Voices from a ROWE: Ami
July 27th, 2008 by Cali & Jody
Have we mentioned that we’re very pleased about how our book turned out?
Well, we are pleased, especially with the stories that bookend the chapters. These “Voices from a ROWE” really make the book, because it’s not just what we say and think about ROWE, but what real people have experienced with ROWE.
Just check out this excerpt from Ami’s section:
A ROWE gives everyone the power to question value. It doesn’t take long for you to realize how strange it is that we weren’t going this before. Why weren’t we constantly questioning before? You have ten people in a meeting but only two people talking back and forth. Why am I here? Because I received an invitation. Outlook has ruined productivity. It’s just a joke. So what if someone is quadruple booked? You used to think that person was important. But now you look at that person and wonder what kind of value they could possibly be adding?
Now we’re in different places working at different times so communication sharpens. You get clearer about expectations and deadlines. And you are constantly figuring out the best way to work with one another, which is funny because you think you’re doing that already, but you’re not. That’s the paradox of ROWE. You used to think that we all have to get together to get this work done. Now maybe the answer is that we have to all separate to get things done. Then when we are together it’s strategic instead of assumed. It’s purposeful.
You see, friends, we’re not the only ones who are crazy about ROWE.
Those of you that have read the book, which “Voice from a ROWE” was your favorite?
My favorite was, without a doubt, the one where the guy (forgive me, I can’t remember his name) was taking time off to follow his favorite band! That is just so amazing! I can barely get time off to spend time with my family, let alone follow a band. His story in your book is my inspiration!
I liked that one best also, Robert. The only catch is that he wasn’t seen as taking time off…he was doing his job.
I must disagree.
As a committed lifestyle-over-workstyle business owner, I was really looking forward to the ROWE book. I hoped that it would help me to restructure my business as a Results-Only Work Environment for everyone that works here.
In the end, I was hugely disappointed. It seems to me that the potential consulting income of CultureRx has been put ahead of the ROWE idea itself, and that approach will handicap its development. In my opinion, the book is a 10-page memo in a 200-page form. The tagline for the book is ““No Schedules, No Meetings — No Joke”, but due to the complete lack of detail, the tag line should be: “No Tips, No Detail — No Help.”
In an age where “open source” is the standard, hiding the idea behind a lack of detail suggests that it’s not very difficult to accomplish. If the idea were big enough, fully publicizing it would lead to greater consulting revenue, not less.
To be honest, I’m angry that I paid for a book of anecdotal short stories rather than concrete, helpful information.
Regards,
Scott
Correct me if I’m wrong Cali and Jody:
Scott-
“Why Work Sucks” is supposed to be an introduction and overview of ROWE. It is meant to appeal to John and Jane Q. Public and not be a step by step execution plan for the business owner/ HR director. As one of the former, I find the book to be very informational, and the messages of “there is a better way to work” and “work isn’t somewhere you go, it’s something you do” are very inspirational and resonate with me.
Scott, you sound like someone in the “business world”. When making a product, you want it to appeal to as large a market as possible, would you agree? Cali and Jody’s book does just that- if the book walked you through the entire process, I (and the great majority of readers) would feel inundated by the tactical detail of a ROWE roll-out. If I am the publisher I would rather appeal to the tens of millions of workers unsatisfied with their work-life balance than tens of thousands of HR workers and business owners that continue to perpetuate work-life pseudo-solutions such as “flextime” and a “4 day work week”. Selling to the workers allows Cali and Jody to reach corporate America’s human capital and consequently workers eyes will be opened and will seek employers that offer ROWE. Plus, they will sell a hell of a lot more copies!
You mention today’s “open source” standard- using that term I assume you work in the IT industry. Comparing ROWE to a technical application (Linux programming, the latest web app, etc.) is NOT apples to apples. Work, as is explained in the book, has been formed around the 9-5 Monday to Friday workweek and has not been fundamentally changed since it’s inception. EVER. The status quo has reigned up to now. The “open source” approach that you scold Cali and Jody for not using refers to a constantly changing IT world where a steady stream of incremental improvements feeds the overall evolution of technology. A UI (user interface) or version of a program is seldom used for more than a year before the next generation is unveiled. ROWE is like leapfrogging 25 years in computing technology and having it be proven to work well!
