"You're the One with the Accent": How to Build an Inclusive Distributed Team

Speaker(s): Adam Schuck

Video URL: https://youtu.be/oCii0KJZRt8?si=xXLR025pKGF5kFqD

Summary: The talk focused on building inclusive distributed teams by treating all locations equally, promoting asynchronous communication, and experimenting with practices like post-commit code reviews, always-on video links, and regular travel. Emphasis was placed on trust, proactive communication, and cultural sensitivity to enhance team cohesion and productivity.

Timestamps

• 00:00 - Introduction and story behind the title
• 01:55 - Definition of Inclusion
• 02:30 - Remote vs Distributed work
• 03:35 - Outline / Agenda of the Talk
• 04:25 - Experiences from working in a Distributed Team with a Headquarter
• 09:15 - Principles for building a Distributed Team
• 13:10 - Trust Your Teams & Trust Requires Transparency
• 14:45 - Use Proactive Written Communication
• 18:20 - How is the Hiring Profile in Distributed Teams
• 21:05 - Tactics for Distributed Team Code Review (Post-Commit Code Review)
• 27:45 - Distributed Team Tactic: Always-On Video Link
• 29:40 - Distributed Team Tactic: Travel to meet each other
• 31:10 - Distributed Team Tactic: Mindfulness exercise
• 34:40 - Summary and Takeaways

Key Takeaways

• Inclusion means making everyone valued, heard, respected and empowered so they can feel a true sense of beloning. This includes gender, age, sex but also location.
• In a 'remote' scenario, there is a central hub and the rest are considered peripherals. Conversely, in a 'distributed' model, all locations are treated as integral parts of the team, promoting equality and inclusivity.
• When hiring for a Distributed Team, hire generalists rather than specialists.
• Adopt distributed practices for building effective distributed teams, for example proactive communication and transparency, ensuring that all team members are aligned and informed about decisions and changes. This includes using tools that support the practices.
• Tactics for Proactive Written Communication: Decision Notes, Call Notes, #worklog.
• Requirements for a Post-Commit Code Review: Correct tools to support post-commit and potential rollback when issues are found, high Test Coverage, Responsible People and Trust!