Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Real Fulfillment in a Virtual World, August 12, 2001
The metaphor is relevant not only to those in what Cynthia Froggatt calls "the virtual workplace" or what Dan Pink calls "the free agent nation" but also to others who labor within a structured environment. Moreover, what occurred me as I began to read Froggatt's book is the dual nature of nakedness: being free of constriction but also being totally exposed, hence vulnerable and at risk. She identifies and then examines "eight essential principles for peak performance", all of which are eminently sound:1. Take initiative to shed "the layers of complacency, fear of change, and resistance to new ways of working" 2. Trust yourself as you shed "the layers of management control, outdated performance measures, and mistrust" 3. Allow yourself a sense of joy as you shed "the layers of overwork, high stress, and sleep deprivation" 4. Celebrate your individuality as you shed "layers of conformity, one-size-fits-all routines, and fixed work hours" 5. You achieve and affirm equality for yourself (and others) by shedding "layers of hierarchy, status symbols, and dress codes" 6. Shed "the layers of one-way communication, misunderstandings, and idea-hoarding" 7. Through wide and deep connectivity, you shed "layers of geographic boundaries, reliance on co-location, and misuse of technology" 8. You increase the number and nature of workplace options by shedding "layers of unproductive work environments, dreary home offices, and long commutes between them" These principles are worthless unless and until you are sincerely, indeed tenaciously committed, not only to the values on which they are based but also to applying those principles with aggressive and sustained effort. I am reminded of what the Yoda told Luke Skywalker: "Do or do not. There is no try." Froggatt suggests all manner of strategies and tactics which can help her reader to take direct and effective action, guided by the eight principles. There are several other excellent sources whose authors address many of the same issues. For example, Frederick Reichheld's The Loyalty Effect and its sequel, Loyalty Rules!; also Reina, Reina, and Chagnon's Trust and Betrayal in the Workplace. They wholly agree with the first principle which Froggatt advocates: You must trust and be loyal to yourself before you can expect others to; moreover, it is important to be a trusting and loyal person unless and until another person's behavior makes that impossible. Most decision-makers I know have poor delegation skills. What message does that send to those for whom they are responsible? More often than not, these decision-makers are personally insecure. Where in and which circumstances a person works are far less important than whether or not that person trusts herself or himself, and, whether or not that person is loyal to his or her own values. For me, this is the most important point, one which Froggatt makes with precision and eloquence: Shed from your life whatever demeans and diminishes you. She urges her reader to become "naked" in terms of freedom within and beyond the workplace. Most limits are self-imposed. (Pogo once observed, "We have met the enemy and he is us.") Obviously, it takes great courage to shed all arbitrary restraints on one's freedom. It also takes great courage for supervisors to do everything possible and appropriate to remove all inappropriate limits on their associates. Those who share my high regard for this book are also urged to check out David Maister's Practice What You Preach. He agrees with Froggatt that peak performance in any workplace requires impeccable integrity in combination with effective initiative. Froggatt's book is an affirmation, indeed a celebration of what that combination makes possible for anyone's personal as well as professional fulfillment.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
WORK FLEXIBILITY, January 24, 2003
The virtual office/organizations have been a concept that has received a lot of attention in the last decade but has had a hard time surfacing as a viable option. According to the author, the reason for this being businesses and management insist on using the same management principles in a changing environment. This leads to frustration and failure of an idea that can be fruitful to so many. Work Naked simply implies that as individuals, your employees have different personalities and different work methods and to be a successful manager you must take the differences and make them work for you. This can include allowing your employees to work different hours, flexible shifts and from home or a combination of all of these options. To achieve success Froggatt proposes eight principles that must be addressed. 1. Initiative-Overcoming the fear of change and becoming change agents.
