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THE POWER OF VIRTUAL DISTANCE

THE POWER OF VIRTUAL DISTANCE

AGuidetoProductivityand HappinessintheAgeof RemoteWork

SecondEdition

©2020byKarenSobelLojeskiandRichardR.Reilly.Allrightsreserved. PublishedbyJohnWiley&Sons,Inc.,Hoboken,NewJersey. PublishedsimultaneouslyinCanada.

Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinany formorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,scanning,orotherwise, exceptaspermittedunderSection107or108ofthe1976UnitedStatesCopyrightAct,without eitherthepriorwrittenpermissionofthePublisher,orauthorizationthroughpaymentofthe appropriateper-copyfeetotheCopyrightClearanceCenter,Inc.,222RosewoodDrive,Danvers, MA01923,(978)750–8400,fax(978)646–8600,orontheWebat www.copyright.com.Requests tothePublisherforpermissionshouldbeaddressedtothePermissionsDepartment,JohnWiley& Sons,Inc.,111RiverStreet,Hoboken,NJ07030,(201)748–6011,fax(201)748–6008,oronlineat www.wiley.com/go/permissions

VirtualDistance isaregisteredtrademarkofVirtualDistanceInternationalLLC Soul-BasedLeadership and Soul-BasedLiving aretrademarkpendingbyKarenSobelLojeski.

LimitofLiability/DisclaimerofWarranty:Whilethepublisherandauthorhaveusedtheirbestefforts inpreparingthisbook,theymakenorepresentationsorwarrantieswithrespecttotheaccuracyor completenessofthecontentsofthisbookandspecificallydisclaimanyimpliedwarrantiesof merchantabilityorfitnessforaparticularpurpose.Nowarrantymaybecreatedorextendedbysales representativesorwrittensalesmaterials.Theadviceandstrategiescontainedhereinmaynotbe suitableforyoursituation.Youshouldconsultwithaprofessionalwhereappropriate.Neitherthe publishernorauthorshallbeliableforanylossofprofitoranyothercommercialdamages,including butnotlimitedtospecial,incidental,consequential,orotherdamages.

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NOTE:Anyviewsoropinionsrepresentedinthisworkarepersonalandbelongsolelytotheauthors andthosequotedorcited.Theydonotrepresentthoseofpeople,institutionsororganizationsthat theymayormaynotbeassociatedwithinanyprofessionalorpersonalcapacity,unlessexplicitly stated.

LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData:

Names:SobelLojeski,Karen,author.|Reilly,RichardR.,author.

Title:Thepowerofvirtualdistance:aguidetoproductivityand happinessintheageofremotework/KarenSobelLojeski,Ph.D., RichardR.Reilly,Ph.D.

Othertitles:Unitingthevirtualworkforce

Description:Secondedition.|Hoboken,NewJersey:JohnWiley&Sons, [2020]|Earliereditionpublishedas:Unitingthevirtualworkforce: transformingleadershipandinnovationinthegloballyintegrated enterprise.

Identifiers:LCCN2019058455(print)|LCCN2019058456(ebook)|ISBN 9781119608592(hardback)|ISBN9781119608615(adobepdf)|ISBN 9781119608622(epub)

Subjects:LCSH:Virtualworkteams–Management.| Communication–Technologicalinnovations–Psychologicalaspects.| Alienation(Socialpsychology)|Employeemotivation.|Organizational effectiveness.|Virtualrealityinmanagement.

Classification:LCCHD66.S6482020(print)|LCCHD66(ebook)|DDC 658.4/022–dc23

LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2019058455

LCebookrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2019058456

CoverDesign:Wiley

CoverImage:©JackieNiam/GettyImages

PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica

10987654321

RichardReilly:Formywife,Laura

KarenSobelLojeski:Formyhusband,Paul

Chapter8:VirtualDistanceandTechnology

Chapter9:ReimaginingInnovation

Chapter10:Soul-BasedLeadership–AnIntroduction

AppendixA:VirtualDistanceandNeuroscience: ADifferentPerspective269

AppendixB:NotesonSurveyResearchMethodology

AppendixC:ExpandedListofProjectDescriptions305

Preface

Tenyearsago,wepublishedourfirstbookaboutVirtual Distance.

