Worknow_Aotearoa_NZ

Trust & Collaboration

Companies and leaders in today’s knowledge economy are beginning to recognise that traditional command and control methods of leadership are no longer the most effective way to inspire the best from people. Instead there’s a growing recognition that networked collaboration is the way of the future.

Ok, I am bias because collaboration is one of our founding values and I have issues with 80’s management theory. Words like power and  control, creep me out.

But no use complaining right, one must act hence our new venture - Worknow - where we connect talented people willing to trust and collaborate with each other and support flexible forms of work such as contract, project, freelance, and volunteer work.

Now, I noticed recently my tendency to sing about co-operation when contemplating ways to collaborate which raises two questions.

Are collaboration and cooperation the same thing?

They are defined quite differently by www.dictionary.com 

co⋅op⋅er⋅a⋅tion[koh-op-uh-rey-shuhn]

NOUN

1. an act or instance of working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit; joint action.

2. more or less active assistance from a person, organization, etc.: We sought the cooperation of various civic leaders. 

3. willingness to cooperate: to indicate cooperation. 

4. Economics. the combination of persons for purposes of production, purchase, or distribution for their joint benefit: producers’ cooperation; consumers’ cooperation. 

5. Sociology. activity shared for mutual benefit.

6. Ecology. mutually beneficial interaction among organisms living in a limited area.

VS

col⋅lab⋅o⋅ra⋅tion[kuh-lab-uh-rey-shuhn]

NOUN 

1. the act or process of collaborating.

2. a product resulting from collaboration: This dictionary is a collaboration of many minds.

Yet, I always “assumed” an interdependence becasue by my understanding effective collaboration requires co-operation. But now to the next question, which speaks even greater volumes about my education…

Why this song? “Co-operation, makes it happen. Co operation, working together”

 Clearly it was a song lyric from somewhere and when I goggled the lyrics I was not at all surprised to find that its actually one of the regular skits from an influential childhood programme…go on, take a guess. Here’s a clue. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12…

Yes, apparently my entire philosophy around collaboration stems from the Muppet’s on Sesame Street. Which in turn supports my belief that early education is a great place to develop a more collaborative and entrepreneurial culture.

Co-operation … makes it happen

Co-operation … working together

Dig it!

Co-operation … makes it happen

Co-operation … working together

Muppet In Shades:

I saw these crazy dudes

And they went out on the street

They were cleanin’ out the empty lot

And makin’ it neat

I said, “Man is this cool

What you tryin’ to do?”

They said, “Makin’ a garden

For me and for you.”

They said:

All:

Hey man, join us

Come on, let’s go

Together we can make a pretty garden grow

Girl: I’ll dig a hole

Guy: And I’ll plant a seed

Together: And we can add the water

That all growin’ things need

All:

Co-operation … makes it happen

Co-operation … working together

Dig it!

Co-operation … makes it happen

Co-operation … working together

metrolyrics.com

Not only do I heed the advice of muppets, I’m also involved with community gardens.  Scary, influential stuff our early childhood education.

Promoting the benefits of contract outsourcing over full-time employment

Rather than just blogging about why full-time permanent employment is not the most effective or efficient way to get work done I’ve decided to take a more direct approach. 

For a couple of months now I’ve been hunting down job positions, advertised on Seek or Trade me, that I recognise as having contract potential and  “applying” for jobs that match my talent, skills and experience – just not in the “traditional” sense of a job application.

Web Wizard Wanted

We require a tertiary-qualified, web savvy, graphic-skilled, customer-focused IT guru who is dedicated to effectively deliver quality online information to our clients and their customers. Our Web Wizard will have skills in the following areas:

• Client-side development
• Web Communication
• Multimedia web scripting
• Server-side development
• Ability to build and maintain web sites to the highest level.
• Ability to design and re-design web site in a co-ordinated approach with marketing, branding and sales focus.
• Strong IT background.
• Well developed and demonstrable graphic art skills
• Demonstrable ability to effectively communicate with people inside and outside of the workplace.
• Client interface.
• Capacity to work on a virtual Greenfield site.
• Must have “The Geek Touch” blended with passion, drive, creativity and ambition to succeed and work towards the next career level

This job opens up a new box of toys to let the Web Wizard’s creative juices flow, and includes animated advertising elements, video streaming, blogging, interactive magazines and advertisements, installation and maintenance of all screen advertising and links, uploading the latest media news as it breaks, uploading the daily newspaper and associated company magazines, and establishing a platform for viable and positive online commercial trade…

Using my CV & cover letter to promote contract outsourcing  as the most effective way to get work done.

Dear John,
 
I read on Seek that you are looking for a web wizard, a talented creative, marketing and people person with technical development and design skills.
 
