Don’t sweat, work smart
Companies are under intense pressure to get work done faster and cheaper. But working better isn’t about working harder. It’s about working smarter.
The recent announcement made by the government speaks for such companies. The government announced that it would actively support to increase “Smart Work” by 30 percent by 2015, which became the hottest topic across the whole Korean community in an instant. President Lee Myung-bak emphasized that corporate culture and the way in which companies operate needed a radical change in order to let employees flexibly work without limitations of time and space.
In the past decade, the world of work has undergone a radical transformation. In the best-run companies, where working “smarter” is a way of life, the changes have been dizzying. Work is no longer a place you go. It’s what you do. Teams don’t huddle in conference rooms. They collaborate from different continents. Schedules aren’t 9 to 5. They span time zones. Workers are no longer measured by how much they show up. They are measured by how much they produce. And colleagues aren’t always inside the corporation. Increasingly, they are outside, too.
Consultants, partners, customers — all are new and important voices in the corporate conversation. Instead of being a frustration, these types of networks can become a competitive asset.
But too often, companies aren’t able to capitalize on the new world of work because they are mired in old systems, old processes and old ways of thinking. They remain so at a terrible cost. A new survey from the IBM Institute of Business Value, “A New Way of Working,” found that companies that embrace the new way of working can outperform their industry peers by a long shot.
In fact, companies that outperform their industry peers are three times as likely to have created dynamic, collaborative and connected work practices. The executives who IBM surveyed reported that greater collaboration wasn’t just helping them improve operational efficiency. It was also enabling growth.
Undoubtedly, IBM has been a lead runner in promoting “Smart Work.” IBM has various Smart Work programs such as, “Mobile Office,” “Home Office” and “Flexible Hours” programs that reduce the commute to work for its employees. In case of IBM Korea, the “Mobile Office” program has been in practice since 1995 where over 60 percent of its workforce is a part of currently. According to a satisfaction survey conducted by IBM, approximately 70 percent of its workforce was generally satisfied by the program while 75 percent answered that productivity has improved. In addition, such “Smart Work” programs has helped IBM Korea save approximately 2.2 billion won ($1.9 million) by enabling the workforce to spend additional time on client business and maximize space utilization. This in turn, even led to increased loyalty and devotion to the company.
Then how should companies adopt the new way of working? They should start by adopting the use of the kinds of social networking tools that allow employees to collaborate and communicate in real time. Companies must also make sure that employees can work productively regardless of location, time or device. Managers must have instant access to the data that allows them to match the right people with the right skills and with the right projects — regardless of title or rank or salary level. Teams need to be able to come together quickly and disband just as quickly.
The survey found that there are always people within companies who will resist these changes. Networks threaten hierarchies. Some managers scoff at the notion that employees don’t need to physically show up in the office every day. Others fight the spending that must occur in order for companies to become fully networked. There are those who still believe that hoarding information is power; that the few can make better decisions than the many. Others will argue that it is safer to continue to close doors.
But there is simply no turning back. The lessons have already poured in: When some IT departments banned the use of wikis because of corporate security concerns a decade ago, junior employees simply set up wikis on their own. When managers tried to guard their turf, employees used instant messaging to get around them. When customers got upset about a product flaw, they shouted about it on the Internet.
Working smarter isn’t about resisting the new work world. It is about working with them. Companies must now equip themselves so that they can compete in this new reality. This isn’t just about convincing naysayers to share power. It is also about adopting new technology tools that enable companies to create digital nervous systems so that they can participate, compete and collaborate in this new world order. This means empowering more and more employees with responsibility, ownership and decision-making power.
These smarter ways of collaborating are already enabling insurance adjusters to spot fraud and bankers to identify stolen credit cards. They are helping police officers thwart crime and nurses to prevent medical errors. They are allowing energy technicians to slash carbon emissions and municipal water operators to reduce leakage.
The corporations of tomorrow will not be the same as the ones most of us began our careers in. The way we work will look very different too. At forward-looking companies, the revolution in new ways of working is already under way. Clearly, smart work holds great promise; equally important, it is already within reach.
By Kim Won-jung
The writer is general manager of global technology service at IBM Korea. – Ed
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