The Human Side of Virtual Work

Laurence M. Rose

• Publisher: Business Expert Press
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781631571831
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Organisational Behaviour
• Index: Business

The virtual work world is upon us. It is ever increasing as both workers and organizations become more familiar with this new structure. The way leaders and managers deal with the virtual worker will become increasingly more important. This book takes a look at the virtual work environment from a view of human perceptions. Trust, isolation, and presence are the three main human perceptions discussed throughout the book and are the foundation for the theory presented. The Change–Self-Efficacy Loop Theory provides the basis for a new tool to maximize the productivity level of the virtual worker. The book takes a journey from the industrial revolution through a second shift or technology revolution which we are currently experiencing known as the virtual work environment. It presents argument and ideas to encourage all of us to take action now to prevent the potential negative outcomes that could affect many working in the virtual work environment. The book is designed for anyone associated with the virtual work environment. Based on the premise that the virtual work environment needs to be a productive alternative to the traditional work environment, the book focuses on variables that can create the most successful outcome.

Chapter 1

Introduction to the Virtual
Work Environment

I live in a world, a virtual world. Facebook is my house, Linkedin is my office and Twitter is my playground.

—Panchatapa Goswami

When I sat down to write this book, “The human side of virtual work: managing trust, isolation, and presence,” which is about the virtual work environment (VWE), I was asking the question which many of you might have asked: how can the VWE be anything other than a good thing? Virtual work offers flexibility and cost savings not only for the individual but also for the organization and the ultimate in work-life balance. Seems pretty good, almost too good to be true. You know what they say about that.

As we take the journey together looking at the VWE in this book, we will look at how it might not be all that it appears, no pun intended on the virtual aspect. As mentioned earlier, if it seems too good to be true, maybe it is. I write this book not to bash all of the great things the VWE allows but to explore the VWE from a different lens and perspective that might not have been revealed before. The perspective is the foundation of the book, looking from the lens of the human side of things. This perspective comes from three main areas. First, I have led virtual workers for the past 15 years for both large and small, private and public companies. Second, my research was about the VWE and change, which resulted in a theory that will be discussed in Chapter 8. Third, and finally, through observations of friends and families all of whom have encountered a human side of the VWE.

The human side of things is an interesting approach because much of what has been studied has been about technology and lacked the focus on the human beings, more will be discussed about this later in the chapter. For now, I want to mention that we must think about how humans are impacted so we can look for ways to allow humans to flourish. After all, for an individual to truly flourish, they must be able to navigate the obstacles. Don’t we always look at things from the human side? Is it not a benefit to the humans who work virtually or have had their lives changed by telecommuting? I will introduce a person called Virtual Vic in Chapter 3 which is an example of how individuals can function without the engagement of other human beings. Back in the early 1970s, when telecommuting became a way of life for a few, many others longed for the day that they too could try this new life style. What Niles coined as a phrase to depict a new way of working would become a new life style for many some 40 years later. With change comes challenges, Chapter 4 will discuss management challenges.

Many books and articles have been written about the changes the VWE has created in both professional and personal situations. I submit to you today that many of these changes have focused on the VWE’s structure. What I mean by that is the focus has been on the how and what of this environment, not on the humans who actually work within this structure. Books and articles are focused on the technology that enables this structure to take place. They focused on the shared office space that can now be used by many instead of just one. They focused on organizational savings and the investment in technology to enable the VWE. Their focus was not on the effect on human beings behind this new way of working but behind all the benefits that could be realized through the structure. They lacked a look at the feelings and the human touch behind this structure. Unfortunately, for many, there was no focus on the impact on the human being that is carrying out this new way of working.

I know that there will be many doubters who say, come on, everyone benefits. There can be no negative outcome of this great concept. That might be true, but I simply ask that you walk this journey with me with an open mind and we together explore some of the aspects that affect the people within the VWE. We shall look for ways within this structure to allow humans to flourish and be successful.

So let’s start to explore this world that has been created some by the desires of workers, some by desire of organizations, some for the reason of being more competitive in a global world, and most of all some because the world that we work in has evolved.

