Hack:
Network Centric Workspaces Can Be Everywhere

Management is an invention. So too are managers. If the old way was, simplistically, taylorism and command/control what will the new way look like?

The future, and increasingly the present, is about networks; teams, open debate, dialogue, collaborative discourse. The role of manager is trending toward facilitation. Lagging behind this trend is the concept of work space.

For many, the adage "if you're not at your desk, you must not be working" still haunts and dominates current thinking and practice. This must and will change, but it could be done more deliberately and with greater proactivity.

I propose an experiment. Take several teams in your organization, and let them work however they wish. They still have their current objectives, deadlines, goals, mandates, etc. However, if one wants to work at home, or another at the cottage, or another from 11am to 7pm, let them do it. People may be in for meetings (see other hack), or out with clients. The point is to challenge the adage (fallacy...pardon my skepticism) that great work can only happen at work.

Engage in this exercise for two weeks, and see how it went. Measure productivity (e.g., quality and exceeding/meeting of deadlines) but then measure other intangibles (e.g., employee engagement). Set up focus groups, and talk it over.

There won't be a one size fits all approach, but that's the point. Discover how, when, and where your employees work best and facilitate it.