Andwhatwepredictedwouldhappen,didhappen. VirtualDistancehascontinuedtospreadaroundthe world.Itimpactsnotonlybusinessperformancebutalso families,education,healthcare,andanyinstitutionor communitywherepeopleinteractandcommunicate.

TheconcernswehadaboutVirtualDistancebecoming anintensifyingforcepushingustowardanincreasedsense ofsocialisolationandareducedfeelingofwell-being arenowmainstream.Discussionsinpopularmediaand policy-makingcirclesattesttotheconcernoverthe declinesthatVirtualDistancecontinuestocreate.

OurearlydatadocumentedtheimpactVirtualDistance hasonvariouskeyoutcomes.Sinceourfirstbookwe’ve collectedamuchlargerdatasetofmorethan1400studies coveringmorethanthreedozenindustriesspreadover 55differentcountriesoverthelastfifteenyears.Aswe reportinthisbook,theadditionaldataconfirmsand expandsuponourearlierfindings.ThestatisticalrelationshipsbetweenVirtualDistanceandcriticalsuccessfactors arefurthervalidatedwithamuchlargersample.The trenddataalsotellusthatVirtualDistanceisdeepening

andtheeffectsaregettingbigger.Wesuggestthatleaders regardVirtualDistanceasbeing foundational,ratherthan tangentialtohigh-levelorganizationalstrategies.

Throughourcollaborationswithorganizationsthat employmorethanfivemillionpeopleacrosstheglobewe canalsoreportsomegoodnews.We’vefoundthatpredictivesolutionsetsputforthintheoriginalwork,along withstrategiesandtacticsdevelopedinourconsultingand advisorypracticesince,candramaticallyreduceVirtual Distanceandimprovebusinessresultswithpredictable accuracy.Thesestrategiesalsoopendoorsintoarenewed andfeltsenseofhumanconnectednessandrelationship vitalitythatenhancealmosteveryaspectoflifelivedinthe digitalage.

INTRODUCTIONTOVIRTUAL DISTANCE

Simplyput,VirtualDistanceisameasurablesocialand emotionaldisconnect(consciousorunconscious)that ariseswhenweincreasinglyrelyondigitallymediated communicationtechnology.WedetailtheVirtualDistance ModelinChapter3butprovideabriefsummaryhereto highlightkeypoints.

AsshowninFigureP.1,VirtualDistanceiscomposed ofthreemajorfactors:

• PhysicalDistance: Thoseworkplacefeatures thatarefixedinspaceandtimelikegeographic distance,time-zone,andscheduledifferencesaswell asdistinctionsinorganizationalaffiliation.

• OperationalDistance: Thedailynoisethatgetsin thewayoffluid,meaningfulcommunications.

• AffinityDistance: Theissuesthatblockthe developmentofdeeper,long-lasting,andsubstantial relationshipsbuiltuponsharedvaluesandimportant humaninterdependencies.

Aswe’lldiscussingreaterdetaillateron,itsurprises manythatPhysicalDistance,whatwetendtofocusonthe most,actuallyhasthelowestimpactonorganizationaloutcomes.Fromaquantitativepointofview,theextentto whichwe’regeographicallydistributed,comparedtokey performanceindicators,rarelyrisestothelevelofstatistical significance.

It’sAffinityDistancethatmattersmost–thoseaspects ofvirtualworkthatpushusawayfromeachotheras human beings–nomatterifwe’rethousandsofmilesapartorsittingatthesametable.

AsVirtualDistancerisesoverall,andonAffinity Distancemostespecially,ourdecades-plusdatashowthat therearesomestaggeringeffects(seeTableP.1).

FIGURE P.1 TheVirtualDistanceModel.

TABLE P.1 TheimpactofVirtualDistanceonorganizationaloutcomes.