Kia Ora, my name is Renee Lee and I am an intelligent, motivated and hardworking young women with a passion for helping people, providing solutions and making things happen.
 
I’m looking for a part-time contract role that will allow me the flexibility to pursue the development of my own company which supports and promotes more flexible ways of getting work done. Therefore, I offer for your consideration an alternative to the current full-time position you described.

If I may, based on my seven+ years in online business development, I venture to suggest that you split the role between two or more performance based contractors.

Performance based contracting would allow you to achieve superior results, within the same budget as you suggest and would effectively:

• Allow you to employ the talents of two or more, marketing, design and development specialists
• Delineate responsibility for performance to improve focus, output and productivity
• Provide a performance incentive
• Expand your available talent resources

As a business catalyst, I can provide you a talented team of online specialists to fulfil the work requirements you outline within your  budget…please keep me in mind should you consider a collaborative, talented, team approach an effective and efficient means to accomplish the work you envision for this role. For more information please feel free to check out some links that reflect another part of the work I do:-
 
www.twitter.com/lee0007
www.twitter.com/time_trade
www.twitter.com/350_nz
 
Thank you for taking the time to consider a more flexible approach to achieveing the results your require. I look forward to hearing from you.
 
Kind reagrds,
 
 
Renee Lee
Co Founder & Catalyst
Worknow Ltd
+64 21 18 300 50
+64 3 455 3901
www.worknow.co.nz

Changing the employment mindset is going to take a whole lot of time and letters of rejection but I can handle the rejection because every seed planted is a potential future collaborator.

Reducing Barriers to Productivity

Social networking tools will play an important role in the future of work organisation by helping us to create, connect and collaborate as project teams, regardless of time or place.

As workers move toward contracting and business’ take the opportunity to outsource work to increase productivity new methods of organising and facilitating work will arise.

Institutional “containment” as we know will cease to exist and with it the barriers to productivity that stalled the growth and development of our people and businesses.

Networking Tools & Platforms

Today’s social media tools and network platforms have created an environment where communication, collaboration and coordination are already in use. They need simply be applied in business to make it quicker and easier to get work done.

No longer limited by time or place or disadvantaged by the costs of travel, the concept of using networking tools to facilitate projects begins a paradigm shift in the way we think about and accomplish work.

IT and business technology will take center stage in the post-recession economy. The crisis…will sweep away organizations that do not grasp the importance of and utilize social network technologies.

Innovation will be defined by networks, [collaborating to] work with partners or competitors or customers using social technologies. George Colony, CEO of Forrester.

The way we work is changing and with it comes a shift in power, away from the corporate hierarchy that directed and controlled productivity in the past towards the innovative, more flexible contract workers that are ready and able to work, as needed.

Connect & Collaborate with Worknow

Networking tools and platforms give individual contractors and dispersed project teams the ability to compete with institutions at an unprecedented level. At Worknow we support this more flexible, entrepreneurial work ethic and are here to help contractors find, connect and collaborate on project work opportunities..

Innovation in a recession

The UK is heralding the flexibility & creativity, for which contractors are known, as the potential savior of UK economy.

UK organisations start to appreciate the benefits of a flexible contractor workforce, and …the positive impact interim executives and IT contractors are having in achieving technology innovation within large organisations, despite reduced budgets.

“The UK workforce has demonstrated unprecedented flexibility during this recession,” comments Keep Britain Working founder James Reed, “allowing organisations to explore a whole range of cost-cutting responses, other than relying solely on redundancies.”

The benefits of outsourcing and contract work are also being recognised here in Aotearoa as 63% of White-collar New Zealander’s look to sacrifice the security of nine-to-five salaries in order to head out on their own as private contractors.

As companies continue to let staff go and struggle to contain costs in the face of falling profitability both workers and employers are beginning to recognise that full-time permanent employment is not necessarily the most effective or efficient way to get work done.

The Benefits of Outsourcing Projects & Contract Work

By outsourcing work to private contractors businesses can get work done and maintain productivity while minimising payroll expense. While “employment” may by comparison seem safer, more secure, working as a private contractor also promises better pay and the flexibility to live a more balanced, family orientated lifestyle.

Future Models of Flexible Work

At Worknow we support a more entrepreneurial work ethic and are developing ways to help people find and connect with project contract work opportunities.

Old Models of Work Will Change

Finally! recognition from a Baby Boomer that that being “brought into line” with the Baby Boomer work ethic may indeed be a futile attempt to fit round pegs into square holes.

