More Mobile Managers: 4 Tips for Keeping Mobile Teams on Track

Today's post comes from our partners at Fonteva, creators of MemberNation which is the 1st Association Management Software (AMS) built 100% on the Force.com platform.

It won’t surprise you that these days “mobile” is always a part of my discussion with customers and prospects. As I’ve talked with people in the association community, I sense that there’s a real understanding of the importance of the mobile channel and their members’ increasing use of mobile devices both professionally and personally.

This trend towards mobility has already and will continue to impact our workplaces. According to a forecast from International Data Corporation, by 2015 the world's mobile worker population will reach 1.3 billion, representing 37.2 percent of the total workforce.

The ever increasing mobility of the workplace was front of mind when we created MemberNation.  It is designed to be users’ all-in-one platform, which can be activated from anywhere at any time on any device.  MemberNation staff users can perform all administrative functions (i.e. creating reports or changing permissions) remotely.

MemberNation is completely mobile for users and members. Users can login to the database from any Internet enabled device and constituents can access the portal and enjoy touch screen navigation from mobile devices.

While we believe organizations using MemberNation are well-equipped to operate in a mobile workplace, we recognize that this trend could pose challenges for managers. In a post on Forbes.com, Mark Dixon, the founder and chief executive of Regus, a global provider of flexible workspace, offers these suggestions for managing mobile workers:

1. Be engaged, always. Lead by example. Understand the nature of the work you’re overseeing—is it highly structured or unstructured—and customize your approach to fit the employee and the task.
2. Set clear goals and expectations. Trusting your employees to meet expectations without direct supervision is essential to becoming an effective manager of flexible workers. From day one, communicate goals and expectations clearly and effectively. The goals should reflect quantifiable end results, not process or hours spent on specific projects.
3. Embrace a flexible lifestyle. Offer employees who work remotely or from home access to professional workplaces when they need it. They need to know they can get professional services and support when required. They need professional locations where they can come together face-to-face, whether for meetings with colleagues and clients or for working on special projects.
4. Be a connector. I’m a big believer in meetings that matter, bringing the right people together to get talking, thinking, and making key decisions. You can only do so much over the phone or the Internet, so the more virtual you become the more important this is. Also, facilitate and encourage corporate camaraderie by creating opportunities for your employees to socialize, formally and informally.

If those in leadership roles make an effort to implement these strategies, mobility will be manageable.

Want to learn more nonprofits that are going mobile? Join our Salesforce1 Mobile for Nonprofits webinar March 27 - register here.