One of a series of Points of View by Flexility Limited on different aspects of mobile and flexible or new ways of working. This POV covers the need to put some science behind the mobility strategy, through carrying out proper analysis of how people work, their desire to change=, enablers in place and unmet needs. We call it Workstyle Analysis.

1. Points of View
Putting science behind spend
Can your workforce access the information they need when
and where they need to do their job? Do you know enough
about their workstyles to maximise your investment in
technology?
Why mobilise? So “mobility” is right for your organisation, but where should you
start?
Recent research by the Aberdeen Group demonstrates how leading Our view and experience is that best in class organisations first step
organisations are reaping the benefits of successfully deploying the back to understand the true drivers of their investments. How do
right mobility tools to their workforce. people work today and how can they be enabled to work better in
the future? For example, too often investments in mobile
technology grow organically in reaction to technological advances
or the demand of individual parts of an organisation. Or space is
little utilised as working practices have moved on. We argue that by
building a systematic understanding of your employees’ workstyles
and needs you can make more purposeful investments that will
work harder for you.
The backbone of your mobility strategy
Providing access to information on the move is paved with
potential risks. When equipment or technology is too sophisticated
for the need it aims to address, usage is low and investment
wasted. When mobile technology is allocated in priority to senior
grades, others that need to communicate on the move may (at
Source: Aberdeen Group October 2009 best) end up using their own personal devices. This makes it difficult
to track costs and optimise spend. If use of personal mobile devices
They are doing this based on matching business needs, employee
is not an option, communication may be delayed, ultimately
needs and customer demands with the right (technology and other)
impacting service levels, productivity, and job satisfaction.
enablers of mobile and flexible working. Best in class companies
have developed a mobility strategy based on insight into and which So when looking at which technology, space and other enablers to
allows for a range different working styles to deliver a clear triple provide and how to allocate them across the organisation it is
win across: essential to first understand who would most benefit from being
• the organisation (time savings with access to the right enabled to work on the move or remotely and what their
information anywhere, property and travel reduction); communications and other needs are. This helps allocate the most
• the customer (faster response, more contactable); suitable equipment (not necessarily the newest or the most high-
• and staff (reduced stress through being able to work in the end) and get the investments working harder to deliver business
right place at the right time). benefits. Finally these needs must be balanced with data security.
In short:
Even during this challenging economic environment, best in class • What business needs are driving right time, right place working?
organisations have increased their mobility technology budgets as a • How to best enable people to get the job done wherever and
percentage of total ICT spend by 27.4% in 2009, whereas other whenever they need to perform it?
respondents only increased it by 1%. • What are the impacts of enabling people to work in different
locations according to the needs of the job in hand?
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2. Points of View
FLEXILITY IN ACTION - GLOBAL MANUFACTURER
Our approach Web survey conducted in two countries with 25% of the workforce.
Country president sponsorship and high level of interest delivered a
It is important to put some ‘science’ behind understanding how
60% response rate. From the analysis we uncovered:
people work and their needs to do the job efficiently. At Flexility
Potential for up to 40% savings on office space
we have developed a range of tools and techniques that generate
this insight. We generate practical outputs to free our clients up to High levels of unmet needs among employees who had devices
concentrate on taking the optimal strategy to their organisation. not aligned to their needs
The two key techniques we use are: Large amounts of time wasted communicating internally, due to
• “Day in the life” analysis lack of information in the field
o Shadowing workers in key areas of an organisation to
Opportunity to make the sales force more customer -facing
identify high level work patterns, key issues, and needs
o Assessing specific opportunities for mobilising processes Opportunity to reallocate up to 10% of devices to those most in
o Impacts for a ‘day in the back office’ need and to make investments work harder .
o Best practice comparison.
• Workstyle survey analysis tools when in meetings, working at another location, or on the road)
o Wider workforce surveys to assess work and • Where are the biggest data security risks with current mobile
communications patterns and remote working practices?
o Assessing on the move and remote work and • What is the segmentation of workstyles and how do they map
communications needs to different functions/grades/areas of the business?
o Assessing gaps in technology (and other) enablers • What set of enablers are most appropriate for each workstyle
o Can be deployed to selected areas or the entire workforce and what works well today?
to form a targeted or overall diagnostic • What devices are under-utilised and is there an opportunity to
o Minimal effort required by our clients with fast turnaround. re-distribute across the organisation?
• What enablers (such as devices, applications, space) will provide
The outputs most benefits to the business and to the largest number of
To generate a solid foundation for the future mobility strategy we people to deliver on the business objectives?
believe it is important to be able to answer the key questions • What are the wider benefits in addition to productivity gains,
below, and that is the aim of the Flexility approach to workstyle for example reduced office costs, reduced travel, work –life
analysis: balance, improved customer service and sales opportunities?
• What is the appetite in the workforce to embrace new ways of
• Where do workers spend their time and where do they need to working and what key change issues need to be addressed?
spend more time?
• How do workers communicate and interact with internal and Segmenting your users by workstyle will help you provide the right
external parties to get the job done? tools based on needs. Your technology, property, and people assets
• What communication needs are currently unmet? (For example will be fully productive and you will have increased visibility and
control of your mobile estate and spend. Workstyle analysis will
enable you to prioritise the quick wins and longer term strategic
FLEXILITY IN ACTION - PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FIRM
initiatives that will have the most impact on your bottom line.
With COO sponsorship, we conducted a web survey and day-in-
the-life assessments to show how the organisation could become About Flexility
much more competitive and productive. We also enabled them to
address diversity and work –home life balance issues. Key We are specialists in assessing and deploying successful mobile and
opportunities from the workstyle analysis included : flexible working programmes. Our skills, tools and experience
provide insight into how to best enable teams to work when and
Rationalising the mobile estate by allocating devices according where it makes sense for them to do so , without compromising
to mobility need rather than seniority, and reallocating
data security. We provide actionable recommendations and help
duplicate handheld devices
set and track achievable targets for successful implementation .
Effectively harnessing use of personal devices and home
broadband connections Contact us now to find out how we can help you info@flexility.co.uk
Increasing chargeable hours by enabling remote access to e-
mail, corporate systems or the internet
© November 2010 Flexility Limited • Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the
Reducing reliance on office and boosting client-facing time to trademarks of their respective owners. The information contained in this publication is correct at the time of
going to print. Such information may be subject to change a nd services may be modified, supplemented or
increase sales. withdrawn by Flexility without prior notice. All services are subject to terms and conditions, copies of which may
be obtained upon request • www.flexility.co.uk • Registered in England No. 6578126
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