2. Trust-Achieving confidence in the management-employee relationship.
3. Joy-Creating a work environment that is enjoyable in atmosphere and attitude.
4. Individuality-Creating a culture of autonomy creativity versus conformity.
5. Equality-Flattening the hierarchy so cooperation and teamwork can flourish.
6. Dialogue-Providing an honest communication forum to inspire and inform.
7. Connectivity-Optimize technological advantages, including employee locale.
8. Workplace Options-Provide comfort /creative setting for all work locations. I found this book to be a very pokerfaced voice for change. Each principal demands respect from all levels of management and staff. The eight principles taught in the book can be useful to any work environment, even if virtual workplaces are not incorporated. The most important theme in the book is flexibility. The principles are based in a human resources frame as the goal is employee empowerment. However, with this empowerment or lack thereof can bring success or failure to the businesses. Most organizations have traditionally been based in a brick and mortar setting where the organization as a structure is valued above all. I see the organizations of tomorrow to be more information centric or knowledge based. Before reading this book, I had not given careful consideration to the implications of this statement. Now I can see that if we wanted to, most service related organization could venture into the virtual workplace if proper facilities like phone, Internet and computers available. After reading this book I actually made a few informal interviews with colleagues and asked them if they honesty needed to be at work for forty or more hours a week. Most said they spent their time working on proposals and documents on their computers, answering e-mail reference questions and other work that did not require being physically present. I then took it a step farther and asked if they would be open to a FLEXIBLE schedule in which they worked 8 hours shifts on the desk but only worked 2 OR 3 days physically at office with the rest being at home. After a few strange looks and careful consideration most staff said that it would help them be with their kids more, schedule doctor appointments and avoid the commute. As Work Naked shows, you can accomplish wonders if you provide the initiative, the training and the supports to your staff. Work Naked is not steeped in theory. It is not a book that scholars will debate for years to come, but it will provide interesting conversation. For each principle listed there are case studies of real company situations to show an example of why the principle is important. At the end of the book there are resources listed to help companies get more information on making the switch. Cynthia Foggart believes in taking the bull by the horns and getting the job done. The only fault I have with this is a fairly negative attitude to the workplace environment as a whole. There are some bonuses to corporate culture and there are some individuals that are at their best in that environment. Their needs should not be shunned. Also, the book does not delve into any of the new issues that might come up in a virtual work environment. Managers need to find another book to help them resolve those issues. In a nutshell the book is good read but a lot of cons of a virtual organization could have been presented...
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Let Go! Create a New Kind of Workplace, November 3, 2002
Let go. That's the message to corporate leaders who have decades of reinforcement that their job is to control the people who work for them. There's a new game in town-a new way of operating that releases creativity, boosts productivity, and drives more profit to the bottom line. This new approach involves stripping away the old ways of thinking about managing. It means removing policies that inhibit employees in their self-driven initiatives to do truly amazing things. The new approach suggests that people can work from anywhere without the traditional trappings to achieve results far beyond current reality. In a phrase, the new approach allows people to work naked, without constraints. Froggatt, a consultant specializing in aligning workplace strategies with business plans, describes the process as "shedding the layers" of control, overwork, conformity, hierarchy, poor communication, geography, and unproductive work environments to release the bonds. While explaining the problems, Froggatt presents the principles that can empower a leadership team to change the way their company does business. Eight simple principles: initiative, trust, joy, individuality, equality, dialogue, connectivity, and workplace options. Some leaders will read this book and stick it on a shelf to gather dust. Others will really "get" the message and will transform their organizations. With the content of this book, and the way it is presented, transformation will not be that difficult . . . for the enlightened leaders. Unfortunately, we have far too few leaders who fit into that category. Hopefully this book will win a few more converts. Do not expect policies, contracts, procedures, systems, and all that sort of garbage in these pages. No, this book is about people and principles. The pages are rich with concrete examples that will be an inspiration to readers who are inclined to adhere to the concept of working naked. Checklists, bullet-point lists, charts, diagrams, and plenty of chapter subheads make this book superbly readable. Adding to the value of "Work Naked" is an astonishingly detailed 13-page index and a index-like list of the companies profiled in the book. Over ten pages of chapter notes await you at the end of the book and a concise summary awaits you at the end of each chapter. I read this book with a high degree of interest, from my perspective as co-author of "Impending Crisis: Too Many Jobs, Too Few People." Our book talks about the coming severe labor shortage and how many companies are headed for extinction. "Work Naked" supplies the treasure map for employers who want to avoid extinction and thrive instead.
Highly recommended!
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