Page 134 - Managing the Mobile Workforce

strategic leadership in a Virtual world � 113

` “how we work together” plAtForm

The platform includes not only strategic decisions regarding technol-
ogy, mission, vision, and strategic objectives but also key decisions
about how the organization works together. That includes policies,
procedures, and practices. One key arena is human resources.
Some concerns for leaders and human resource managers are re-
lated to security. Establishing communication protocols, telework
10
policies, and expectations is important, which might include how
meetings are run, how timely communication needs to be, how per-
formance will be evaluated, how time will be tracked, and how other
safety or legal responsibilities of the employer and employee will be
handled.
Some organizations may wish to create telecommuting policies
and procedures, as OPM, KPMG, and many others have done, or
assign telework coordinators to support efforts as the organization
moves to mobility. As we will discuss in later chapters, training, hir-
ing, and performance management are also key platform items for
employees and managers.

` rollIng It out

The State of Arizona has one of the nation’s most successful telework
programs. Starting in what could be considered prehistoric telework
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times—1989—Arizona now has more than 20 percent of its 21,000
employees who telework. They estimate that state teleworkers drive
5.25 million fewer miles annually, take 175,000 pounds of pollution
out of the air annually which would otherwise be there, and suffer
181,000 fewer hours of drive time a year. Impressive!
Every organization will plan and execute its moving-to-mobility
strategy differently, in order to meet its unique needs. We saw how
John Berry and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management are kicking