Page 69 - Managing the Mobile Workforce

48 � mAnAgIng the moBIle workForCe

` the moBIle workForCe—A workIng deFInItIon

So now when we think of mobile work we can consider several dimen-
sions. First, the mobile worker may be physically separated from his or
her boss, coworkers, or other key constituencies, such as clients. Sec-
ond, the mobile worker may or may not be physically separated from
a work location, such as an office, retail establishment, or warehouse.
Third, the mobile worker may or may not be initiating the work in the
same place as it is being executed, thereby being physically separated
from the work that’s occurring elsewhere. Fourth, the worker doesn’t
even have to be awake when the work is being completed. Last, there
is no one—no one—in the world of the mobile worker who can’t be
reached within seconds. The possibilities for building (or destroying)
relationships are unlimited.
One thing to know about paradigms is that they are provisional.
They are works in progress. You can hold them for a minute, a month, or
a lifetime—but the rules and boundaries can change at any time. As we
learn more about this rapidly changing mobile workforce phenomenon
our definition of it will change, and yours may be different than ours.
The quality that is common to all mobile work is connectivity,
which is why technology is the sine qua non of all modern mobile
workforces. Even at its most rudimentary—using phone booths, sig-
nal flags, or the telegraph—mobile workforces have to be connected
at some level. At its most sophisticated, technology makes the mobile
workforce appear to be present, even when people are far away.
▶

The Mobile Workforce
What is the quality that is common to all mobile work? It’s
connectivity. A mobile workforce is joined together, virtu-
ally, through technology, to get work done for an organiza-
tion, a cause, or a goal, anywhere and anytime.