Unlocking the promise of ‘teleworking’
One of the great things about technology (especially of the instantaneous ‘social’ kind) is the ability to attend a conference without leaving your office. Which is a salient point because yesterday I followed a number of the presentations looking at the idea of tele-working or remote workers, and did so by following the tweets of people in the room at the time. I have an interest in this concept and those of you who were at the RSCA conference in Canberra in 2007 would have seen me speak about the challenges that work-forces face, and why we were yet to capture the gains possible through teleworking. Six years on, and we’re still yet to do so – why?
As I tweeted in reply to the observations being made, the reality is that we do not yet trust the idea of ‘digital’. Not those who use it, those who manage those who use it. Back in 2007 I suggested that managers still rely on staring at the back of people’s heads as a form of judgment criteria of workplace value and output. It’s a fundamentally flawed approach built on the earliest factory model established by the Wedgewood’s pottery factory in the 1760s and is till relevant today.
A couple of posts down from this one I’ve provided an overview of the V21 conference I spoke at in October. The link to my presentation ‘From Clever to Wise’ is also on paragraph two of that overview and it shows that we have NOT evolved much from the people management model of the 1760’s. In fact, the office layout and functional design looks pretty much the same. Simply put, despite the evolution of technology, we have not evolved the maturity of management thinking to match it. We are trapped by ‘Hairy Eyeballs Management’ Â which insists people be ‘present’ so that they can be ‘judged’ or ‘over-seen’.
This barrier is the fundamental anchor that delays organisations from tapping into the benfits that teleworking proffers. The remote workforce really can work. And there’s no ‘either / or’ in this issue. Some workers will be well suited to office only, some to remote only and the vast majority will prefer a combination of both. But until Management can mature and give TRUST to the workforce, we’ll continue to drag people into offices via commutes of multiple hours each day for No productivity benefit either side of departure or arrival.
Research shows that the benefits of teleworking can be enourmous to both workforce and organisation. But lack of trust and a model beholden to the rats in a maze overseer approach holds us back.
It is a tad unfortunate that in the past couple of weeks I’ve had to experience the way in which one of the players in the car insurance industry treats its customers. I haven’t lost a single demerit point since well into last century and consider myself a pretty safe driver. So a couple of…
Read More >Marcus Barber has teamed up with Marketing expert Tod O’Reilly to write ‘Recession Proof Marketing – how to survive and thrive in a recession’. The book is due for completion by the end of March, 2009 and pre orders are now being taken for advance copies Tod was the account manager for both the David…
Read More >At the Long Now group run by Stewart Brand, they have regular guest speakers on a whole range of topics. Recently they had Russian Dmitry Orlov who discussed what happened in Russia during the economic crisis in the early 1990’s and what people around the world might need to do to prepare for the current…
Read More >This is Part one with Part two (looking at who will probably better off at this time next year) to come shortly. If you are in a position to sharpen your thinking, catch a breath or use some time to improve your understanding of the ways in which we create our societies, then I have…
Read More >What’s emerging for 2009? What might shape the near term future, what can we do about it and what are some of the indicators suggesting change or otherwise? Strategic Futurist Marcus Barber joined Raphael Epstein and co-host Denise Scott, as part of the panel to answer the questions on the 774 ABC’s conversation hour today……
Read More >Yes you read right – thinking ahead I’m anticipating an amazing 2008. Happy new year to all for when it happens (depending on the calendar you subscribe to) and I look forward to some fun, challenges, stresses and enjoyment for the year ahead. Marcus Barber 🙂 PS – Hope 2007 was a good one
Read More >The Advanced one day Strategic Planning Workshop in Sydney on the 11th of December at Rydges World Square is now fully booked For inquiries about the next series of dates for the 2009 series, keep an eye out on The Australian Strategic Planning Institute website at www.taspi.com.au or contact us via email here
Read More >Every now and again what sounds like a really good idea turns out to be less beneficial than what was hoped for. There’s lots of talk right now about technology solutions and ways in which societies can change the way they use water – there’s conferences and ‘talkfests’ a plenty featuring many of the industry…
Read More >The second annual fund raiser was held in late October and attended by almost 300 people. Marcus Barber offers a brief update: The Blackwood 8 commitee put together a great fund raiser on behalf of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in Melbourne. With a delightful crowd warm up by Greg Champion of the ‘Coodabeen…
Read More >The slides used as part of Marcus Barber’s key note address to the Regional Produce Summit are now available via the link below Held at the Wangaratta Gateway Motel (and the first conference event staged in its very impressively redsigned function room) the conference brought together a range of speakers to discuss culinary tourism,…
Read More >