History and the State of VWE

A Brief View of the World That We Live In

Have you ever been in a situation where you believe that you have seen the future and the future is now? As the famous Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra once said “it’s like Deja-vu all over again” and “the future ain’t what it used to be.” In order for it to be real, do you have to actually experience it for real? Do you have to live or work there for it to be real? Can it be the future if we are actually living it now? These are some of the thoughts I have had over the past few decades as I have not only managed people who are virtual workers but I have also raised children in a world full of technology that has allowed them to hit the big red button to start over without the understanding of what that means and how to develop the long-term views of the world. Technology is bringing us back to the old days by allowing many to be at home again. It allows for the blending of work and life balance by eliminating a structured work day, and it might be zapping the minds of many to only be able to think in the here and now. It is technology that enables the virtual world. It is also the technology that has become to many the enabling mechanism rather than the tool it should be to help humans function rather than escape from reality and pretend to see a different version of reality.

This version control of reality is what the virtual world creates. By working virtually, are you in the same reality as those away from you? If you are working in your pajamas from your home office, is that the same reality from the office that you once worked? Reality is a difficult topic, and I will discuss a concept often associated with reality later in Chapter 7; that topic is presence. Looking at version control of reality has been a struggle for people not just because of the virtual world but prior to the invention of virtuality. People often want to find a reality that fits for them even when the facts bare something different. Have you ever been with other people and witnessed the same event yet the descriptions of what just happened are very different? Let’s take an example to highlight this aspect of version control of reality.

Let’s look at a business meeting where there are two people on the same team yet they have opposing views to a solution. When a third person presents a position that favors one person’s approach to the solution, there most likely will be two versions of reality. At the end of the presentation, we might very well have one person supporting the presentation and discussing the positive attributes, while the other person only heard the negative aspects and found all of the problems with the presentation. Same presentation, same solution yet two different versions of reality. Why does this happen? There are many reasons, but part of the problem stems from the lens that each team member is looking through while they listen and absorb the facts. We try and fit the fact pattern into what we have preconceived. This is the way the mind works. This is also affected by self-efficacy as we all focus on what we are good at doing. Self-efficacy plays an important role in the theory discussed in Chapter 8.

Let’s look at one more example of version control of reality. When people witness an accident and they are asked what happened, often times, the stories are close but not the same. Sometimes it was a blue car that hit the red one when in reality it was a red car hitting the blue car. Sometimes it is that a car was turning when in fact the car was going straight. The reality and the facts are what they are yet the witnesses see something different. I don’t want to spend a lot of time on all the reasons this might happen but rather want to point out that this does occur. When it does, the story told by each will become theirs and over time their belief will grow stronger. At times, so strong that they will defend it as the truth, keep this concept in mind, as we later talk about the perceptions of trust, isolation, and presence and how individuals define their feelings and beliefs associated with them.

There are many reasons for this to occur. This concept has been studied by experts and they are more qualified than I am as to the actual reasons this happens. One of the most pointed books that addresses how the brain functions and why this might happen is the one written by Guy Harrison (2013) called Think. Another book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, written by Carol S. Dweck (2006) does an excellent job in talking about the details that can affect how we react to situations based on our mindset. If you are interested in exploring this concept more, I recommend you read these books.

The point for bringing this up is that even in the same exact environment, people can have different versions of reality. Imagine when we start to work apart from each other how realities might change or be influenced. Introduce all capitalized e-mail or text, missed nonverbal clues, and garbled conference calls; talk about a version of a different reality. I want this thought to carry through to those of us who manage virtual workers to understand that their reality most likely will be different from ours.

Now that we have seen what version control of reality is, imagine how the virtual world can affect the perceptions of those dealing with a given situation. Take that a step further, and imagine how work and productivity might be affected by the VWE and version control of reality. So how do we know what reality we are living in and working in? We must be ever aware of our situation and those we work with.

