The problems with work schedules and what they indicate.

"... We remind everyone of the importance of strict compliance with work schedules"

"... Please avoid future problems for not fulfilling their working hours".

".. We have many problems with our boss in relation to working hours".

It is unlikely that anyone has not heard something similar at some point in their working life directed to some of his colleagues or even to himself.

In first instance one cannot be only in accordance with the seriousness and professionalism that means always to comply with ours schedules. Today nothing is more unfair with the other(s); and a major cause of unproductiveness, than to be late for our meetings and similar events. For the same reasons, nothing deteriorates more the trust from our customers and partners, which people what routinely arrive late in scheduled meetings

However these precepts without analysis to the regular work in organizations of the era of knowledge can be a big mistake and even when it only arises as an extension of inadequate thought; applying without proper reflection, concepts of an earlier era.

If I were a shareholder or was at the forefront of the management of a factory, for example of "buttons for shirts" would certainly be very strict, almost “religious” to compliance with the workday. One minute that an operator is missing from his regular day, will prevent automatically to comply with production goals. His work indicator will show a significant deterioration in the generation of expected value (designed and commissioned in advance in this organization).

At the moment that factories are not the most normal environment in which we move, the strict enforcement of working hours does not mean in most cases, anything concrete in the generation of value in the most current organizations.

If we add to the above arguments; that today anyone, anywhere, can do all or most of what would "sit" in their working place (answer calls, exchange e-mails, manage applications, attend meetings, attend customers, etc.); it is even more illogical for me to understand the passion, almost bordering on the absurd, that so many low, middle and senior managers place on this issue.

I observed around me for many years and I can affirm that most people; although they are not the most well-motivated by the organization, on average actually work longer than what corresponds to their contractual commitment. Most employees are more responsible, and even offer to their organizations more work activities at any day and time that should pay them more than their regular salary!.

However all of them are forced in one way or another to suffer setbacks with the schedule. The few leaders who understand this and change their attitude with his team, often have to do it at their own risk and at some point in a "hidden way” inside the organization.

The majority of people I know have no problem to give much more to their organization using the advantages offered by new technologies. However there is nothing that unmotivated more, than a boss insisting uselessly in compliance with working hours. They know very well that such tensions do not generate value and when the organization also ignores these actions, as well as the additional time that they generously offered to their institutions; a sense of injustice always takes hold of them.

Instead of seeing this situation; which originates from the advantages of the times we live, as a great opportunity to allow our team to do their job and simultaneously being more flexible in the time with their family, many organizations insist on making harder for coworkers to obtain a more balanced life.

It is usual that the more hierarchical is an organization, the more likely that the above occurs. Paradoxically, one of the advantages of those who hold power in these pyramids is precisely that they are allowed to not comply with the working hours without anyone saying anything. Something senseless really!.

Having the right people in your team is a responsibility and possibility of any leader. So if you have them, which are the reasons not fully trust in these persons? What is the reason why they cannot control their schedules and responsibilities?

Another analysis that we should not leave out: there is a thinking that just because you are working more than the committed time implicitly one is allowed to be late at any time in our meetings and make other people wait without informing them beforehand. This is a serious error that does not support this writing[1]. Here we speak of how the leader of an organization in the knowledge era must flexibly handle many aspects in order surpass the goals of the organization that is his responsibility. In full accordance with the type of company it is now or will be in the future.

In an organization in the knowledge era, the most valuable contributions to the business do not have a schedule; indeed, the mismanaged strict schedule can work against productivity, creativity and the possible and necessary innovation in a modern organization.

If you are leading an organization of our era and use the time control as an indicator of performance of your team, you're just showing clearly the inability of your management system. You're giving clear signs that you have not been able to revolutionize your organization, create and implement real performance indicators for your people that really are aligned with your strategy and goals.

Every organization, every business should have a clear strategy, a north that brings it closer to comply with its goals. Defining in principle if each work position is necessary in an organization and its impact on those goals should be easy. It is also simple to build performance indicators for each of these job profiles. These indicators would show at any time if the work of each person is creating value, contributing to improved organizational indicators or otherwise if it is destroying value.

I do not know why the traditional organizations, perhaps for its historical reasons; and new companies, maybe because of their inexperience, fail to apply such a powerful and simple concept like the before described

When the team is properly managed, the last thing you will remember is how they behave towards working hours, unless you're in the button factory[2].

In this paper and the previous four; we have described a paradigm that moves the world today, changes laws of the businesses, and evolves rapidly. However many organizations today do not understand, do not take advantage and on the contrary suffer big troubles because of that. Many organizations have disappeared or will disappear in the future for the same reason.

One of the major boundaries of innovation in the world is open when the majority of organizations realize that it is time to radically upgrade their structures, forms of government, the way that take advantage of the talent of its teams and as activate communities, as well as networks towards those goals. The new business models possible at this stage are huge and have a disruptive impact on the entire society.

That will be the subject of the next and final installment of this series and from there I hope in the future (but I do not know when in reality!), I will open a new set of deliverables in this blog focused on corporate innovation.

Once again thank you very much to you dear readers for joining me in this task, especially those who without their advice, criticism and support this would not have been possible. Many of you have committed to keep me in this work and constantly encourage me; always requesting me the next delivery in my blog. “Gracias Totales”[3].

About author: about.me/elkine

[1] Even in companies of our era there are just a few job profiles that require persons to comply strictly with their schedule (receptionists, telephone operators, security personnel and the like). Surely we are not talking about it.

[2] I love the shirts, but without good buttons are nothing useful. My admiration for anyone who manufacture good buttons; and for all the good industrial companies.

[3] In past months passed away that genius of music in Buenos Aires. "Gracias Totales" Gustavo Cerati by all the fabulous gift that gave us.