Apart from isolated examples of teleworking applications which are hungered for by the media as they are designed exclusively for solving individual problems, there is every reason to look on the introduction of teleworking as an organisational change. To ensure that this change, regardless of its nature, is able to attain its objectives and remain durable, the following three conditions must be satisfied:
· it must represent a true value-added for the firm or establishment concerned
· it must bring about real benefits for the main players involved
· the players concerned must be able to recognise and exploit these benefits.
Implementing a teleworking system in an organisation is based on a two-stage process involving:
· an analysis of the scenario and the design of a project that fulfils the aforementioned conditions
· the introduction of what constitutes a technical and organisational change.
Setting up a teleworking system involves a 5-stage process:
· an exploratory phase for formulating expectations and needs
· a preparatory phase for formalising the agreed hypotheses
· a launching phase for organising a solution
· an experimental phase for testing the operational implementation of the system
· an assessment phase for determining the results of the project and ascertaining the possibilities of extension or duplication.
The following table summarises the various phases:
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Phases |
Objectives |
Means |
Results expected at the end of the phase |
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Exploratory Formulation of needs |
Clarify the elements of the problem to be solved |
Making an initial diagnosis based on immediately available information. This is a conceptual phase likely to be affected by radical changes and differentiation. |
Initial design of one or more teleworking scenarios. Formulation of hypotheses concerning the expected results, the nature of the context, players' reactions and expectations, problems |
|
Preparatory Formalisation of agreed hypotheses |
Validate or reject the preceding hypotheses. Refine the teleworking scenario |
Information obtained especially from diagnoses and/or surveys (documentary research, interviews, study groups, etc.). The concept takes shape but remains liable to change. |
A diagnosis that enables a well-reasoned project scenario to be drawn up and provides a basis for evaluating the chances and feasibility of the project. |
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Launch Organisation of the system |
Formalise the schedule of conditions applying to the experiment. |
Transitory phase preceding action, for defining the organisation, functioning and planning the realisation of the project. Mobilisation of resources but possible cancellation of the project is kept in mind. |
Schedule of conditions and planning for testing the envisaged systems. Specification of procedures for introducing the system and of monitoring arrangements. |
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Experimental Confrontation with reality |
Create a real situation, observe how teleworking is carried out in daily practice, the behaviour of direct and indirect players and the resulting effects, planned or unforeseen. |
Verification of the conceptual approaches and identification of the variables to be dealt with to ensure the reproducibility and viability of the project The project is put to the test of reality and possible modifications are identified. |
Definition of conditions for the concrete functioning of the teleworking system, and of the limits of validity of the results expected. |
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Final assessment Lessons to be learnt |
Evaluate the spin-off on the economic and social plane. |
Assess the gap between final results and initial objectives and evaluate the real benefits and limits of the project. |
Draw lessons from the experiment prior to envisaging any reproduction, general introduction, possible modification or even total abandonment of the project. |
Like any organisational change, the introduction of teleworking may involve different categories of player in the design, implementation, monitoring and/or impact of the project.
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PLAYERS |
ROLES |
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|
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Management |
The upper echelons assume a role when it is a question of a corporate project resulting from a strategy and policy decision. |
|
Institutionals |
Administrative and Executive Managers |
The heads of the Services divisions directly concerned with teleworking, as well as those in charge of Personnel and Human Resources, Information Systems and legal aspects are required to study questions of strategy, organisation, functioning and standards and contribute to the establishment of a number of new rules. |
|
With influence on the definition of strategies and rules |
Social partners |
Teleworking changes the organisation of work, employees' living and working conditions and group working. It may also call for an amendment to the employment contract, especially in the case of home-based teleworking. These are all matters to be dealt with in collaboration with social partners. |
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Outside persons |
People from outside may also be involved in cases such as an operation belonging within a regional planning project or in the context of a partnership. |
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Teleworkers |
Teleworkers carry on their activities alone or in a group, at home, in a telecentre or at a company site removed from the head office, in relation with a central body or other networked employees. The success of the operation is conditional on the motivation and behaviour of the teleworker. |
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Immediate superiors |
Their role, too, is decisive for the development of an organisation based on teleworking, for the proper running of the experiment depends largely on their motivation and ability to manage remotely located personnel. |
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Users
directly concerned by the teleworking system |
Peer group |
Within a single work group, teleworking frequently calls for collaboration between distance-workers and conventional office-based employees. An answer must be found to the problems of co-operation, co-ordination and work sharing. |
|
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Customers |
The term customer must be understood in a dual sense: the customer of the company and the teleworker's in-house "customer". In both cases, there is interest in finding the value-added derived from teleworking. Will the change in work methods have an obvious effect on the services rendered? Given that there must be at least equal balance between the two, where is the gain, where is the possible loss? |
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PLAYERS |
ROLES |
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Project manager |
The Project Manager is the physical person responsible for the running of the project. He ensures that it is carried out in conformity with organisational, technical and cost objectives and in respect of the time schedule. |
|
Instigators of the change
Involved in implementing the pt |
Project team (depending on the complexity of the project)) |
Built up around the Project Manager, the team must: · specify the objectives to be pursued · set priorities among these objectives · choose from among the experiment scenarios (activity sector, people concerned, introduction strategy, functioning, legal aspects, technical systems, etc.) and development scenarios · set the levels of financial and human means to be employed · determine needs for training · study the telecommunications, computer application and equipment needs for the workstations concerned and their environment · agree on a time schedule for completing the project · ensure monitoring and make changes as an when called for during the experiment · draw up the final assessment, analyse the effects and expected or unforeseen consequences · make recommendations as to further action. |
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Correspondent (possible) |
Particularly in the case of individual teleworking, someone may be designated as the teleworker's special link with the employer for the duration of the experiment. With no form of hierarchical status involved, the correspondent help the teleworker in case of temporary difficulty, ensures he is kept informed, guides him towards the correct contact, makes known his requests, etc.… |
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Other partners (possibly) |
There may be other contacts involved for accompanying the Project Manager in all of some of the measures undertaken: · outside or in-house consultants · support services and expertise providers · multimedia designers, developers, etc. |
Not all the players involved should be present in the project at the same time. The importance of their role is bound up with the context, the nature of the particular telework and the project phase that concerns them, and is determined by the requirements of the moment.