WhenOverallVirtualDistance isrelativelyhigh,keyoutcomes aresignificantlyimpacted

WhenAffinityDistancealoneis relativelyhigh,keyoutcomesare evenmoresignificantlyimpacted

Successfallsby85%Successfallsby82%

Satisfactiongoesdownby80%Satisfactiongoesdownby85%

OrganizationalCitizenship Behaviors(HelpingBehaviors) degradeby75%

OrganizationalCitizenship Behaviors(HelpingBehaviors) degradeby86%

Trustisworseby71%Trustisworseby86%

Learningdecreasesby70%Learningdecreasesby78%

LeadershipEffectivenessislowerby 68%

LeadershipEffectivenessislowerby 77%

Innovationislowerby63%Innovationislowerby73%

EmployeeEngagementfallsby58%EmployeeEngagementfallsby66%

RoleandGoalClaritygoesdown by53%

RoleandGoalClaritygoesdown by54%

StrategicImpactdecreasesby41%StrategicImpactdecreasesby50%

ThefirstcolumninTableI.1showstheimpactof OverallVirtualDistance(allthreefactorscombined).The secondcolumnshowsacomparisonofkeyoutcomes withwhatwefoundtobethemostimportantelementof VirtualDistance:AffinityDistance.

BACKGROUND

Overthelasttwodecades,digitalcommunicationshave ledtogainsforbothindividualsandorganizationsalike. “Smart”digitaldevices(SDDs)thatenableflexiblework havemadeitpossibleforpeopletobuildlivesinwhichthey canbetteraccommodateachangingsetofscenariosfaced bymany:caringforelderlyparents,accommodatingdifferentschedulesforincome-producingfamilymembers,and makingallowancesinorderforworkerstoliveanywhere.

Preface

xiii

Attheorganizationallevel,companieshavebeenbetter abletopositionthemselvescompetitivelybytappingtalent fromallcornersoftheworld,decreasingexpensesrelatedto fixedofficelocationsandbroadeningbrandreachbybeing abletoplacepeopleonthegroundnomatterwherecustomersaresituated.Thereisnodoubtthattheevolutionof workinthiswayisawin-win.

However,that’sonlyatinysnippetofamuchlarger story.Manyleaderskeepclingingtothemistakenperceptionthatgeographicdispersionisthesourceofmostworkforcechallengesleadingtoanextensivesetofunintended consequences.Weseethemeveryday.

Thepasttenyearshasseenanexplosionofarticles, newbusinessstart-ups,andorganizationalchangeinitiatives designedtotacklethetroublesthatsurfaceinremotework. However,thisviewofhowweworklimitsouropticsin termsofthemuchlargershiftinattentionamongthewhole workforce.

Therefore,weemphasize:

ThePrimePrincipleofVirtualDistance

EveryoneisnowvirtualthereforeVirtualDistanceaffectseveryone, everywhere

AnyonewhoworksprimarilythroughanSDDismediatedbymachinesthat

•takethetyped,audio,orothersensoryinput,likethe pressureresultingfromtappingonitsglassfront,from oneperson,then

•turnsitintodigitalsignals(1’sand0s)thedevicecan recognize,then

•movesitthroughwiresandothermechanicalthings, and

•broadcaststheoutputtootherpeople.

Therefore,everyoneworkingundertheseconditionsis virtualbyseveraldegreesinrelationtoothers.

CASEINPOINT

Thinkforamomentaboutsittingatdinnerinarestaurant,or athome,whilepeoplestareatscreens–eithertypingtoeach otherwithonlyatablebetweenthemorexchangingtapped-in messageswithunseenothers.

Eventhoughthey’rephysicallysittingnexttooracross fromeachother,weallknowthatthisconditionchangesthe natureofourhumanexperience.Eventhosesimplyobserving thiskindofeventreporttheycan“feel”thedifference, sometimesthroughtheunexpectedsilenceandblindinglack ofeyecontact.

Wecanberightnexttosomeoneandyetbecompletely focusedonanethereal“somethingorsomeoneelse”–like aghost.

So,inthisbookwedefinebeing“virtual”assomeone whoworksundertheconditionsdescribedintheabove scenarioandthousandsofotherslikeit.Infact,withattentionfocusedelsewhere,geographicseparationissimplyone possibleextensionofbeing“virtual.”

Theoveremphasisonlocation-basedseparationhas otherimplications.Rarelydoorganizationsmeasurethe extenttowhichcontradictoryorconfoundingindicators, suchashavinghighemployeeengagementbutlowtrust, actuallyimpactsthebottomline.

