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News from Symposium VI
This week, 38 colleagues and members assembled in Palo Alto (4 virtually, the rest physically) for an intellectually stimulating three and a half days of in-depth learning and conversation. Notes will be ready in a week or so, but in the meantime, we have a few snippets to share:
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New in the library
We have uploaded drafts of the three white papers that have been prepared for the upcoming Symposium:
Generation Y and the Workplace, by Marie Puybaraud and Simon Russell, summarizes the initial results from the OXYGENZ research. The paper investigates the demographics of the newest generation to enter the workplace and explores how GenYs value their workplace environment. How important are location, workplace design and environmental considerations in deciding where they want to work and who they want to work for?
http://www.newwow.net/members/node/1083
The Moral of the Element and the Scion: A Cautionary Tale of Generation-Based Design, by Sally Augustin. Two automobiles, the Element and the Scion, debuted to much fanfare several years ago. Both were designed to lure Generation Y car shoppers yet who bought them? Baby Boomers. In this white paper, Sally Augustin uses the car industry as a metaphor to explore workplace design. Her paper reviews the scientific literature and summarizes the findings and still-remaining questions about these crucial and topical issues.
http://www.newwow.net/members/node/1085
Are Gen-Y's Brains "Modular" or "Unconscious"? by Jay Brand explains how the mind handles different types of tasks--either automatically or consciously. Do different types of tasks, such as verbal versus spatial, involve fundamentally different processes in the brain? Or does the brain work modularly or more like separate, specialized components for different tasks? Does Gen-Yer's overexposure to technology influence their thinking processes and performance?
http://www.newwow.net/members/node/1084
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Research: Is distributed work bad for performance?
New research on the relationship between distributed teamwork and performance reveals that working away from others has a positive impact on performance. Patricia Arling, assistant professor of MIS in the College of Business Administration at Butler University, investigated the question of whether distributed teams can collaborate effectively. Among her conclusions she explains why distributed work may be more effective than telework. "There is a key difference between telework and distributed teamwork. Distributed team members accept that face-to-face contact will be minimal and take steps to facilitate electronic communication. In telework situations, people assume that a teleworker will eventually be in the office and wait for face-to-face contact, delaying completion of work." Read more about her study: http://www.newwow.net/members/node/20#comment-722
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Survey: Millennials at Work
A recent global survey of millenials by PricewaterhouseCoopers found that these young workers are not as different from earlier generations as the popular press depicts. For example, instead of being interested in job-hopping, most millenials hope to stay with their employer for the long haul. Millenials are also more interested in traditional job arrangements as opposed to more flexible arrangements, such as working from home. We summarize these findings plus millennial views on working abroad, technology, loyalty, benefits and retirement. Finally, we list several factors to consider when developing a company's HR strategy regarding generational issues.
http://www.newwow.net/members/node/644#comment-720
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MIT study measures information worker productivity
An article this month in the MIT Sloan Management Review describes research that quantifies information worker output and shows a significant correlation between IT use (especially email and database use), project completion, and revenue growth. The authors studied the relationships between IT use, patterns of information flows, and individual infoworker productivity. Their research revealed that information work can be measured. They found "statistically significant relationships among technology use, social networks, completed projects, and revenues for project-based information workers." For more on this study, see
http://www.newwow.net/members/node/1044
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New in the library: Cisco Next Generation Workplace presentation
We've posted the slides that accompanied Cisco's presentation at last week's Tertulia. The slides include research highlights on workplace culture, generations in the workplace, and worker segmentation. Also included are photos of the variety of spaces provided in the Connected Workplace. Many thanks to the Cisco team-- Larry Matarazzi, Peggy Stritch, Don Doyle and Shirley Wong--who shared this presentation with us. You can find their presentation at: http://www.newwow.net/members/node/1042
Other stories this week: Members helping members: Need your best collaboration rules
Collaboration at Cisco
CoreNet/JLL sustainability survey
Global telework news roundup
Updates to benchmarking fact file
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New white paper: Managing in a Virtual Organization
Sun's Open Work Services Group developed a white paper that contains practical tips for ways to improve virtual team management skills. The paper is based on research by Glenn Dirks and Edel Kelville. The pair interviewed successful virtual managers at Sun, including people from MySQL, a company that merged with Sun earlier this year. MySQL's 400 employees are located in 30 countries and 70 percent of them work from home. Topics in the white paper include: principles for successful virtual management, good practices for team formation and day-to-day success, keys for effective virtual meetings, and the need for "Big Rules." Sun has made the paper available for member download: http://www.newwow.net/members/node/1032
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Members helping members - contribute to new book on collaboration
David Coleman asks NewWOW members for contributions to his new book, 42 Rules for Successful Collaboration. David's book will provide best rules for collaboration in three categories: people, process and technology. Learn how to submit a rule, get your name in print, and contribute to this worthy project. http://www.newwow.net/members/node/1028
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Member conversations: Right-sizing workplace options & cubicle futures
Jay Brand, responding to comments from Eric Richert and George Horhota, agrees that workplace options and choice are required but worries that it "doesn't sound like a very cost-effective way to support a company's workforce (in terms of corporate real estate, CRE) to the 'bean counters.' … Certainly, one size does NOT fit all, but right-sizing a company's CRE portfolio necessarily involves trimming the number of options provided." More at:
http://www.newwow.net/members/node/62#comment-683
In another post, Jay responds to some of the articles proclaiming the death of the cubicle. Here's a snippet: "Although many A&D firms argue that to improve cubicles, one must 'bring down the walls,' the relevant scientific research would actually suggest the opposite--the main problem with cubicles is that they're not private ENOUGH. More privacy--not less--and related control-over-access (others' access to YOU) are ways to improve cubicles." Add your thoughts to the conversation at:
http://www.newwow.net/members/node/62#comment-682
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The Moral Life of Cubicles
David Franz, a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at the University of Virginia, writes, "Organizational technologies of office life provide a kind of moral education, that offices shape character, that they create a certain kind of person." He maintains that the cubicle revolution was ideological and utopian. Citing sources as different as Tom Peters, Intel, and Max de Pree, Franz argues the office cube represented a future of boss-less companies that erased barriers between departments. Cubes "eliminated the hierarchical distinctions between managers and workers; every cubicle had an open door, everyone was equally a worker. Empowering and humane, cubicles seemed to create a workplace with a soul."
More at: http://www.newwow.net/members/node/62#comment-675
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