As Orwell (1949) once wrote “big brother is watching” talking about how the world would be in 1984, now 30 years later, as I put pen to paper, we must deal with this real aspect and concept of the virtual world and the ability to have big brother watching. We are in a situation where big brother can watch based on technology. It might not be as we originally thought, meaning in the terms as Orwell wrote that we would be observed; a society where authority figures could watch every move that was made by the citizens, or has it evolved that way?

Today, we can be observed by “big brother.” Sometimes this can be a very good thing like that in the recent Boston Marathon Bombing when the “eye in the sky” was able to identify the individuals who set homemade bombs near the finish line. In this case, without the ability to observe, we might not have been able to bring these people to justice. However, is this ability to be observed all the time a good thing? Big brother might be your manager who is using technology to monitor if you are really working in your remote location. Big brother might be your virtual team who is monitoring its member to ensure that the progress is being made on the task it was given. Big brother might be your network of Wazers, the newer GPS type system available on your smart phone that is interactive while you drive, who are watching how you are getting to and from wherever you are traveling, including maybe going to work. The bottom line is that we have the capability to monitor our whereabouts when it comes to working and we are using that technology in a way that appears to provide freedom and flexibility, but is it really? Do you feel trusted when you are being monitored on the number key stokes you are using on your computer. As social creatures, are we flourishing when you are isolated by yourself? Can you maximize your output when you are not in the presence of others?

What is the purpose of introducing big brother in the conversation of the VWE? The reason is that “big brother” is a part of what the VWE can be and is. It is already part of the VWE in many aspects of managing and leading within this new structure. We use technology to monitor work output. We use technology to have virtual meetings where people can be observed during the meeting. We have big brother watching with FaceTime and Skype applications which bring far away people up close through the use of screens.

Now that we have realized that big brother really can watch we must look at what that means to those being watched, the virtual worker. Big brother being able to watch was a far off concept back in Orwell’s “1984” but it appears very real today. We must talk about what the future of the VWE really is in terms of the humans that function within this world. The perceptions that people feel are real, and they need to be a part of the VWE to make it as beneficial and productive as it can be.

Later, I will look at the human perceptions of trust, isolation, and presence. For now, I want to discuss the concept and structure of the VWE and how it has come to being.

The Coming of the VWE

In the beginning and prior to the Industrial Revolution, people made a living by manufacturing goods in their own homes. Before the Industrial Revolution, many people worked the land. People used hand tools and basic machines. Farmers worked their own property and women spun wool and flax into thread used for clothing. Work then evolved into workshops or small-scale industries very close to where workers lived, if not on their actual home site. New machinery for manufacturing goods meant that instead of working at home, people went to work in factories in towns. The shift in population was massive; in 1800, 75 percent of the population lived in the country and 25 percent in towns; by 1900, these percentages had been exactly reversed. Rather than working for themselves, most people were now employees of someone else.

Industrialization marked a shift to powered, special-purpose machinery, factories, and mass production. The iron and textile industries, along with the development of the steam engine, played central roles in the Industrial Revolution, which also saw improved systems of transportation, communication, and banking. While industrialization brought about an increased volume and variety of manufactured goods and an improved standard of living for some, it also resulted in often grim employment and living conditions for the poor and working classes.

There was a shift in working conditions and location for many. This shift created a separation between work and home. Now there was a distinct line between work and home. This shift could be directly related to the Industrial Revolution that had profound impacts on organizations, management styles, and workers. The Industrial Revolution widened the space between home and work. This widening was seen in terms of both geographical and psychological distance (Baruch and Nicholson 1997). As individuals began to travel longer distances to and from work, the distinction between a work and a nonwork life began to take hold in the postindustrial years.

We now face a ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Abstract
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1: Introduction to the Virtual Work Environment
• Chapter 2: The Essentials of the Virtual Work Environment
• Chapter 3: Virtual Vic
• Chapter 4: Management Challenge
• Chapter 5: Trust
• Chapter 6: Isolation
• Chapter 7: Presence
• Chapter 8: Change–Self-Efficacy Loop Theory
• Chapter 9: Productivity
• References
• Index
• Adpage
• Backcover