World Teams

A world team is a team whose members are not limited by where they live or work. The organisation can build the team from different towns, countries or continents instead of recruiting only people who can travel to one building.

How technology makes it possible

Modern tools remove the need for everyone to share a desk. Cloud storage lets members open the same files and keep one up-to-date copy; video conferencing lets them talk face to face; instant messaging handles quick questions and decisions. A file saved by one member can be opened by another minutes later, so work can move on without waiting for a meeting.

What the organisation gains

• A wider pool of talent: the organisation can choose from many more applicants, so a role is more likely to be filled by someone with exactly the right skills. A small organisation can also bring in a specialist for a short task.
• Lower costs: it can keep its building small, because not every member needs a permanent desk there, and it does not need to pay for members to travel to one office. It also spends less on bringing people together for every discussion.
• Local knowledge: members in different places can point out what users in their area expect, such as language, habits or buying preferences, so the product is less likely to miss something important.
• Flexibility and longer cover: when members are in different time zones, work can pass from one to another at the end of their day, so progress can continue outside one country's working hours. This can make the team more productive.

Imagine you run a small studio making a puzzle game. You hire an illustrator in Portugal, a programmer in Kenya and a tester in New Zealand. They share artwork through cloud storage, meet by video call and use instant messaging for quick fixes. You gain a range of ideas, and the shared files keep everyone working from the same version.

The benefit is not simply that staff are in different places. It is what the organisation gains: talent, skills, ideas, cost savings or longer cover.