Page 19 - Managing the Mobile Workforce

xvi � IntroduCtIon

each of our interviewees a chance to review what we’d written about
them so they could make corrections or add comments if they wished.
Meeting and learning from the people we interviewed was one
of the most meaningful benefits we have received from writing this
book, and we think you will feel the same way.
We will be sharing throughout the book the knowledge, experi-
ence, and advice we collected from these leaders. Some of you will find
this information persuasive enough to embark upon a mobile work-
force strategy; others will say it’s not enough to convince you to take
the plunge.
Here is some of what we heard:

` “ It requires more effort to communicate and more frequent
communications.”
` “Few managers who deploy a mobile workforce have any
specific training.”
` “I’ve seen a whole bunch of failed experiments where compa-
nies put the wrong technology in the hands of the people.”
` “Companies get hell-bent on pushing technology before
people are ready for it.”
` “It is so easy for text or e-mail be misconstrued or misunder-
stood. . . . On the other hand, it’s so easy to spend too much
time typing and logging e-mails, answering questions, and
having unproductive dialog.”

` “It is easy to lose trust when you are not making connections.”
` “Team conflict in a remote setting is harder to resolve, and it
impacts production and performance.”

This was not a scholarly study. Ours was not a systematic inves-
tigation, and we did not collect, test, evaluate, or analyze any data
systematically. Rather, we interviewed people who we thought would
have informative experiences, perspectives and stories.
Throughout the book we share stories and insights we heard from
these leaders, as well as information from scholarly studies and the
popular press.