First, we are told that there is a bit of research out there that says surfing at work helps people do better, taking that one step further, if we futz about with something while working toward a goal… that should help productivity even more, especially if we let our minds wander and start daydreaming. Well this is all fine and good, but you still have to get so many widgets done in just such a manner before this time today and if you get them done before lunch, there will be a bonus for you. So even though research suggests that we should ease up on the structure within a work day, there isn’t anything to suggest that the structure should be tossed as well. Until now.
Dan Pink gave a TED lecture on this topic and he suggest that autonomy is the best way to get the most out of those who work for you. Drop the incentives and the structure and people will bloom because there is nothing holding them back. Another interesting look at this is at internet.com (Mike Elgan).
Leave a Reply