Forinstance,oneofourglobalinsuranceclients required90%ofitsemployeestopunchanelectronic timeclockataspecifiedsetofworldwidelocations.They werequiteshockedtolearnthatVirtualDistancewasthe causeofa$3millionlossonjustoneofmanystrategic ITprojects.TheC-suitewasalsosurprisedwhenwe savedthemmanymillionsmoreovertimeandimproved

Preface xv theircompetitivepositioning.UsingtheVirtualDistance Index(VDI)assessment,wewereabletohomeinontheir specificproblemsandpreciselydirecttherightresources toprovidefixeswhichthenquicklyledtoapositive turnaroundinfinancialresults,employeesatisfaction,and shareholdervalue.

ThephenomenonofVirtualDistancehasother,more seriousimplicationsatahumanlevel.Recently,theleader oforganizationallearningataEuropeaninstitutionshared thiswithus:

Iusedtolovemyjob.I’dgettoworkeverydayandteachpeoplesomethingnew.They’dseehowmuchithelpedthemput theirworkintoabroaderperspectiveandlearnedsomethingthey wouldn’thaveseenotherwise.UsuallyI’dgohomefeelingreally goodaboutmywork.

ButnowIoftenaskmyselfwhydoIcometowork?Tositat adesk,tappingatakeyboardforeighthoursansweringemails, andthengohome?Thisisn’tteachinganyoneanything.Relationshipshavebeenlost.Irarelytalktopeople–justsendnotes aboutgoingtothissoftwaretoolorthatbutnothingthatfeels likeit’smakinganybitofdifference–tomeortothem. ThismakesnosenseandI’mnotsurewhatI’mevendoinghere otherthancollectingthepaycheckIneedtotakecareofmy family.

Unfortunately,thesekindsofcommentsarecommon inourworkwithclientsatalllevels.Butitdoesn’thaveto bethisway.WhenwereduceVirtualDistance,thesekinds offeelingstendtodissipateandemployeesoftenreturnto amoreoptimisticmindsetbecausetheycanbetterbuild closerconnectedness.

Asfinancialandsocialcostsrise,theyreflectwhatwe calltheConnectivityParadoxasseeninFigureP.2:

Themoreconnectedwebecome,themoreisolatedwebegintofeel.

The Connectivity Paradox: The more connected we become, the more isolated we begin to feel.

“Smart” Digital Devices (SDDs)

FIGURE P.2 TheConnectivityParadox.

Asdigitaldevicesadvance,peoplefeelmoredisconnectedfromworkandeachotherthaneverbefore.This createsawideningchasmbetweenrisingproductivity expectations,ontheonehand,andactualproductivity measuresanddecreasingsocialwell-beingontheother.

Let’sbrieflytakeacloserlookataproductivityparadox inthiscontext.

Onedaywereceivedthefollowingwebinquiryfrom oneoftheworld’slargestconsumerpackagedgoods companies:

Bywayofintroduction,IamaDirectoratGlobalCPG Inc.inchargeofsomeleadercapabilitywork.Oneareathat ourmanagershavetoldusisagapistheirabilitytolead globalvirtualteams.Wepilotedtwovendorstodelivertraining withcontrolgroupsandeachreceivedlowmarksbecausethey weresimplyunabletohittherelevantsweetspotourmanagers arelookingfor.Participantstoldusthattherewastoomuch theory,toomanymodels–toomuch“stuff”theycouldget

Preface xvii themselvesontheinternet.Afterreadingatleastsixother booksonvirtualteams,Icameacrossyourbook,andbelieve thattheVirtualDistanceconceptseemstonailtheissuesour managersfacearoundtheglobe.

WewentontodeliverglobalVirtualDistancetrainingandsolutions.Whilepreparingforthatengagementwe learnedfromtheCIOthathewasfrustratedbecausethetop managementteamwasnotseeingthereturnsoninvestment (ROIs)theywereexpectingfromtheirbillion-dollar-plus technologyinvestments.

Atfirst,heplacedmuchofthe“blame”ontheusers fornotusingthetechnologyproperly(althoughadmittedlyhehadnospecificevidenceofthis;justacollection ofvagueanecdotes).Butaftersuccessfullydemonstrating thatreducingVirtualDistanceactually increased technology ROI,mainlybecausepeopleusedmoretechnologycapabilities,notless,hecametorealizethathisinitialassumptionsweresimplytheresultofoutdatedideasinformedby pastexperienceandnotbytheactualitiesofthepresent-day, highlytransformedworkplace.