Thanks, Jesse. All good points.
However, I must come back to the title: Why Work Sucks & How to Fix It. “How to Fix It” should have been dropped from the title, because there is no how-to material in the book. It’s misleading, and I suspect that the publisher knew that. It’s designed a sa feeder program — book, seminar, launch kit –but geared to the wrong audience.
I do not work in the tech industry, far from it. However, it is the genius of the tech industry that has allowed our office to take advantage of an incredible amount of flexibility.
The reality is that most business owners will be turned off of the idea by the tone and the masses-against-the-Man approach. Frankly, it’s a cliche. There are much more original ideas here:
http://www.37signals.com/svn/posts/1164-average-environments-beget-average-work
http://gettingreal.37signals.com/toc.php
Written by a tech company to be sure, but who better to learn from?
Scott-
Thanks for the links to 37signals. They look like an innovative company that has practical, useful ideas. However, they are rather random in their posts.
I appreciate Cali and Jody’s approach because all their ideas for a better workplace derive from ROWE and it’s 13 Guideposts. Implementation is very hands-on and requires a thorough roll out (I have several friends and a couple family members working at BBY HQ). It requires more than “how-to material”.
The “…How To Fix It” aspect of the book is revolves around implementing ROWE. Readers of the book can implement aspects of ROWE immediately, but ROWE itself is a branded process that demands a specific, hands-on approach. You can not become ISO certified by reading a book. You could probably make improvements by reading what ISO certification entails, but your company would have to go through the process to make it work. As such, a company is not a “ROWE Environment” unless it undergoes the official process.
My point is that the book is meant to foster awareness, not be an A to Z solution.
@ Scott
I think you missed the significance of the first three words of the title and thus went into the book with the wrong perspective. I highly doubt there are lots and lots of business owners out there saying ‘Work sucks!’ or ‘Work sucks for my employees!’ If you are one of those, then I now know of one business owner. This book is written directly to the working masses because that is where the seeds of a ROWE have to start. This is a CULTURE change, NOT a management or tehcnological change. This is not like Six Sigma or other such programs. Therefore, the ‘fixing’ part applies more to how individuals can start applying the Guideposts to their personal work culture even before trying to take it higher in the company.
I think that’s why the experiences in the book are the way they are. They were all from among ‘the masses’ - not the executive board. There was a sense of relief in every one of the experiences. They are people who are truly in charge of EVERY part of their lives, including their work schedule.
Scott -
I agree with the others; you have missed the point of the book. Most companies don’t think about their employees — they think about the bottom line. Employees are “resources”. So there is not a lot of managers and owners running out trying to find out how to make their employees feel better.
The book was meant for employees (i.e., me) to learn how ROWE works and to form ideas about how it might work where I work. Now that I have the ideas, it is up to me to try and get others to listen and hopefully start a movement.
When a company reaches critical mass in any change then it is time for the “how” to come into play. I absolutely would not want to attempt to implement ROWE without expert guidance. Because it would be a disaster and 90 days later we’d be worse off than we were before. That is where CultureRX comes in, in my opinion.
@Robert Stinnett - Trey’s story is one of our favorites, too. He follows his favorite band and has seen his productivity increase by 4X since migrating to a ROWE. Love it. And, can we just say that you nailed the purpose of Why Work Sucks with these few words “Now that I have the ideas, it is up to me to try and get others to listen and hopefully start a movement.” Bingo.
@Scott Semple - sorry to hear you were disappointed in the book. As other commenters mention, it was indeed targeted at the masses vs. company leadership, and we hope that most folks do find some “how to fix it” pieces that they begin experimenting with.
@Nicole K - darn right he’s doing his job, and he’s rockin’ it out!
@Jesse G - you’re right on. And you use some nice analogies.
@Matt - ROWE is indeed a culture change (an adaptive, social change) vs. a technical change. It takes exactly what you mention - each person applying new thinking to their everyday way of operating - possibly before even bringing the subject of ROWE to senior leadership. Nice work - thanks for the comment.
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