Smart Working – What is it?

When you want to describe ways of working beyond a dedicated personal desk or workplace, the list of expressions seems to be endless.  Many names or phrases (such as home working or flexitime) are self-explanatory but others, like smart working or agile working, may need explanation, if only to clarify what the writer/speaker means and to set a context for the discussion.  To confuse matters further, references to “new ways of working” continue to appear, even though some of the ideas and practices to which they refer are up to 20 years old!  I favour the expression Smart Working (with capital initials) because it encompasses much more than just the physical location of the activity it describes.

Smart Working recognises that methods of working will continue to evolve and it provides a framework for integrated research, discussion and implementation of all the factors involved, including location, time, equipment, telecomms, workload management, work-life balance, sustainability, psycho-social factors, legal considerations and many others.  It is important to recognise that the arguments in favour of Smart Working are overwhelmingly strong but there are many negative factors to be considered and accommodated in the process, not least the simple facts that many individuals find it hard to cope with working alone and managers need to realise that a “bridge to engine room” style simply will not work and an output-focused method is essential.

Smart Working is, therefore, an enormous – and fascinating – topic. My own experience started with the simple process of supplying laptop kits and workstation accessories for mobile workers.  As I have become more involved and more curious, it has become clear that successful implementation requires careful planning.  Such programmes may begin with an exercise to reduce property overheads or a decision to issue laptops instead of desktop computers but it is essential to involve many disciplines and consider all factors.  I plan to explore more of these topics in due course but would welcome any comments, thoughts or experiences.

If you are new to the concept, you will find The Smart Working Handbook an invaluable information source.  And if you are “an old hand”, you will probably already be considering the recent BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) trend which will have significant impact on organisational communications, IT and management thinking.

Conferences, Exhibitions & Cultures

I have been attending international conferences and exhibitions since 1978.  I find that they provide a valuable insight into not only market and product trends but also, and probably more significantly, differences in international attitudes.  In 1978, I attended exhibitions in Tokyo and Chicago within a fortnight of each other and the national differences were dramatic.  My most vivid recollection of the contrast was the attitude of taxi drivers to tipping at that time:  a Japanese taxi driver jumped out of his car and came running after us to hand back our tip (he would have been offended by it).  In Chicago, one cabbie waited with his hand open until we had proffered a tip of suitable value!

My other recollection of differing national attitudes was my first experience of karaoke in Tokyo.  In those days, there would be a jukebox in the corner of a bar with a microphone attached.  Anyone could simply pick up the microphone and sing along to the record playing.  I remember thinking that there could be no circumstances in which such a concept would ever catch on in the UK.  A few years later, popular karaoke bars started to appear with computerised machines showing “bouncing ball” lyrics on-screen and using specifically recorded instrumental soundtracks!

In the world of workplace ergonomics, I have learned that the U.S. approach to office workstations is significantly different from Europe.  Apart from the most obvious manifestation (abundant keyboard trays in North America and hardly any in any other country), the lack of legislative imperative in the U.S. ensures that “workers comp” (insurance compensation for injured workers) is a primary driver, whereas various E.U. directives drive European interpretations.

Even across Europe, the level and nature of ergonomics activity in the workplace varies dramatically.  Whether you compare France to Germany, Sweden to Benelux or Denmark to Ireland, the principles may be similar but the outcomes can vary quite significantly.  In particular, ergonomics activity in the European countries around the Mediterranean is far less significant than in Northern Europe.  Perhaps plenty of sunshine and a long lunch break is the most effective ergonomics intervention!

Sales Outcomes – Random or Predetermined?

From time to time I have cause to think about how our sales operations and outcomes compare with those of our competitors.  On one such recent occasion, it occurred to me that the game cycle of a “slot machine” and the sales process are very similar!

Today’s gaming machines are microprocessor-controlled (effectively a dedicated computer) but the first slot machines were entirely mechanical. Pulling the handle started a clockwork apparatus and, as it slowed to a halt, the 3 reels also stopped. This activated a set of mechanical “fingers” which pushed through perforated metal plates on the side of each reel and the distance each finger penetrated the perforations enabled the machine to “know” what symbols were displayed on the centre line. Of course, these mechanical machines didn’t really know anything. Pulling the handle simply set in motion a train of events, the outcome of which was completely random.