Thelessonsfromthisstoryaretwofold:

1.Ashumanbeings,wealltendtodefaulttowhatwe knowbesttosolvedifficultproblems.Thisworks wellinsimplecaseswhencauseandeffectareknown andbestpracticescanbeapplied.IntryingtounderstandwhyROIsfallshortinmanymajortechinvestmentsintoday’smorecomplexworldofwork,we needtoallowemergentsolutionstocomeforward: thosethatarenotbiasedtowardill-informedpresumptionsabouthowthingsusedtoworkblindly appliedtohowtheyactuallyworknow.

2.Leadersoftenpubliclyreportanecdotalimpressions ofhigherproductivityresultingfrombiginvestments

intechnology.Butprivately,we’vediscoveredthat manyofthosesameleaders,liketheCIOabove,are aggravatedandsometimesevenremovedfromtheir jobs,becausetheROIjustisn’tthere.Ironically, reducingVirtualDistanceoftenleadspeopleto getthemostfromtechnologyandimprovesROI becausecolleaguesbecomemuchmoreinterested ingetting“closer”tooneanotherandexplore moreofthefeaturesthatmightsupportimproved relationships:improvementsthathavenothingtodo withtechnology,butwiththehuman-basedrealities ofVirtualDistance.

Thedatawe’veamassedoverthetenyearssinceour firsteditionprovethatuncontrolledVirtualDistancealong withthemistakengravitygiventogeographicdispersion leadstonegativeeffectsonboththebottomlineandworker well-being.

Wepredicteditwouldhappenanditdid.

Thispresentsanopportunitytoleveragetheseinsights andimprovecorporateresultsbyconcomitantlyimproving people’slivesbyrestoringmoremeaningfulnessandsatisfactionwithworkbyadoptingVirtualDistancepractices.

Somepeoplesayit’simpossible,theysay“thetrainhas leftthestation.”

However,thegreatthingabouttrainstationsisthat whenonetrainleaves,anotherarrives.

UsingVirtualDistancegivesusachoice;wecangeton adifferenttrainandtakeadifferentroutemovingforward.

WHAT’SNEWINTHESECONDEDITION

Muchofthecontentfromthefirsteditionremainsinplace, asitisfundamentaltounderstandingandreducingVirtual Distance.Thesense-makingscaffoldingprovidedbythe

Preface xix

originalVirtualDistanceModel,withoneminorexception,hasnotchanged,andhasstoodthetestoftime.

Theframeworkstillservesasthemostvaluablewayto quicklygainastrongandsteadyfootholdonwhatisotherwiseanamorphousandsenselesssetoffoggy,disconnected, andseeminglyrandomsetofsymptomsthatunderneath, pointtoamuchlargerproblem.Inmanyofthecasestudies presented,decision-makerswhoaddressedVirtualDistance directly,usingprescribedVirtualDistancesolutions,were abletogettotherootcauseoftheissuesstandinginthe wayofclosercollaborationwhichleadtobetterfinancial andinnovativeresults.

Updateshavebeenmadetovariousgraphsandcharts toreflectwhat’shappenedinthepastdecade.Inaddition, basedonwhatwe’veuncoveredsincethefirstedition,we’ve addednewcontentthatreflectsdeeperinsightsintohow VirtualDistanceischangingthelandscapeofwork.They include:

•AnewIntroduction,“WeAretheData”,specifically focusesonthelasttenyears’worthofadditionaland cumulativeempiricaldataanalysesovertime,and follow-onimpactstobusinessresultsandpeople’s experienceofwork.

•Manynewcasestudiesreflectingabroadersetofthe worldwideworkforcefrom55countriesacrossmore thanthreedozenindustries.

•Newdiscoveriesbasedonempiricalevidenceabout thewaysinwhichVirtualDistanceimpactsdifferent generationsandremoteversusin-personworker complements.We’vealsodescribednewinsights revealedbyoursignificantlyexpandedworkwith peoplewhohavevaryingtenureanddifferent hierarchicalpositionsspreadacrossanexpansive panoramaofglobalprojectsandworkscenarios. Morespecificexamplesaredescribedinnewor

updatedcasestudies.Additionaldetailsareprovided intheappendices.

