Measuring Progress In A Dispersed World

In a world of increasing professional freedom, managers (and the rest of us) struggle to adequately measure output. Gone are the days of clocking in and clocking out. We often assume that the number of hours spent “working” are an indication of one’s effort and accomplishment. However, in reality, this is not the case. Furthermore, applying such short-sighted measurements will diminish some of the most valuable benefits of a free-range workforce. The era of digital nomads must be greeted with a new corporate lens. We must stay focused on the bottom-line while eliminating the bureaucratic noise.

The Competitive Advantage of The Unexpected
As a team that researches productivity in creative industries, we have learned that the sources of inspiration don’t mix well with rigidity. One of the most important sources of new ideas is taking unexpected turns (fancy language for making mistakes) and then following them a bit. At this year’s TED conference, fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi explained that a lot of his ‘design ideas come from mistakes or tricks of the eye.’ Mistakes are illuminating because they are unexpected. But if you are only measured for the time you spend on something (or more likely the efficiency of the time you spend), then you are likely to miss out on the competitive advantage of randomness. The out-of-office workers in a team have a precious opportunity to escape cube-land and explore unexpected terrain. The digital nomads among us have a tremendous opportunity to innovate. But, in order to do so, we must be given the latitude to follow a few unexpected paths. When our work is measured, we should also be reviewed for our capacity to venture beyond our comfort zones. After all, if anyone on a team is able to escape the shackles of “group think,” it is us.

Trickles vs. Spurts
The traditional corporate career is a gradual marathon - promotion by promotion - while true entrepreneurial pursuit happens in bursts. The time has come to question conventional wisdom about accomplishment. Contrary to popular belief, the best ideas often do not require a lengthy conception, and the most productive days are seldom the longest. Digital nomads have a special opportunity to find their own pace rather than conform to a life of mandatory daily meetings and the pains of “face time.” In return, the mobile workforce must deliver “spurts” of productivity and insight. When bonuses are considered, managers must value the spurts versus an adherence to the daily grind.

Trust & Shared Interests
It is no secret that a lot of time in the typical corporate job is wasted - look no further than the success of comedy shows like “The Office.” We like to make fun of bureaucracy because we see it around us every day. Managers create rules and norms not in the pursuit of efficiency, but rather out of distrust. According to a recent study by AOL and Salary.com, full-time employees work a total of three days a week, wasting the other two. The new era of free-range workers and their managers and clients must embrace transparency, and there must be a fundamental trust shared between colleagues. Beyond deadlines, expense accounts, and privacy, every employee must trust that their colleagues want the best for the company, care about the product, and aspire to succeed in their role. For this to happen, everyone must have a sense of shared goals, and shared rewards.

Emphasis on Progress, Not Hours
In our research at Behance, we have found that placing importance on hours and physical presence over action and results leads to a culture of inefficiency (and anxiety). The pressure of being required to sit at your desk until a certain time creates a factory-like culture that ignores a few basic laws of idea generation and human nature: (1) When the brain is tired, it doesn’t work well, (2) Idea generation happens on its own terms, (3) When you feel forced to execute beyond your capacity, you begin to hate what you are doing. Of course, there is no short-cut for the perspiration required to make ideas happen. But the time required to complete a project successfully must reveal itself rather than be dictated. If you care about your work, you will do what it takes to get it done right. As such, your performance should be measured by your ability to get work done on time and done well. Your decisions about when and how you completed the work should not matter. When you sense a lack of mutual agreement on these terms, you need to confront it. Up front discussion is absolutely essential for a productive digital nomad lifestyle.

Respect The Creative Process
Managers must start to reconsider the conventional assumption that butts in chairs = productivity. In some particularly impressive companies such as Kluster, managers have abandoned the normal societal expectation of work time in favor of “doing work whenever there is work to be done.” Another company, 37 Signals has went as far as implementing a standard four-day work week. Even major corporations such as Best Buy have implemented programs such as ROWE (Results Only Work Environment) which favors performance based on output instead of hours.

Ultimately, progress leads to positive results - and results speak for themselves. However, in the interim, we all must realize the benefits of a new era of workflow. We cannot allow ourselves to miss out on these benefits by regressing to the old rules of management and measurement.

This tip was written by Scott Belsky, a member of the Behance team. Explore more Behance tips at http://www.behancemag.com

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