1. Control vs Empowerment
by Gordon Petrie - October 2016
This article was triggered by a random conversation early one morning after one of my
regular swimming sessions. The regular swimmers start from 6.30am and the changing
rooms have a steady stream of people arriving and leaving and on each visit the
conversations start up with the subject matter a random affair on anything from the weather
to world politics. Another aspect of these conversations is that it is like a relay race as the
participants change as people go in one direction or another passing on the conversation
like a baton.
One particular conversation sparked this article and it was based on a comment from
someone about his company and their approach to remote working. The approach was
very firm, even draconian, as it was that no-one was allowed to work from home as a policy.
My experience of this subject goes back many years and it became more prevalent when
computing and connectivity enables working from locations other than the office. In those
early days it was more about how much could be achieved and it was the exception rather
than the norm. If you were fortunate enough to be able to operate remotely and particularly
at home the reaction when talking about it was predictable. “A day off then” was the usual
comment and that in itself opens up questions about the working relationship and practices
in the country.

2. So back to the conversation which prompted this article. The company the person worked
for was a good size financial services company and one of the larger employers in the
Cotswold town.
When the statement about the remote working policy was made I asked the person what
the reasoning behind the policy was. He said that it had been found that when checks were
done it had been found that although it could be seen that a connection into the office was
open there was also evidence that activity wasn’t always detected. As a result, the policy
was made and everyone had to attend the office!
My reaction to that was to ask if there were any checks made on what activity was going
on when people were in the office. The response was why would we want to do that?
I outlined that with the connectivity today and the hours worked and general stress there
was increasingly a need to try and balance external, personal challenges with the work
environment. Was it possible that people in the office may be doing personal email,
shopping, Facebook, YouTube, etc. there was a stunned silence for a moment and then a
firm response of a surety that it wasn’t happening.
That then opened up a different conversation about the implications of the policy and
possible flaws. I put forward that people’s location is less relevant than the trust placed in
them and their allegiance to the company which is built on the culture and how employees
are treated.
I suggested that taking into consideration the work/life balance that had been mentioned,
bestowing trust on individuals and jointly defining expectations and outcomes is more likely
to meet or exceed company performance criteria than any restrictive policy which may not
have taken all aspects into consideration. I emphasised the point by asking if there any
checks in the evening or early morning to see if the work expected during the day was
actually being done around family activities.
Having now set the scene on, what from my experience, is a common practice I thought it
would be good to look at an example of placing trust in people to see what comes to light
and the example below is quite significant in its outcome.

3. The example is based on an action taken by Richard Branson.
Virgin boss says the 170 employees on his UK and US personal staff can
take holidays when they like for as long as they like.
The full article can be found using the link below.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/sep/24/virgin-staff-take-as-much-holiday-as-
like-richard-branson
The two conflicting instances highlight a deeper underlying approach to the culture of a
company which bring into question how companies are taking on board the changes in the
work force with Millennials already taking part and Centennials about to enter.
Although smaller in number, currently, examples such as Richard Branson as well as
Zappo’s, Air BnB and others are leading the way in assessing the significant changes that
external factors are already having.
I was recently recommended a book to read which appeared to be aimed at my interest in
sport but it quickly became clear that it was more like a business coaching manual than
most others I had read.
The book in question is 11 Rings by Phil Jackson. For a UK audience, as it was for me, the
name will be unfamiliar and also the sport. Phil Jackson is arguably the most successful
NBA basketball coach of all time.
Very early in the book it becomes obvious that his philosophy was not about plays and rigid
structure but more about dealing with people, mindfulness and culture. What he outlines is
quite extraordinary in involving all the squad in a way of approaching the games and how
to take responsibility for their own and the collective actions.
Very early in the book, page 7 actually, he refers to another book called Tribal leadership
by Dave Logan, John King and Halee Fischer-Wright.
That book talks about the five stages of tribal development which I believe is as relevant in
the workplace. My rough translation of the stages is:
1st stage The world is against us therefore we demonstrate hostility and despair
2nd stage Antagonistic victims
3rd stage Focus on individual achievement
4th stage Tribal pride pitted against a strong adversary
5th stage The sense of strong belief of a focus on the collective belief
What I took from the Phil Jackson book was a deeper understanding of behaviours that I
had seen or been part of through most of my life in the corporate world.

4. Imagine the difference such an open, inclusive approach could do for your company and
how you might start to assess and make changes that could embed a culture that is fit for
the changing, dynamic world of business today. Most importantly the difference in the
quality of life that would bring to all in the company which will also have a positive impact
on the performance.