Future Work/Life is my newsletter in which I explore ideas focused on the future of work and how to build legendary companies & careers. If you find it interesting, please share it!
Flexible work
Most interesting data of the week?
As Rob Sadow reported on Wednesday, following the release of Flex Index and Boston Consulting Group (BCG)'s research data:
"Companies that are Fully Flexible -- meaning they do not require time in office -- outperformed their peers by 16 percentage points in revenue growth between 2020-2022.
Companies that are Structured Hybrid -- meaning they require some time in office, but not full time -- outperformed their Full Time In Office peers by 2x."
Flipped workplace
And as I wrote on LinkedIn yesterday:
That seems pretty clear.
Now, how about flexibility in WHEN people work?
And given changes in WHERE and WHEN, what does that mean for the HOW?
Well, as a guiding principle, I still love Allison Baum Gates’ idea of the ‘flipped workplace’.
Leveraging the benefits of focused time away from the office while coming together, when required, for collaboration and opportunities for spontaneity and serendipity.
As Allison wrote:
“Liberated from enforcement of time-based productivity, managers don't need to be babysitters. Instead they are coaches, enablers, and facilitators focused on unlocking each employee's unique value to the entire organization.”
Achieving this requires training managers in a new set of skills and tools.
Specifically, communication, collaboration, and emotional intelligence skills.
Plus systems designed to build connection and ensure your team's contribution is visible.
So, here are a few thoughts on collaboration to get you started. Because it’s become a common refrain in the hybrid work conversation:
“Come into the office to collaborate”.
But what does that actually mean?
What conditions do you need to enable effective and engaging collaborative sessions for your team?
I’m fascinated by how dialling up the various flow state triggers can deliver remarkable improvements in performance. Specifically, flow increases productivity by 500%, amplifies creativity by between 400% and 700% and improves learning rates by 490%. And these benefits don’t just apply to individual, deep work. In fact, these effects show up most frequently in our interactions with others.
To maximise the value of collaborative sessions, therefore, aim to create the following conditions:
Group flow triggers
Shared goals: Make sure everyone understands and is aligned with the session's objectives.
The right level of complexity: The challenge should be significant enough to engage everyone's full attention but not so complicated that achieving it is impossible in the time available.
Full attention: Solving the problem requires everyone's attention - no taking a call mid-meeting and certainly no responding to emails.
Equal participation: Not only should everyone's voice be heard, but the whole group should share a common language, meaning you need a relatively level playing field when it comes to subject matter expertise.
Open communication and close listening: You need to listen carefully to what everyone is saying. Collaboration is an opportunity to create new perspectives, not reinforce opinions.
'Yes culture': Constructive disagreement and divergent opinions are a natural and essential part of business, but in a collaborative session, it's far more effective to build on someone's point, not shoot it down.
Novelty and unpredictability: There are few things worse than when you feel like you're constantly covering the same ground. Ensuring that ideas are always progressing and introducing something unexpected can force everyone to pay close attention.
Blending egos and deep embodiment: The best collaborative sessions require us to leave our egos at the door. If the group trusts one another to find the best solution collectively, you create the potential for magic to emerge.
Control: We should aim for the right balance of openness to others' opinions while maintaining the confidence that we can express our own.
Interested in me digging into more depth on this in future newsletters or in person?
Get in touch via the link below.
Have a great weekend!
Ollie