Flexible Workplaces and the New Mobile World

In SMB Resource:  This article was brought to my attention recently.  It struck home because I have been working with companies that are increasingly specifying mobile data and analytics delivery.   It is expected that their executives and many other decision makers will be on the road, talking to consumers, customers and suppliers, and integrating captured insights. So mobile and inherently flexible workplaces are required.  The mobile workplace is here, the technology is ready, its just the people that need to understand how they fit in.

The article uses the recent Yahoo case of Marissa Mayer requiring employees to spend more time at work.  It asks the question: Does Work Get Done, Even if No One is Watching?  Well yes,  the modern office has been extended far beyond the physical office world.   Stating it otherwise:  that Some Work Cannot be Done with All People Watching.  In a social, mobile and volatile world the workers need to get out there and to understand the environment their companies are working in.

Sure, this does not cover all jobs and responsibilities.  As we also quickly discovered there was great social value in getting people together face-to-face on a regular basis. Measures of progress and completion of work need to be captured, verified and shared. Technologies like instant on video conferencing enhanced the feeling of being a group working together.  Group oriented data virtualization, like that used in Business Sphere, can also build group identity and focus.

We experiment with these ideas by first experimenting with these ideas among people that were already located apart, or were mostly on the road.  This allowed us to understand the dynamics of the idea in a given company context, then extend it to other groups.  Even technologies like gamification were experimented with to improve group engagement.

The article suggests that performance be enhanced by 1.) Connecting through the cloud  2.) Enhancing Social Collaboration and 3.)  Have a Mobile Strategy.  And covers a number of details involved.  Well done.

This is even more valuable to the small and medium size business,  especially when a SMB has to connect with the consumer and outside suppliers.  That work can be done, and often has to be done outside the traditional office.

This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet. I’ve been compensated to contribute to this program, but the opinions expressed in this post are my own and don't necessarily represent IBM's positions, strategies or opinions.