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Eight Principles of Corporate Culture in the Virtual Workplace

"Initiative:

To encourage this we need to shed the layers of fear of change, the status quo, and 'But we've always done it this way; why change now?'

Trust:

To achieve this we need to shed layers of outdated performance measures and satisfactorily answer the questions, 'How will I know they are working?' and 'How will I know I am being productive?'

Joy:

To promote this we need to shed layers of workaholism and images of work as stressful drudgery; we need to reinforce the philosophy that relaxed, healthy workers who enjoy their work and personal life provide better client service and are more productive.

Individuality:

To emphasize this we need to shed the layers of fixed work hours, conformity, and one-routine-fits-all thinking, and then help employees understand their individual contribution and discover which workstyles suit them best.

Equality:

To build this we need to shed the layers of corporate trappings and status symbols that reinforce old hierarchies, encourage territoriality, and waste corporate resources.

Dialogue:

To encourage this we need to shed the layers of office politics and idea hoarding in favor of open communication and knowledge sharing.

Connectivity:

To generate this we need to shed reliance on face-to-face interaction and educate employees about how to use current technology to support relationships appropriately and develop a new sense of community.

Workplace Options:

To develop these we need to shed the layers of long commutes, cubicle-land, and the limiting home office versus corporate office choice; then think creatively about how to reuse and redesign existing places (Froggatt, C. G., 2001, p. 17-18)."

Reference:  Froggatt, C.G., (2001).  Work naked: eight essential principles for peak performance in the virtual workplace.  San Francisco:  Jossey-Bass.

Does your organization have a corporate culture for the virtual workplace?

Work Naked is available on loan from the Ohio State University Leadership Center.  To borrow this resource or any other resource please go to the resource search page http://140.254.85.212/winnebago/search/search.asp?lib

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Learn how the Ohio State University Leadership Center is strengthening tomorrow's leaders today at http://leadershipcenter.osu.edu

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Created: 2008-04-02, Updated: 2008-11-12