{"id":1067,"date":"2021-11-17T16:56:14","date_gmt":"2021-11-17T16:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/?p=1067"},"modified":"2026-02-18T11:12:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T11:12:18","slug":"distributed-teams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/distributed-teams\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything You Need to Know About Distributed Teams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Thanks to rapid advances in technology and major shifts in societal attitudes toward work, a workplace is no longer necessarily a single office location. It doesn\u2019t even have to be a physical location anymore. What\u2019s more, it can transcend geographical distances and different time zones. In other words \u2014 a workplace can be distributed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While a handful of organizations have operated on this model for a while now, the rest of the world is just beginning to discover its benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we\u2019ll provide definitions of distributed work and distributed teams and explain the subtle differences between distributed and remote teams. We\u2019ll also provide examples of successful distributed companies, delve into the reasons for having a distributed team, and also consider the potential challenges. Finally, we\u2019ll provide practical tips on how to manage your distributed team and keep it engaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is distributed work? What are distributed teams?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Distributed work <\/strong>is collaborative work done by two or more people based in different locations. Some examples include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Two students preparing for an exam together from their respective homes, using Skype as a collaboration tool<\/a>;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. A head of marketing giving guest access to the company workspace in the business messaging app Pumble<\/a> to a contractor illustrator to discuss a new ad banner design online;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Members of a company\u2019s remote DevOps team organizing internal task distribution via project collaboration platform JIRA;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. A customer support manager of a support team based in Manila, Philippines, sharing a quarterly report via a business messaging app with the company\u2019s sales department headquartered in San Francisco, U.S.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    So, any kind of work that requires collaboration between people working remotely from each other is distributed.<\/p>\n\n\n

    \n
    \"Distributed
    Distributed work example \u2014 providing limited guest access in the business messaging app Pumble to collaborate on a project<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
    \n
    \n All-in-one remote team collaboration tool<\/span>\n

    Keep your distributed teams connected and productive with Pumble. Discuss, share, and collaborate.<\/p>\n\n

    \n Solutions<\/a>\n\n Register<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
    \n \n \n \"Illustration\"\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \n\n\n\n

    In that vein, distributed teams<\/strong> incorporate team members who collaborate on a project remotely from each other, relying on a variety of tools<\/a> to facilitate internal communication and collaboration. These teams can be highly geographically dispersed, working from across the country and even from around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    They represent the opposite of co-located teams<\/strong>, whose members all work together from the same physical location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In distributed teams, each individual member can work from a separate location \u2014 like in example 3 above, where the DevOps team is remote, and every team member can work from wherever they like. However, team members can also be clustered together in several different locations \u2014 like in example 4 above, where there are company offices in different countries around the world. This means individuals in the team are co-located, but the team as a whole is not, which still makes it distributed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Factors that can make a team distributed<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    As you can see, the only prerequisite for a team to be considered distributed is that there be no one central location where the team is based<\/strong>. In that respect, there are a few work arrangements that can make a team distributed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n