The Leader - September 2007 - (Page 20) m o b Ile Wor ker s: pr a ctIces, re latI o Ns hI p s aNd co mp o Ne Nts fo r e ffe ctI v e W o rkp lac e s research methodoloGy aNd aNalysIs the stu d y s ho Ws tha t mo s t mob Ile Workers are ove r YEARS o ld WI th a 65/35 male to-fem a l e r a tIo IN profess Io Nal, ma N aGe rI a l or executIve p o s ItIo Ns . em ployers mus t uNde rs taNd t he beNefI ts o f mo bIle Wo r k fr o m t he W orke r p e r s p e c tIve , No t J us t the Ir o WN. c learly employers are st Il l I N a product IvIty mIN dset WhI l e mobI le W o rk e r s a r e o r Ie Nt e d toW ard INNo va tIo N, lo yalt y aNd c us to me rs . 40 The research was supported as a natural extension of previous Knoll research in flexible and mobile work strategies from the organizational perspective. Given the strategic importance of effectively supporting a mobile work force, the current research is positioned to define the strategic value and critical relationships of the individual workers. The challenge was to target a survey population that would include a representative sampling of mobile workers, not just those that are part of corporate mobile worker programs. Respondent recruiting involved both corporations and selective marketing to professional organizations that would be likely to have large populations of mobile workers. The study involved 557 total respondents representing 84 participating organizations. Survey data was handled with the GenIsis™ Suite for Value Networks, research tools and applications co-developed by Verna Allee and Oliver Schwabe. A web-based survey tool was used for data collection. All of the findings were summarized in spreadsheets, documents and graphs. Most of the 70 survey questions focused on physical aspects of the work being performed and the equipment and task needs of the mobile worker. One set of questions involved ‘work activities’ including how mobile workers interact, communicate, collaborate, and use space, technology, and collaboration tools. A second series involved the level of support they receive. These responses were compared with their actual organizational roles. With an emphasis on roles and interactions the “Value Network” questions began to surface the type of value being created, the level of value as perceived by the worker, and the type of output being generated. In other words, it looked at what typically was being produced and the perceived value of that work to others. vIsualIzatIoN of results for value NetWork aNalysIs to fulfill their tasks. Workers seek to be effective in the different purposeful value creating networks they are part of. A value network is any web of relationships that generates economic or social value through complex dynamic exchanges of both tangible and intangible benefit. They operate both internally across the organization and also extend externally to partners, stakeholders and the industry. Responses were visualized as value creating network relationships using graph analysis and showing the relationships as nodes and links. Line weights between nodes and other visual indicators of type and level of value helped reveal significant patterns. Reciprocity was analyzed by a matrix of each participant with every other participant indicating levels of perceived th e le ade r 20 september / october 2007
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