Page 156 - Managing the Mobile Workforce

Autonomy or not Autonomy? that Is the Question � 135

cubicles, going to a central location because that’s what’s expected, or
wastes time in rush-hour traffic. Sounds a lot like a mobile workforce
doesn’t it?
Cali and Jody give the example of one employee named Trey
who has worked in a ROWE for two years. A typical day for him,
he says, starts by waking up when the sun is too bright for him to
sleep any longer. Then he checks his e-mail for pressing issues and
watches an episode of South Park. Then he walks over to the grocery
store and buys some breakfast. After breakfast (which is really closer
to lunchtime), he works in front of his television with ESPN in the
background. He might go to the office then, or work from home or
maybe not work at all. He may work later that night if he needs to.
He says, “I’m never not accomplishing anything. I always do what’s
expected of me.” And the funny thing is that since his team went into
a ROWE environment its productivity has increased significantly. As
long as the work gets done, Trey says, his manager is happy. “This
year alone,” he says, “I traveled through Europe for 19 days following
my favorite artist from Paris to Brussels, Amsterdam, Prague, and
Cologne.” He goes on to describe his trip, which included camping,
water parks, and more concerts. “I basically do what I want, when I
want, all the time. I do my work, for the most part, when it’s conve-
nient for me. Since I always get my work done, I can enjoy life to the
fullest while working for a great company.” Now, that’s the essence of
a great mobile workforce.
When you really think of it, however, a Results-Only Work En-
vironment isn’t all that revolutionary. Business owners are free to do
whatever they want, whenever they want, as long as the work gets
done. Consultants are free to do whatever they want, whenever they
want, as long as the work gets done. Artists are the same. Farmers are
the same. The challenge for managers is to figure out the best envi-
ronment to provide their own mobile workforce. Is it the highly con-
trolled environment of mobile performance management software? Is
it a high-autonomy workplace of a Results-Only Work Environment?
Or are those two compatible? Regardless of how the environment is
set up, one of the keys will be to have the right support systems set