Hi Rose!
I may have a bit of a contrarian position here - but I believe that Covid19 just sped up trend that was already in place. More remote work, virtual offices, were already trending up.
For a balanced discussion of in office vs virtual work settings, I think we also should acknowledge that there's lots of wasted time in the office! Productivity lost by your cubicle neighbors dropping by to say hello. In the office setting, we often go out to lunch. That's going to take at least an hour if not more. When working from the home office, much less time is spent there. Not to mention the wasted time (and cost) of a commute.
Also, most modern offices seem to be designed with the false idea that we are all extroverts. They removed the blinds from the offices and have been tearing down cubicle walls. However, many people are more productive if they can retain a bit of privacy and keep a barrier from unwanted interruptions.
For 90% of the time, I believe that a team can be just as productive when working remotely. For the remaining 10% of the time, this is when your team is tackling a truly difficult problem - for which it can be useful to gather in a room around a whiteboard. But even there, there solutions available. Companies (like
www.trig.com) have remote brainstorming solutions. And for when you need to execute your voice of the customer process, my company (www.theaiminstitute.com) has tools to execute that virtually.
I think the biggest hurdle to working with teams virtually is that we may have to work a bit harder to build trust, to build relationships. But again, there are solutions! It could mean being a little careful with the wording of an email. But also, maybe send a colleague a "happy birthday" note on their special day! And for sticky situations, pick up the phone and try to talk through things.
With investments in the relationships - and adoption of some new tools - my position is that working virtually can be just as productive, if not more so!
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William Burleson
The AIM Institute
Pittsboro NC
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-14-2020 11:16
From: Rose Klimovich
Subject: Product Management after the pandemic
I have read some articles (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/12/business/coronavirus-china-work-safety.html,https://hbr.org/2020/04/preparing-your-business-for-a-post-pandemic-world ) and watched TV news about the reopening of the US business sector after the pandemic. However, I was wondering how this would affect Product Managers and Developers? The most productive and innovative Product Teams I have been associated with work closely together often in the same buildings. They meet in person on an ongoing basis to work on problems and determine needs for new products. How will this change as people go back to work?
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Rose Klimovich
Manhattan College
Riverdale NY
9083134641
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