Their intervention during the different phases must therefore be examined, as some of the phases ………………………………………
1 exploratory phase
2 preparatory phase
3 launch phase
4 experimental phase
5 assessment phase
While it is important to give sufficient advance thought to the involvement of players in relation to the various phases, this must also take account of how the players look on the issues at stake and their ability to contribute the success of project.
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TYPE OF PLAYER |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
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Management |
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Administrative and operational heads |
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Trade unions |
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Outside partners |
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Teleworkers |
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Hierarchy |
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Group |
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Customer(s) |
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Other players |
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For an organisation based on teleworking to be successfully implemented, certain basic principles must be followed:
· Ensure that the project is of strategic interest
· Ensure proper willingness of interested parties
· First involve the executives
· Establish a suitable management method
· Bear in mind that the project is subject to change or withdrawal
To derive full benefit from this new work organisation, its is essential to consider teleworking as a project in its own right and therefore to examine the related objectives, strategy and operational framework.
Any teleworking project must primarily be placed in the context of customer or market-oriented strategies.
Moreover, the introduction of teleworking should be based on medium and long-term decisions and not simply on short-term cost arguments (for example, lower overheads, salary costs, etc.).
The more a teleworking project is founded on strategic thinking, the more likely it is to generate value-added and the greater are its chances of firmly establishing itself as an alternative form of organisation.
All observers agree on one point: a willing attitude on the part of prospective teleworkers is a prerequisite for success. However, although this is essential, it is not enough in itself: other people in the teleworker's circle must also be mobilised in view of the fact that teleworkers:
· belong to a work group in which some of the members continue working in a traditional way on the company's premises (often the case in home-based teleworking systems)
· must communicate and even collaborate with their group colleagues to achieve their tasks
· must remain in touch with potential customers (within or outside the company) who should benefit from teleworking rather than be penalised by it
· must make the family circle understand that despite all appearances to the contrary they are unavailable (home-based teleworking).
To ensure that teleworking fully satisfies the needs of the company and that the commitment on the part of the personnel concerned is of a lasting nature, considerable efforts must be made in areas such as training, social integration, upholding of the corporate culture, teleworker support, etc.
Experience shows that motivating the teleworker's immediate superiors is a key to the success of the operation.
It is essential to mobilise them and make sure they are trained in distance-management techniques.
Motivating them is made that much easier whedn they themselves have teleworking experience. With first-hand knowledge of the system, they can deal with the organisational aspects of distance-working and with the problems and concerns of their colleagues.
The first of the executives to be made aware of the issues involved are those who practise teleworking informally, i.e. the great many who take home jobs started in the office to work on them in the evening or during the weekend. The next step for the employer is to make a formal offer of working on an alternating basis at home and in the office. Involving the executives in a teleworking experiment that is planned to be extended to other categories of personnel is of interest in two other respects:
· preparing them for a different management method – distance-management
· motivating other employee categories.
Here, it is primarily a question of replacing "presence-based" management by distance-management. This also applies in the case of networked teleworking in that the networked group is geographically scattered.
Distance-working, "with no possibility whatsoever for the order-giver to physically supervise the carrying out of the work by the teleworker", raises the question of control. This is a matter of concern not only for the immediate management staff but also for the teleworkers themselves who, it can be seen, wish to show the proof of their work in the same way as their office-based colleagues, whose performance can be observed at first hand. Supervision and control must therefore no longer be effected a priori but a posteriori on the basis of the results of the work carried out by the teleworker.
In cases formerly featuring a control of physical presence, the introduction of teleworking calls for a radical change in this type of system.
Distance-management raises a problem of method (hence the importance of training). It is then essential to:
· set up measurable objectives
· clearly define the tasks and responsibilities of the teleworker
· enable the teleworker to obtain adequate information on procedures and methods
· ensure that effective communication is maintained
· plan the work to comprise intermediate stages if the completion deadlines lie far in the future.
The need to carry out a prior test which will demonstrate the impact of teleworking within a pilot group must not be ignored.
A system based on teleworking may give rise to a new situation that could have its positive side but which, on the other hand, could also have negative, demotivating effects or call for changes. In some cases, it may prove necessary to give up the idea of extending the experiment, hence the interest in considering and presenting it from the start as a reversible process.