colao

Tsedal Neeley gives us a much-needed playbook on how to embrace the challenges and leverage the opportunities of our new global, virtual workplace. Remote Work Revolution is a must-read for anyone aiming to excel in a world that is continuously being redefined.

Lisa Skeete Tatum

"The ability to effectively manage remote workers is equally likely to become a requisite skill set for leaders. You can obtain it through trial and error, or you can get a leg up by reading Remote Work Revolution."

Theodore Kinni

Irrespective of whether you’re in sales, manufacturing, or accounting; whether you’re in a small or big organization; whether you work in companies, schools, hospitals, or government; or where in the world you live—every modern manager who wants to succeed should read this book.”

Morten T. Hansen