The question for us is whether the discipline of coming into the office for specific hours is a necessary artifact of the workplace or some hangover from the factory model. We were taught to come in, wear this kind of uniform, do this kind of work. Maybe that’s the wrong model now, and maybe Gen Y is an agent of that change. It’s something for each CIO to weigh; we must strike a balance that fits our organizations. Read Article

To the statement that the current system of work organisation is an artifact of the past I offer a resounding I agree! Thank you for recognising that it is not the only model available to us and that what worked in the past may be in need of change.

Productivity & Continuous Improvement at Work

And to take this one step further while the author offers some great advice on connecting with Gen Y in the workplace, I would suggest that the workplace instructions offered:-

1. establish clear expectations
2. offer regular feedback

Are as applicable to Boomers and Gen X’er as they are to us Gen Y. Isn’t this simply sound workplace advise on how to:

1. increase productivity and
2. establish a culture of continuous improvement

Future Models of Flexible Work

At Worknow we support a more entrepreneurial work ethic and we work to encourage people to connect with work in more flexible, effective and affordable ways.

Part-time, job share and flexible work options offer a solution to increasing our levels of work productivity.

“…In 2006 New Zealand’s level of labour productivity ranked 22nd out of 30 in the OECD – which means that an hour of work generates 30% less income in New Zealand than it does in Australia. It’s no surprise then that the average wage in Australia is about a third higher. If we want good jobs and higher incomes we have to keep a focus on productivity.”John Whitehead, Secretary to the Treasury -  2009 Job Summit

Increasing work productivity

So what do we need to do now to increase productivity and create quality jobs? We need to accept that it it is time to change the way that work is organised. It is time to develop a new perspective on what quality work means and how it is accomplished. To build on our strengths, we need to foster and support a more entrepreneurial approach to creating and finding work.

Changing the Status Quo on Full Time Permanent Jobs with outsourcing and flexible work organisation

Our productivity has fallen because the full-time permanent orientation to work, which we accept as the status quo, hinders our ability to maximise existing skill and talent.

If you know of anyone that has spent time “looking busy” as opposed to actually being busy then you can see that there is scope for increasing our productivity simply by changing the way people work.

Consider outsourcing work. When people are hired to work rather than fill a 40hour per week job role then work productivity increases in direct proportion to the hours spent “working” to earn a living versus “keeping busy” to justify our wage or salary.

Towards a more entrepreneurial work ethic

This type of suggested change has been a long time coming as shown by this statement which was written at the end of  another recession about 15 years ago;-

“…THE END OF THE JOB As a way of organizing work, it is a social artifact that has outlived its usefulness. Its demise confronts everyone with unfamiliar risks — and rich opportunities… The modern world is on the verge of another huge leap in creativity and productivity, but the job is not going to be part of tomorrow’s economic reality.

There still is and will always be enormous amounts of work to do, but it is not going to be contained in the familiar envelopes we call jobs. The conditions that created jobs 200 years ago — mass production and the large organization — are disappearing.

TO AN EXTENT that few people have recognized, our organizational world is no longer a pattern of jobs…In place of jobs, there are part-time and temporary work situations. That change is symptomatic of a deeper change that is subtler but more profound. The deeper change is this:

Today’s organization is rapidly being transformed from a structure built out of jobs into a field of work needing to be done

FORTUNE MAGAZINE September 19, 1994 http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1994/09/19/79751/index.htm

What William Bridges noted at the end of the last US recession is even more true today. The full-time permanent employment role in today’s work society is not the most effective of efficient way to get work done.

Yet the acceptance of outsourced, freelance, part-time, job share and flexible work requires a change in culture and mind. Sure you can look to create job share opportunities but if you set them up under the standards of the current regime then they’re destined to achieve mediocre results, at best.

For example, I saw a part-time job advertised on seek recently for a company that I am familiar with. It was actually a job-share role and when I asked my friend, who was to begin sharing her role “how’s the search going for the new admin?” I was not surprised to find that there had been only one? or was that none, no applications for the position. And we both knew why.

The part-time role was advertised with a job description outlining required competencies, responsibilities tasks and “duties as required” in the familiar package of a job description.

Clearly the author had failed to recgnise, as we both did, that no one would want to take on a part-time role that came with full-time job responsibilities and expectations. It is simply assumed, considering the lower financial benefits of part-time work, that these roles will be more flexible, more of a mutually beneficial “agreement to work together” than in the nature of a contractually obligated employee.

The old guard had simply failed to tailor the advertisement to their market and in doing so wasted money, time and perhaps more damagingly indicated that the company was founded on a culture that still adhered to the 80’s organisational work hierarchy, despite effort to appear flexible.

Worknow is designed to promote and connect people with work rather than jobs.

We support a more entrepreneurial mindset and want to encourage people to connect with work in more flexible, effective and affordable ways.