My point was directed more to the the video you chose to include in your post, and the 'death of the cube.' Anyway, this is not the forum for that conversation, and I appreciate the time you've taken already.

My point was directed more to the the video you chose to include in your post, and the 'death of the cube.' Anyway, this is not the forum for that conversation, and I appreciate the time you've taken already.

To clarify… our full time employees are paid for their talent, ideas, and work product. How they choose to use thier time in the pursuit of those things is thier business. We have no official start and end time in our office, nor do we have a “vacation policy.” If you can take off 6 weeks a year and meet your responsibilities, knock yourself out. Heck… show the rest of us how to do it.

In return for treating people like grown-ups we expect grown-up behavior. People are responsible for delivering on their commitments – not just to us or our clients, but to one another. That's not about bourgeois / proletariat conflict… I just don't now how the system that serves us all could function otherwise.

Now… there are freelance people here who in fact are paid for their time, though we value the talent and ideas of these folks just as much as we do our FTEs. For freelancers the line around what is “work” may be more tangible. They probably earn a better hourly wage than our full-time folks, but there are no guarantees on the number of hours we'll need them. That's the trade-off, and I think we're pretty flexible in helping folks move from one “flavor” of participation to the other.

Speaking for myself… I'm not sure where the line between my “personal” and “work” life begins and ends. I think the same is true for my partners. But I love what I do, and derive much more from it than a paycheck. We want people who feel the same… not because it serves some ulterior motive for free labor, but because in our experience those people end up creating more total value for the agency *and* themselves.

also listen to the phrase, the 'lines blur between work and play.' for the employer, this is wonderful – i get to pay my worker for 40 hours a week, but my worker's life is essentially blurred into one big work week. now, if the employer were a munificent, world-changing entity, and could be trusted with the responsibility of taking care of its workforce, then blurring the lines is ok. however, if it is a for-profit, productivity driven entity (like most businesses…) then the worker should resist that blurring with all her might. she owes a work week to her employer, for which she should be fairly compensated. period.

mike, i shoot the question back to you – how does holland-mark measure up to that standard?

I agree that there is untapped value in the network, but it is important to not throw away the baby with the bath water. There are significant benefits of efficiency in using standardized technology and applications, so the solution is to connect your preferred technology with the “Corporate Email System.” The reverse of this is already happening, as adoption of Posterous is allowing those comfortable with corporate email to connect with social technologies more easily.

The video focuses on mobility and the death of the cube which is not a new concept. Telecommuting goes back to the 70s with dumb terminals and phone lines. However, there is a tradeoff that has limited this “opportunity.” In-person collaboration is more effective that virtual. The technology and UI is still not there. And these interactions are not mutually exclusive. Because you are collaborating in-person in the office, does not mean that you cannot also be tapping your networks online.

In the end it’s about creating a culture that balances the vision of the organization with the passions of its members. The answer is different for everyone.

Of course, if they eat different foodstuffs….

(new age bullshit)

I really believe the approach outlined in the video can work, but there must be unambiguous consequences for failing to perform. If you fart around all week waiting for “inspiration” and it doesn't happen and you miss a client deliverable, watch out

The other hidden downside to this is that if people work alone too much their people skills will deteriorate. It takes practice to be around people and to make good decisions as a team.

Face-to-face is still important.

Best Buy corporate started using a Results Only Work Environment (ROWE) approach back in 2006/07. There was a lot of resistance to it until employees found that productivity had increased as a result. The premise is that employees can work from anywhere they want, as much as they want, as long as the work gets done. No questions asked.

I am no longer at Best Buy, but personally, I found that the flexibility cleared my mind. Rather than worry about my car, or a doctor's appointment, while trying to work, I was able to make smart, efficient choices about how to manage time. As a result, my work had my FULL attention, because my LIFE was working. Make sense?

Don't get me wrong, we still had demanding, results oriented work responsibilities. Some days were longer than others, and work still took up the majority of my week. But the flexibility seemed to make us all more engaged, dedicated, loyal, innovative and productive.

I recommend ROWE. It's a more feasible option than most companies realize.