•We’vealsopepperedthebookwiththoughtexperiments:exercisesintendedtomakeiteasiertomore directlyexperienceandunderstandtheinfluencesof VirtualDistanceoneverydayworkandlife.

Finally,we’veaddedvarious“MythBusters”to showcasenumerousexamplesofcounterintuitivefindings thatshatterstronglyingrainedmythsaboutorganizational behavior,design,andstrategyinournewworldofwork. Despitethefactthatmanyleadershipchallengesarenew, asabusinesscommunitywecontinuetoover-relyon managementthinkingandsolutionsthatwerefundamentallydesignedaroundwhatarenow,outdatedassumptions. MythBustersalsohighlightsomeofthemostwidelyheld andlargelymisleadingbeliefsaboutthewayworkactually functionswhenthemostmeaningfulhumandynamics disappearbehindvirtualcurtains.

HOWTHEBOOKISORGANIZED

Introduction:WearetheData providesa“bigpicture” viewofthedataandfindingswe’veuncoveredoverthe lastfifteenyears.Thechapterisstructuredinawaythat wehopehelpsthereaderrelatetothenumbersinmore personalways–notjustasvagueanalytics.Weintroduce theconceptof Human Oriented Meaningful Experience (HOME)asanewwaytoseehowwe are thedata,not justoutsidersbeingimpactedbytrendlinesthatarebeyond ussomehow.Wediscussmajorinfluencesshapingworkplacetransformationandrevealcounterintuitivefindings thatmayhelpthereadertakeadifferentapproachtoreshapingworkoverthedecadestocome.

Chapter1:TheRoadtoVirtualDistance takes thereaderthroughthestoryofhowVirtualDistancewas

Preface xxi discovered.Thebackgroundishelpfulasawaytoplace perspectivearoundhowwequantitativelymeasureVirtual Distanceanditseffectsonbusinessoutcomeswhichhave sinceledustoanever-before-achievedmathematical relationship: TheVirtualDistanceRatio.

Chapter2:RedefiningDistance givesthereadera historicalviewof“distance,”exposingtheso-called“death ofdistance”asamythandshowinghowourunderstanding ofdistanceinthevirtualworkplaceisill-informedbyfocusingonPhysicalDistancealone.Wedescribehowincluding theothertwomaincomponentsofVirtualDistance,havingmoretodowiththepsychologicalgulfsbetweenus, developedaswetaponourkeyboardsinsteadofexperiencingoneanotherinthecontextofalargerworld,isleading businessastray.

Chapter3:MeetingVirtualDistance discussesthe VirtualDistanceModelanditsthreemajorcomponents: PhysicalDistance,OperationalDistance,andAffinity Distance.

Chapter4:MeasuringVirtualDistance detailshow VirtualDistanceismeasuredusingtheVirtualDistance Index(VDI),thetoolwedevelopedtoquantifyhow VirtualDistanceaffectsthemostimportantaspectsofwork thathasstoodthetestoftimeformorethanadecade.In thischapterwedetailtheimpactsVirtualDistancehashad onkeyperformanceindicatorsoverthelastfifteenyears.

Chapter5:MappingVirtualDistance explainshow VirtualDistancecanbe“seen”throughVirtualDistance Mapping:atechniquethatilluminateswhatwecallCritical RelationshipPaths(CRPs),alongwhichVirtualDistance shouldbereducedtoavoidprojectfailure.

Chapter6:ManagingVirtualDistance describes specificstrategiesandtacticstoreduceandmanageVirtual Distanceovertime.

Chapter7:RedefiningTeams focusesonhowvirtual workhaschangedthewayteamsworkandhowVirtual

Distanceoffersauniqueuniversallanguagethattranscends eventhemostculturallydiverseandindividualizedteam members.

Chapter8:VirtualDistanceandTechnology highlightstheimportantpointthattechnologyisnotthe mainissuewhenitcomestothechangingworldofwork. Wecontinuetoshowevidencethatit’sthepeople,not thetechnology,thataremostimportanttoworkandthe futureoftheorganization.Nevertheless,manypeopleask howtechnologyrelatestothisprocess;therefore,wechose toleavethischapterinthiseditionofthebooktogive guidanceonhowtoselecttechnologyandsoftwarein serviceofreducingVirtualDistance.

