#WFH: Good Intentions are Not Enough!
Don’t worry about too much detail or perfection. Measure what can be measured to a useful degree of accuracy. Think about the measures that you will use to measure performance. The depth, breadth and underlying logic of what a company decides to measure is a reflection of how well it understands and values the virtual workplace as a reality. What is important is that something is being measured and that this measurement ties into business strategies. Measuring does not assure that the business strategies this ties into will work. It does however give the individual, department and organization feedback about performance so that corrective measures can be implemented. Without measures, the individual’s performance as well as the department or organization can be off track for quite a while before any problems are recognized.
Good intentions are not enough to assure success. Operational excellence needs to find its way into the virtual workplace. This means that measures must be logical, real world and applied. No one would argue that performance appraisals need to tie into business objectives. What is important is that this is applied to the virtual workforce as well as to those people in the face to face environment. Do you want 100% of your workforce working to meet your objectives or 50%? As more and more people work virtually more of the time this is a very real question. Even if they are working part time in the virtual environment, it is still important to incorporate virtual measures for performance into the overall strategy.
Measurement needs to cascade downward. What is measured at the top needs to tie into what is measured everywhere. The specifics might change because different functions need different measures and might require a greater focus on operations and processes. This can take some effort. But theories and strategies that are not operationalized are not practical. Determine what to measure and then set about measuring it. Measure something. Problems will crop up but then you can adjust the performance measures. The biggest challenge in implementing a virtual performance measurement system is usually organizational culture.
The virtual workplace requires people to change the way they think about work. It requires managers and supervisors to really think about workplace measures and expectations. It requires setting boundaries and limits. It requires planning and communication with intent and flexibility. It requires people to treat each other with respect and re-quires building highly functional but diverse teams. Change is easier for some people and cultures than for others. Leadership is critically important in this process. Leaders have to provide direction and sup-port for the virtual workplace. They need to under-stand what is involved in virtual performance and determine what measurements make sense.
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