Although we are very proud of how we employ the latest methods, knowledge and technology in our organisation, I rather like this old-school approach and we still apply it in our sales activities. When a customer comes to us with an enquiry, we make it our business to go through a systematic process with no presumption of the likely outcome.

By contrast, today’s “slot machines” are very different. When you insert your money and press the start button, the computer decides, in an instant, what the outcome is going to be and simply spins the reels for a few seconds before stopping them in the predetermined positions. This gives the player a perception of involvement and value. He or she would find it very unsatisfying if the reels spun to the new combination in a second!

So is your supplier a “random” or “predetermined” operator?  When you “press the start button” to begin your purchase enquiry, do you feel that the salesperson goes through a thorough process leading to your best eventual outcome? Or do you feel they have already decided what they want to sell you and their process is just a charade to give you a perception of value?

2011 Review

The WordPress.com stats robots prepared a 2011 summary report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,000 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 33 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Peter Day’s World of Business

I listen to a lot of podcasts.  Peter Day’s World of Business is one of my favourites and includes recordings from his Radio 4 programme, “In Business”, as well as his BBC World Service “Global Business” series.  As with all BBC Podcasts, it’s available in a variety of formats.

The need to edit content into, typically, a 30 minute session ensures that sessions are delivered in a fast-paced, no-nonsense style.  The Global Business subjects are usually especially stimulating and explore ideas at the forefront of international business thinking.  Recent controversial topics have included Michael Porter’s “Creating Shared Value” and a challenge to the language of business, asking why it needs to be so pompous and full of jargon.

It’s always engaging and always topical!

Whatify

My colleagues and I pride ourselves on our innovation and, recently, I have also been giving a lot of thought to collaboration and behaviour change.  It was therefore really quite “spooky” to be emailed this link out of the blue last week!  As you can imagine, I am quite excited about a new magazine with the strap line innovation | collaboration | change.  The online version is free and there are some interesting articles, a healthy disrespect for the status quo and some invigorating lateral thinking.  Despite the overuse of the phrase, I don’t encounter enough “Thinking outside the Box”  so this magazine is a breath of fresh air.

Behaviour Change

I have been discussing behaviour change a lot recently.  Initially, this was because of two new products aiming to bring about behaviour change in the workplace.

The new products are CtrlWORK personal efficiency software and the Back-Track manual handling tool.  Back-Track has an obvious and rapid impact on behaviour.  It’s one of my favourite new products because it’s simple, obvious and effective.  It also produces really effective management data.  CtrlWORK is a much slower-burn product but I am confident of great results in time.  It has already been well-received by over 250,000 users in the Netherlands and initial U.S. feedback is exciting.

These conversations got me interested in the whole concept of behaviour change and I decided to find out a little more about the process.  I don’t claim to be any sort of expert but my brief research has given me some valuable insights.

A good starting point is The Stages of Change Model (SCM), developed over 30 years ago by James Prochaska and Carlo DiClimente when they were researching smoking habits and addiction.  Interestingly, a Google search for Behaviour Change produces many pages which are drug-, alcohol- or other dependency-related.  The whole concept recognises that change is not a single continuum but a series of separate stages with different issues and tasks to be faced by the individual.  That individual  must decide for him/herself when a stage is completed and when it’s time to move on.  The fundamental concept is that such change can not be imposed: it has to come from within.  These are the stages.

• Pre-contemplation – “ignorance is bliss”, not aware of a problem
• Contemplation – ambivalent about change, no imminent plans for action
• Preparation – starting to try to change, “testing the waters”
• Action – practicing new behaviour
• Maintenance – continued commitment to sustained new behaviour
• Relapse – “fall from grace”, resumption of old habits

Significantly, they can be applied just as readily to moving towards a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle, creating a better work-life balance, improving time management and more.  Indeed, the comprehensive information I found at the U.S. addictioninfo.org site included this diagram (which I have also now borrowed) from Katherine Lee’s System Concepts article at http://bit.ly/oglscm which explores organisational readiness to change.

So, we are right back to ergonomics and human factors!