Out of Office: A Toolkit for an Agile Future

The Research Survey 13 organisations in public and private sectors 1219 team members: 55% female and 45% male 330 managers: 37% women 63% men Investigated relationship between working patterns, engagement and trust Focus groups 80 people across 4 organisations

Managers see the benefits of agile working

Managers views on agility

Levels of trust are high in teams

But a credibility gap for leaders

Career penalties for agile workers

Agile working: what works well Reorganising work Shifting focus from jobs to tasks Structured and systematic approach to managing work Clarity about the systems and processes required to complete a task Clarity about how tasks contribute to achieving business objectives Promotes empowered working and focus on outcomes

Agile working: what works well Shifting focus from individuals to teams More transparency about work Reducing reliance on one individual 24/7 Shifting focus from “star performers” to team contribution

Rethinking the role of the manager Managers need to manage not command and control Setting objectives Monitoring workflow and setting milestones Performance measurement Communication and knowledge sharing ► Regular team meetings and knowledge sharing ► Individual communication ► Informal knowledge sharing ► Physical meetings

Areas for action Make the business case and position agile working as good working practice Need to move agility from an employee benefit to a business solution Shift from publicising role models for agile working to focusing on team performance.

Show strong leadership more visible in changing their own ways of working more open and honest about the flexibility which they already enjoy more focus on outcomes rather than inputs or “face-time” as a way of measuring performance through their organisations more challenging of practices and individuals who do not support agile working; this challenge needs to start in their top team

Guidance ► Clear HR guidance and consultancy ► Management training Practical examples ► Best practice ► Coaching and mentoring from “agile” managers Challenge ► Assumption that all jobs can be agile to shift burden of responsibility ► Robust mechanism for challenge Support and challenge managers

Encourage “structured and empowered” management model ► Setting objectives, monitoring workflow, judging outcomes, communication and knowledge sharing Shift focus from individual to team ► consider working practices in the context of the whole team Reflect the agile model for management in performance assessment ► Management competencies ► 360 ⁰ assessment

Technology Technology for formal and informal knowledge sharing Invest in infrastructure but don't forget its only a tool!

Support agile workers Guidance for new agile workers beyond application process Sharing best practice, buddying/mentoring ► Setting boundaries ► Effective communication ► Career management > Develop a business case for using their skills in an agile work pattern > Challenge the perception that jobs and particularly management cannot be done in an agile way. > Seek out best practice elsewhere in their organisation.

Support agile workers to: regularly discuss their career development with their manager to use technology to participate in development opportunities more easily maintain their profile through electronic media make the most of the physical time in the office to network with key contacts. Visibility

Leaders Have they bought into new ways of working? How can you support and challenge them to change behaviour? Managers Have they bought into new ways of working? How can you support and challenge them to change behaviour? Agile workers How can they be supported to make their working patterns effective? What support do they need for career management? Sharing best practice: workshop questions