In discussions with numerous organizations, their feedback related to “work at home” performance, during the early portion of the CV-19 epidemic was that it was less than satisfactory and that it felt more like “paying people to stay at home.” A few organizations were delighted by the performance of those who engaged, and they saw little difference between office performance and home performance.
This difference raised a flag for me, and I began digging into the differences between success and failure of the “remote work” process. Strangely, on the surface, the organizations appeared to be the same. Many were in the same process and service areas. Recognizing that some situations are not conducive to work at home, we compared departments and functions with the same responsibilities and performance expectations. As we dug deeper into the comparative analysis, there arose apparent, subtle, internal differences, that set the stage for amazing performance differences.
The bottom-line is when it comes to an effective “work at home” situation, the “Epiphany of the Utterly Obvious” is that it takes both sides of the equation to make work-at-home, work! Individuals were “work at home” capable were often stifled by bad management and ill-prepared individuals being effectively managed provided lackluster performance. In either case, it led to disappointment of organizations to the point that “work at home” is no longer considered an option. This doesn’t need to be the case and needs to be a part of an organization in order to ensure its future survival.
Work at Home is an Inevitability
Futurists and Economists are predicting that “work at home” will be an inevitability of the “New Normal”. Not only created by the external environment, but also an expectation of the upcoming workforce. This means that companies that wish to survive into the next decade will also be prepared for work at home, if and when, it is required. Other organizations may use remote working to reduce operating costs, as a part of normal operations. The driving rationale for “remote work” is irrelevant to its success. There are three critical parts to a successful process.
The Critical 3
In a comparative review of the successes and failures, it became immediately apparent that success was found in a combination of three process aspects, whereas failure occurred with every possible combination of less than acceptable performance of the three. Before we delve into the three critical contributors, it must be noted that “remote work” is not location dependent. In a discussion with one business leader, he intentionally moved small groups from their offices and cubes into conference rooms and then assessed the products and services with a “Before/After” analysis. “Remote Ready”, a concept that I am developing, became apparent when these individuals were removed from their environment.
Confirming that a task or service can be effectively performed remotely or identifying the remote needs and adjusting needs to the previously mentioned critical aspects is important to success. It should be noted that every successful “remote work” effort had included this “process option” in their formal “Disaster Recovery Plan” and had routinely tested it. One note of significance was that overall performance to expectations varied. The reason for this was identified in deeper “drill downs” in the evaluation.
The title of the article leads one to believe that “remote work” depends on two factors. Not much later, the sub-section moves to three. This is intentionally done to cover all the factors, with one category being assumed and it was removed from the overall count.
People/Process/Technology
Using the Continuous Improvement Institute’s (Cii) own methodology, called DMADD (Define-Measure-Analyze-Develop-Deliver), we analyzed the performance issues from a three-factor perspective, “People/Process/Technology”. This provided an exhaustive view of the process and performance from an “end to end” perspective. Based on this our conclusions were made.
Technology
For a remote work process to perform, the technology must be capable. Successful and unsuccessful remote efforts had technology that met the needs of remote workers, such as, secure internet access, phone forwarding, computers, and peripheral equipment etc. Poor performance of the technology was the most common reason provided by the remote worker for poor performance. Their “excuses” could not be verified because of the lack of a measurement and monitoring system. It simply had to be accepted. Regardless, technology is critical, but it is assumed that any organization initiating remote work would have ensured that the technology is available and capable.
Process
One of the “glaring” differences between successful and unsuccessful remote work performance quickly arose when reviewing the process from a documented perspective. Successful organizations had thorough documentation while unsuccessful organizations did not. The highest performing organizations had the most comprehensive Business Process Management (BPM) systems in place. Although BPM varies as a methodology, the Cii Map/Measure/Manage documentation ensured air-tight end to end compliance. Most traditional BPM efforts simply document the process in the form of process maps. The Cii “3M” is a comprehensive program that ensures process control through its 3-phased approach. In fact, it promotes Statistical Process Control (SPC) at the foundational level.
Map
The Cii BPM documents the process from 3 different perspectives, verbal (with standard operating procedures), Visual (with the appropriate process maps), numerically (with the critical input, process, and customer requirements). It converts what is “critical to quality” from 6 different perspectives (tensions or voices) to ensure process performance.
Measure
This phase of the Cii BPM identifies and creates the critical Input, process and output performance and measurement systems to ensure stability.
Manage
Most BPM systems lack this aspect. The Cii BPM methodology helps create management plans (which is how to maintain “day to day” performance), reaction plans (which is how to respond out of control situations) and disaster recovery plans (how to respond to situations in which process performance is totally stopped, like the Covid-19 quarantine). Use of these plans are driven by the measurements created in the prior phase. Finally, there is an improvement plan which stages process efficiency and effectiveness opportunities, keeping what is being done on a continuously improving path.
BPM is a comprehensive “owner’s manual” that helps reduce the risk of reduced performance and failure. Organizations that simply sent their employees home and told them to work saw failure after failure. Processes without this were destined to failure. Organizations that has a BPM implemented and communicated saw seamless transition to “remote work”.
People
The most significant driver of success and cause of most of the failures were related to the “people” aspect of the remote work process. Management blamed the worker and the worker blamed management for the general poor performance. A deeper drive into the issues pointed to both as the cause(s).
Management
Organizations that experienced success found that their managers did “less people management” and “more workload management”. In fact, whether the work was performed on site or remote, the role of a manager, in successful organizations, was about work distribution. Organizations with managers that focused on people management to ensure the work was being completed, found significant lower success.
Remote Workers
Remote workers that performed “on-site” with a self-directed/self-managed “behavior set” had little or no problems with meeting remote work demands, when supported with the appropriate documentation and technology. In fact, technology shortcomings and lack of procedural documentation did not hamper these remote workers ability to deliver to the organizations’ needs, although this was the exception and not the rule.
It Takes Two
This bring us full circle to the title of this article. The biggest drivers of remote work performance success depend upon:
1 – A great management system. This is made easier with supporting technology and a comprehensive and fully communicated BPM system. When this is in effect, all those participating in the process understands the customer needs and performance expectations. Additionally, the critical contributions of the participants are measured and monitored proactively. Finally, the management, reaction and recovery of the process is fully understood and predictable. In most cases, the documentation allows the remote worker to respond without a need for management intervention. This ultimately removes any excuse for management failure.
2 – “Remote work ready people” This means that an individual can not be simply told to do the same work “at home.” To that end the Cii has developed a “Remote Ready” training program to augment the Cii BPM offering. “Remote Ready” includes confirmation that their “remote work” area is adequate to perform their required tasks. It also includes the awareness of the measurement and monitoring methods. More important, it includes a specific “owner’s manual” for remote work. The objective of “Remote Ready” certification is to remove the excuses for low performance and provide the work product or service seamlessly whether performed on-site or remote.
It takes two! Remote Ready people and a management system that makes it possible.