All companies and players in the Business & Technology Consulting industry are currently in a hush to jump on the bandwagon of SMART WORKING, sometimes chaotically and frantically.
In these circumstances, it is worth mentioning that Action Network is a true pioneer in designing and implementing an organisational model strongly based on remote working, immediately introduced when it was developed in 2001: at that time, the world was turned upside down due to the terroristic attacks against the U.S., just like it is now being revolutionised by the current Covid-19 pandemic.
At the time, it was about systematic collaboration between 8 companies – for a total of 44 people – spread over the wide area of northern Italy: minimising sharing and communication costs and times was vital, especially for the very critical challenge posed by travelling to the end client’s site and between the various offices – obviously, then as now, work teams were often made up of members from different companies.
Technological tools were really in their infancy. As a matter of fact, only e-mails, the first showcase websites, and so-called ‘personal productivity’ systems were available. Virtual conferences and video calls were still a figment, and mobile phones only featured text messages. Consequently, the operation’s success was almost entirely dependent on organisational variables:
- People empowerment: people needed to be trained to behave and act like ‘professionals’ in the highest sense of the word, gaining complete control of their operating efficiency and effectiveness
- A planning and control system fundamentally aimed at measuring the individual and collective process output,
- which is by far the main determinant in the reward system Well-structured and strictly observed operational procedures
With such an organisational model, it was easy to introduce increasingly available technological innovations promptly and smoothly. As Business Consultants, we have consistently recommended that our clients adopt similar models where necessary, but to little to no avail. Our client base, chiefly comprised of SMEs, has always shown a ‘conservative’ attitude toward staff management, overestimating the value of the so-called ‘direct control’, which only satisfies the psychological needs of the company leadership.
As mentioned before, the pandemic is turning the world upside down. Such radical changes result in irreversible crises for static companies, which cling to the reassuring but fragile belief that they ‘have always been successful like this’. Incredible opportunities arise for those who can embrace change in every aspect of their business vision.
The new operative words are innovation, resiliency, and sustainability. We have been experiencing this first-hand for 20 years. We are now ready to offer the know-how we have developed to those who are willing to adapt without hesitation to the new economic scenario. Few things will go back to the way they were.
