[jscheel]

First off, I am a big proponent of ROWE. Still, I don't like fully-distributed teams. The human factor is just too big for me. Go work from where-ever you want, come in whenever you want, work whenever you want, that's fine (as long as you get your work done)... I would still love to see your pretty face in person from time to time. I feel (bad word, I know) that distributed teams loose something in personal connection. Maybe it's just my own personality, but person-to-person interaction is huge for me.

This is actually a big issue for us right now. Being a small startup in Nashville, there isn't exactly a lot of easily accessible space for us. We have to leave where we are at right now, and are trying to figure out what our plan off attack is going to be for the next few months.

[pixelmonkey]

Your concern about human connection is totally legitimate. I think most of the successful Fully Distributed teams out there supplement the independent work environment with periodic in-person get-togethers. For example, Github has their Github Summit (pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianmario/sets/721576257683729...), Basho described their "quarterly meetups". Automattic also does retreats.

I think your comment is a recognition that the most important aspect of face-to-face time isn't actual productivity / collaboration but simply social connection and team camaraderie. This is probably the biggest challenge that Fully Distributed teams face, but it isn't insurmountable with some creativity and planning.

[typicalrunt]

I had to Google the meaning of ROWE. It means Results Oriented Work Environment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ROWE

[MattRogish]

+1 for ROWE. We love/use ROWE, too, but building a gel'd team is greatly accelerated by face to face contact. We're experimenting with some Results that are tied to face-to-face contact (show up for team dinner, lunch 2x a week, etc.) that requires folks to show up. But, that feels pretty forced. I'd love to hear other experiences with ROWE and actually having face-to-face contact.

[jscheel]

In my experience ROWE has been a pretty great success. It's really beneficial for people who are problem-solvers, not time-clock monkeys. One of the most important aspects of successfully implementing ROWE is accountability and awareness. First, you have to have some metric to know if results are actually being produced. Second, your team needs to know what the metric is, so that they properly manage their time. Also, having some times where people are in the office together is really helpful for that face-to-face aspect. Company meetings, beer Friday, etc. all work well. Some people may prefer to have a minimum amount of time you should be in the office (maybe 25%). I would not suggest having company-mandated fun time though. It's not fun time when it's required. Last thing I'll say is, if you don't have accountability and awareness, people can coast for a long time without you knowing. Regular checkups will keep everybody on the same page, and identify problems quickly.