A banner day: I think I found a web-site with the some of the most thorough and articulate discussion about this idea of “distributed work.” It’s called the Future of Work, and while they write about a lot of things, they have a healthy amount of dialogue about distributed work in this great White Paper, called How Come Distributed Work is Still the Next Big Thing?
The paper starts by listing the now-familiar reasons why distributed work should be big:
“This is the easy part. There are at least six solid reasons why just about all organizations should establish distributed work programs:
1. Reducing basic workforce support costs;
2. Increasing workforce productivity;
3. Attracting and retaining talent;
4. Increasing organizational agility;
5. Reducing the business risk of disruption from terrorism or a natural disaster
6. Reducing traffic congestion, air pollution, and environmental impact more generally”
More important, they go on to give eight reasons for the resistance to distributed work. My favorite:
#7 - The CEO “Edifice Complex” that leads to visible corporate facilities
