The New Ways of Working Network is a membership organization that:
- Provides an opportunity to interact personally with other thought-leaders in a community that spans all the disciplines relevant to new ways of working
- Provides easy access to timely, practical and reliable information on new ways of working
The New Ways of Working Network brings together thought leaders from disciplines such as workplace design, information technology, knowledge management, human resources, human factors, and organizational culture to dialog about new ways of working in a distributed world.
MEMBERSHIP
The New Ways of Working Network has just completed its first year of operation.
Our sponsors and members include such organizations as:
- SMART Technologies, Inc. (Canada) - sponsor
- Haworth, Inc. (USA) - sponsor
- Gallup Organization (USA)
- Sun Microsystems (USA)
- Suiteworks (Canada)
- Kokuyo Furniture (Japan)
- VTT Research Institute (Finland)
- Jones Lang LaSalle (USA)
BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP
The benefits of membership are as follows:
SEMI-ANNUAL SYMPOSIA
Every six months we hold a symposium for our members and “colleagues.” [Colleagues are distinguished academics or members of small consultancies who are given access to NewWOW.Net activities in return for sharing their expertise with our members.]
Our first symposium was on “The Challenge of a Distributed Workforce.”. Our second symposium, which was held in January 2007 was on “Does Place Still Matter: The Role of Place in a Distributed World.”
Attendance at the symposia (so far, at least) is limited -- to about 25 people. The assumption behind the design of the symposia is that everyone in attendance is expert on some aspect of new ways of working. As a result, everyone who attends makes a very brief “stimulus” presentation (as part of a short panel) on a subject within their area of expertise, followed by open discussion. Discussions have been very lively.
Attendance of the symposia is free to members, except everyone pays their own travel and lodging.
RESEARCH REPORTS
One of the values of the Network is that we can pool our resources to pay for the preparation of reports summarizing the current research on topics of interest to members. We don’t -- as yet -- conduct basic research. Instead we digest the best current research from academic journals and corporate reports and summarize them in a form that makes the information easy to access.
During our first year the topics we addressed were:
- Productivity of Remote Virtual Teams
- Virtual Team Space (a review of current collaborative technologies)
- The Role of the Workplace in a Distributed World [in progress]
ROUNDTABLES (“Tertulia”)
Every quarter we get together in the San Francisco Bay Area for a presentation and informal discussion on a topic of interest. Each session focuses on a single topic, with a presentation by a distinguished thought leader on that topic and extensive informal discussion. Some of the topics at these sessions have included:
- Research on intergenerational differences in the workplace
- Virtual team space (collaborative technology)
- Research on employee engagement
- Measurement of the impact of physical space upon health in health facilities
- Knowledge transfer and distributed work
- Best practices for remote virtual teams
Beginning in 2007, members worldwide will be able to participate virtually (synchronous) in these sessions. Podcasts will also be available.
Also in 2007 members from around the world will begin hosting “tertulia” in their areas, with synchronous participation open to all members.
NEW WAYS OF WORKING WEBSITE
The New Ways of Working web site (www.NewWOW.net) is designed for interaction among members. All members can initiate topics and participate in threaded discussions via the site. The web site also provides access to an increasingly rich library of research reports, summaries of quarterly roundtables, and papers submitted by members. Twice this past year members have invited comments and suggestions from the Network in preparation for presentations at major events.
MONTHLY UPDATES
The Network conducts a constant scan of research, the Internet, media, and contributions from members to identify news that may be important to our members. Monthly we sent out a short synopsis of this news, with links so members can follow up stories of interest.
MEMBERSHIP FEES:
There are three classes of membership in the New Ways of Working Network. They are:
- Single-seat annual fee - $5,000
- Multiple-seat annual fee - $10,000
- Sponsorship annual fee - $30,000
Sponsors receive one seat on the Member’s Council and have their logo shown on the NewWOW web site and all network materials. They also receive acknowledgement during symposia or other network events.
Colleague Membership is also provided for a limited number of academics and consultants who add significant value to the discussion.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGERS
Joe Ouye and Jim Creighton serve as knowledge managers for the network.
Joe Ouye is a recognized leader in corporate workplace planning and is one of the founders of the Workplace Productivity Consortium, a community of over twenty corporations investigating knowledge worker productivity.
Jim Creighton has consulted for more than 35 years on participatory processes, partnering, collaboration and team effectiveness. He is the lead author of CyberMeeting: How to Link People and Technology.
