Chapter 1 Why Work Sucks Pg 11-36

"Why Does Work Suck? The deep reason….because we have “TIME” all wrong.

     * Working late might get you a promotion

     * Coming in late might get you fired

     * Coming in early looks like dedication

MYTH: TIME + PHYSICAL PRESENCE = RESULTS

Except for sales..people are judged by mixture of results and time spent in the office.  You are expected to do your work AND spend 40 hours or more in the office."

Why do we look at time this way?   Maybe it is a relic of the Industrial age…when you  were not at your place on the assembly line, work wasn’t getting done. (pg 15)

FEW INDIVIDUALS ARE GIVING THEIR BEST. FEW COMPANIES ARE GETTING THE BEST FROM THEIR PEOPLE. (pg 17)

Chapter 2 Notes: This Thing We Call Sludge Pgs 39-60

Engrained Rules:

Here's one of them.  "People who aren't in the office and therefore physically available all the time aren't really working."  List on pg 43

FLEXTIME can make life suck more (pg 44)

If you tried to train people to behave differently without addressing the underlying culture, you were lost. The Unwritten rules would trump the written rules every time.  Early ROWE almost derailed. SLUDGE was the key to everything(pg 46-7)

Sludge is so dangerous because it seems so small (pg 47)

How ROWE gets rid of Sludge (pg 55)
 

Once you are aware of the existence of Sludge, you see it everywhere, home, work, friends, community, politics.You can still judge people as incompetent but it has to be for the right reasons (pg 60)

Chapter 3 Notes: A Results-Only Work Environment (63-82)

-People did not abuse freedom (pg 64)

-Employees didn’t want the core values and identity of the company to change

-EVEN THOUGH THERE IS FREEDOM THERE ARE STILL RULES. (pg 67)

GREAT QUESTIONS:  (pg 71)
"If I am really free to do whatever I want (and you are) then …
     1. HOW DO I MEASURE MY PERFORMANCE?
     2. HOW DOES MY MANAGER JUDGE MY WORK?
     3. What am I suppose to do with my time?

QUESTION:  If someone gets their job done in 36 hours rather than 40 hours, should manager assign 4 more hours of work or should employee ask for more work?

ANSWER: NEITHER. The right question to ask yourself …Am I doing what I need to do to meet my goals this week?  If Yes…on track. If you are focus on the RESULTS and achieving them then your ‘time’ is your own. You got your work done in 36 hours?  Good for you! Now go to a movie,  be with the kids, save the world.  You did your job. NO ONE CARES HOW YOU SPEND YOUR TIME! (72)

  

PEOPLE AT ALL LEVELS HAVE THE SAME WORRIES

1.  How are the results going to happen?
2.  How do we know we’re achieving our goals?
3.  How will we know that everyone is pulling their weight?

Despite ROWE's radical approach, work actually ends up looking pretty much how it does now. ( 82)

Chapter 4 Notes: What time feels like in a ROWE Pg 87-110

ROWE's 13 Guideposts:
Old attitudes arereplaced by new ones. When struggling, Guideposts help ground people. They also can shake people up and prepare them for change. (pg88)

...people to experience through experimentation ( pg 89)

Management (involvement) was VITAL to creating change  (pg 90)

(In a ROWE) no one does it alone. They push one another, challenge one another support one another. (pg 91)

MYTH: If you don’t enforce time rules on employees, they will take advantage

Actual: Opposite happens. ROWE members MORE responsible because are being rewarded with freedom  (pg 101) 

Work schedules that come from the top down only take into account one person or one groups point of view on what needs to get done at work--Managements.  When managers move their chess pieces around they are missing out on what those chess pieces might be able to contribute to the conversation about what needs to be done.   (pg 107)

Chapter 5 Notes: How Work Gets Done in a ROWE Pgs 114-132

In a Rowe, most people do come to the office most days. For many, the idea that they have the freedom to work whenever they want from wherever they want is something they keep in their back pocket.  The point isn't the time so much as the trust.  (pg121)

People take ownership of their work (pg 122)

Managers ... take more of a coaching role than a supervisory role. (pg 128)

In a traditional environment there is no employee incentive to do a job more efficiently because if you did manage to get your job done more quickly you’d still have to fill the hours. (pg 131)

…Suddenly in a ROWE everyone is an innovative thinker because if they can get their job done more quickly and efficiently then they have more time for themselves. As long as they can drive the results, they are rewarded with control over their time (pg 131)

People talk about the waste falling away as if by magic. But it’s not magic—it’s a focus on results.” (pg 131)

Chapter 6 Notes: Why Life is Better in a ROWE (pg 137-151)

"We are talking about changing the whole conversation about what work is for.  It doesn’t have to be a battle field where a few people win (or lose) big. Work can be a place where everyone can find their level, their place, their sense of purpose.  Everyone can be respected and valued, and not just because it’s the humane thing to do, but because it makes business sense” (pg 139)

Not working for time…this does not mean that people milk the system or that there is no capacity planning.  You can still talk about time. You can still plan around time. “ I think this will take two weeks: or “we need to build in a month to make sure that happens.” IT’S MORE A MATTER OF NOT BASING ACHIEVEMENT ON TIME”  (pg 145)

Weak Point of ROWE.  Social Aspect of work: It’s natural for some people to start to feel disconnected.  To alleviate this, a team decides that it needs to connect on a social level and then figures out the best way to drive that result.  When teams take this kind of action, it’s far more meaningful than traditional business social activities of the past. (pg 146)

This is how entrepreneurs and freelances live....Talk to successful self-employed people and they will describe days that are full but not hectic,  that mix personal with professional in a way that is almost seamless …figuring out how to best use your time, being efficient, etc 

Chapter 7 Notes: What's Next for ROWE Pgs 156-174

ROWE has had significant effect on voluntary turnover meaning the companies retain their talented people. (pg 159)

...financial gains were very real.  (pg159)

ROWE is just as transformative for managers and directors as it is to the rank and file.  But because bosses have power, their experience is a little different. (pg 171)