Quels sont les conseils pour créer une culture d’équipe à distance dans le domaine de la science des données ?

A team vision is an important cornerstone for crafting a strong team. Especially with an increasingly purpose-driven labor force, it is important that each team member feels connected to that vision. One way to achieve this connection is through providing an opportunity for ownership. A sense of ownership also paves a path to accountability of individuals in the team. A great way to provide ownership is setting up a team charter in a collaborative way. Through facilitated workshops, team members work together to create a team charter. This charter should then be reviewed and adjusted when new members join the team. It is important that all team members commit to the charter so that purpose, ownership, and accountability are established.

Effective communication in remote teams, but especially in hybrid teams, can be a challenge. It is important that teams connect both on a formal and informal level to effectively align. On a formal level, teams connect in project meetings. To leverage participants' talents in the most effective way, it is important that they are encouraged to speak up. As we also communicate through our facial expressions, turning on cameras can help make communication more effective. To this end, the team can agree on meeting rules in the team charter. To create an environment of trust which aids effective communication, informal "coffee chat" meetings should be encouraged. A private chatroom for the team and team events can also help build trust.

Off-site, in-person, facilitated: These are the characteristics of the best trust-building corporate events I have had so far. Trust is essential for effective collaboration. When we get out of our comfort zone, e.g. our everyday activities, we often become more vulnerable. This vulnerability makes us depend more on the help of others, ultimately creating trust. When we have each others' backs, we are more willing to take risks, helping us to capture business opportunities. Skilled facilitators are able to bring us out of our comfort zone and can build trust much quicker at off-site, in-person events than the team itself could create virtually. This is why off-site, in-person, and facilitated team events are stellar investments!

Celebrate successes and reflect upon failures to encourage collaboration and learning! Our brains learn best when we give positive feedback about something that we did correctly. This is the fundamental reason why it is important to celebrate successes – they represent a learning opportunity! Reflecting upon failures in a positive light is then also important for learning how to avoid them in the future. In an environment where we punish failures, we risk not learning from them. It often takes collaboration to prevent failures in the first place. For example, work can go through an honest peer review by the team before being presented to outside stakeholders. In these ways, successes and failures stimulate collaboration and learning.

If talent retention is a priority to you, it is important to recognize your team members' achievements. For data science talent today, there are ample opportunities to change employers. However, it is exactly in the wake of the current broader adoption of AI that it may pay off to keep and upskill existing data talent at your company to implement changes in a timely manner. Rewarding data talent with the aim of retaining it requires you to understand its motivations. Data scientists are often driven by curiosity and want to be recognized for their scientific contributions. Rewarding data scientists' learning and their work's impact with regards to the organization's goals can have a motivating effect and help retain them.

Retrospectives are great rituals to collect everyone's feedback and ideas regarding the team culture. It's very easy to do remotely and simple to lead. I've been using this tool for years and team members love it.

Creating more than professional interactions within teams can significantly solidify cohesion. Creating some informal events like team lunches or celebrating birthdays creates opportunities for team members to connect on a personal level. These bonds can open communication and facilitate understanding, making the team better equipped to work together towards common goals.

Remote data scientists benefit greatly from cross-team collaboration for success. Cultivating a culture that promotes connections beyond Scrum teams, like organizing virtual coffee sessions, can foster collaboration. Additionally, encouraging occasional in-person workshops or team gatherings provides valuable opportunities for strengthening relationships and enhancing collaborative efforts.