Chapter9:ReimaginingInnovation describeshow VirtualDistanceandinnovationareinherentlylinked.Left uncontrolled,VirtualDistancecancorrodeinnovationinitiativesseverely.Weprovidecrucialguidelinesonhowto avoidthiskeythreatandinsteadleveragetheVirtualDistanceModeltounderstandhowtogetthemostoutof innovationateachphaseinthatprocess.

Chapter10:Soul-BasedLeadershipTM –An Introduction revealsanever-before-seenleadership model,Soul-BasedLeadership,anddiscusseswhy,when leadershipisviewedinthismosthumancontext,wecan useentirelydifferentmentalmodelsandexperience-based practicestorestorehigherlevelsofmeaningandwell-being backintowork.

Appendices include:

In AppendixA – VirtualDistanceandNeuroscience:ADifferentPerspective,weinterview MartinWestwell,ourcolleague,friend,andglobal expertincognitiveneuroscience,education,and workforce.Inthisappendix,heshareshisviews onhowVirtualDistanceandneuroscienceare integrallyconnected.Healsoshareshisthoughtson

Preface xxiii howcommunicationtechnologyischangingthe rulesofhumaninteractions;hassignificantnegative impactsonourexperienceofbelonging,purpose, andultimatelyhowwelearn;andpointsoutakey cautionfromtheOECDaroundbeingcarefulnot tocreatesecond-classrobotsinsteadoffirst-class humansaswemoveaheadwitheducationpolicy andthefutureofwork.

In AppendixB – NotesonSurveyResearch MethodologyandVirtualDistance,weshare someadditionaldetailaroundthetouchstones requiredforrigorousresearchmethodologyand surveyresearchinsocialsciences.Wethenreveal howthedevelopmentoftheVirtualDistance Indexandthediscoveriesthatfollowedusedthese importantcriteria.

In AppendixC – ExpandedListofProjectDescriptions,welistmanyexamplesofthekinds ofworkourVirtualDistanceparticipantswere involvedovertheselastfifteenyears.Aspartof the Human Oriented Meaningful Experience (HOME)conceptdescribedintheIntroduction, wewantedtoshareasmanyexamplesaspossibleso thereaderisabletoseethemselvesinthedata,given thelikelihoodthattheysharesimilarexperiences withmanydifferentcombinationsofcircumstance.

Acknowledgments

Wewouldliketoacknowledgemanypeoplewhohave helpedusinourongoingworkonthissecondeditionof ourfirstbookonVirtualDistance.Oursincerethanksto ourManagingEditoratWiley,SheckCho.Hisenthusiasm andclosecollaborationtobringthissecondeditionto marketismostgreatlyappreciated.Inaddition,we’dalso liketothankElishaBenjamin,KarenWeller,Samantha Enders,JayalakshmiEtandalltheotherpeopleatWiley fortheirdiligenceinmovingthebookforward.There weremanywithwhomweworkedtogetthissecond editionpolishedandpublished.PaulLojeskiwasespecially instrumentalasareviewer,editor,andsourceoftruthful anddirectfeedback,encouragement,andsteadfastdedicationtothiswork.Wewouldalsoliketothankour manyclientsandstudentsoverthesefifteenyearsfortheir continuedenthusiasm,evangelism,andimplementation ofVirtualDistancesolutions.Theyincludeexecutives, managers,andindividualcontributorsfrommanyFortune 500companies,governmentorganizations,academicinstitutions,nonprofits,policy-makingandotherorganizations acrosstheglobe.We’dalsoliketothankProfessorMartin WestwellforhiscontinuedcollaborationsaroundVirtual Distance,neuroscience,andthefutureofeducationand work.Hisremarks,whichareincludedinAppendixA,

havebeenhighlyinformativetoourthinkingaswe continuouslylookforwaystoreduceVirtualDistanceand helphumanbeingsdiscovermoreaboutthemselvesinnew ways.We’dalsoliketothankVDIfriendsandcollaborators EllenPearlman,DianeEynon,StephenWeinroth,Edward Kerson,ChuckHouse,IrvingWladawsky-Berger,Carl Eneroth,SallyPera,andmanyotherswhocontributeda greatdealaswedevelopedthisupdatededition.

THE POWER OF VIRTUAL DISTANCE

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