Most readers will have heard by now about Best Buy’s move toward becoming a Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE). They are doing what I have argued to be true for a couple of decades now: being in a traditional office does not equal being productive.
I do admit I was skeptical that the idea would gain traction at a corporate behemoth like Best Buy. But, after several years, the concept is actually gaining momentum. ROWE advocates, in this BusinessWeek writeup assert that, “Offices waste space and time in an age when workers are becoming more and more place-neutral … The goal at Best Buy is to judge performance on output instead of hours.” There is hope for corporate America yet.
What does all this have to do with WorkSpace 3? A lot, actually. Where will all those corporate employees go when they are no longer tethered to their desks? A lot of them will work from home. Where will they go when they realize that home is not always the best place to actually get work done? Answer: WorkSpace 3
Other press on Best Buy’s ROWE effort at CNNMoney. And, my favorite, the KnowHR blog sums it up: “Face time is overrated.”
