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| "In the context of a business transformation, it | makes sense to consider not just what the results | are but how the work gets done," Furman said. | "

by pyre 14y ago

| "In the context of a business transformation, it | makes sense to consider not just what the results | are but how the work gets done," Furman said. | "It's 'all hands on deck' at Best Buy, and that | means having employees in the office as much as | possible to collaborate and connect on ways to | improve our business 1. The "all hands on deck" thing is a bit over the top. It makes it sound like he thinks that people working from home aren't 'at their posts' or something. 2. I'm unsure why "how the work gets done" is now more important than (or as important as) the results of said work. If the results of said work are not enough, then either the work wasn't done correctly, or the person/team was allocated to work toward the wrong goal. 3. What is with all of this emphasis on "people connecting" while in the office. I recall something similar from the Yahoo announcement. Are these companies doing so poorly that they feel that chance meetings in the hallways or at the water-cooler will be their salvation?

kevinconroy 14y ago
I believe the fundamental problem that these companies face is that they've grown so big and complex that many fiefdoms have developed. There are isolated teams within the larger organization. Frankly, it doesn't matter if the teams are in the office or working from home. The Real Problem (TM) that they're facing is that they've forgotten how to innovate, communicate internally, and be agile at scale. They want a quick fix for these problems, so it's an easy mental leap to "get everyone in the same building to start with." The "no more telecommuting" is making headlines, but what isn't making headlines is whatever else they are doing AFTER the telecommuting is over to fix these problems. I certainly hope that if "all hands on deck" is Step A that there's also steps B-Z. The real problem is if they think ending telecommuting will solve all of the real problems. (It won't.)
- 98709870987 14y ago
  >>The Real Problem (TM) It is really getting annoying to see the TM sign in every other phrase now. It doesn't make anybody look clever so please guys stop it.
  - kevinconroy 14y ago
    Humor is In the Eye of the Beholder (TM)
smtddr 14y ago
>Are these companies doing so poorly that they feel that chance meetings in the hallways or at the water-cooler will be their salvation? For what it's worth, that is exactly the logic Google is using for the design of their new building near SF. http://www.dezeen.com/2013/02/26/google-reveals-plans-for-bay-view-california-campus/ http://www.dezeen.com/2013/02/26/google-reveals-plans-for-ba...
- pyre 14y ago
  I would see them as similar if Google was creating this new building for the sole purpose of these chance meetings. These changes by Yahoo and Best Buy seem to put a lot of focus/emphasis on these spontaneous meetings/ideas/exchanges.
doktrin 14y ago
At the micro level, I have seen many teams pull everyone in to the same physical location when faced with a sprint or deadline. It doesn't strike me as inherently illogical, and is a strategy that IME has yielded results. What yahoo and BB are doing is essentially this, but at scale. They are both companies under significant duress and pressure and are attempting to rally the troops. While it remains to be seen whether these drastic moves will help, they most likely will not hurt.
- georgemcbay 14y ago
  I have no opinion one way or another about either Yahoo or Best Buy, but in my experience (when I've seen these sorts of things go down in person at previous companies) once a company starts down the path of emergency policy changes to right the ship, the death spiral is more or less irreversible. The top employees are already either out the door or actively looking for their next gig, and in a couple of months the ranks will be down to primarily people who can't easily find more stable jobs elsewhere. This is in large part the fault of the corporations themselves who over the past 20 odd years have mostly destroyed the idea of company<->employee long-term loyalty, particularly when it comes to companies larger than a couple of hundred people.
  - skore 14y ago
    I find it particularly interesting that Mayer goes to Yahoo from Google and straight away implements things that would surely make Google look like the better place to work at. At least for me (and I guess the HN audience type of people in general, judging from the comments on this topic so far). It's like a Trojan Horse that you can sell with a straight face as being tough on failure and driven for success and all that. Probably good for marketing and the chairholders to feel smug, will probably boost stocks... company will likely still fail.

by pyre 14y ago

kevinconroy 14y ago

I believe the fundamental problem that these companies face is that they've grown so big and complex that many fiefdoms have developed. There are isolated teams within the larger organization. Frankly, it doesn't matter if the teams are in the office or working from home. The Real Problem (TM) that they're facing is that they've forgotten how to innovate, communicate internally, and be agile at scale. They want a quick fix for these problems, so it's an easy mental leap to "get everyone in the same building to start with." The "no more telecommuting" is making headlines, but what isn't making headlines is whatever else they are doing AFTER the telecommuting is over to fix these problems. I certainly hope that if "all hands on deck" is Step A that there's also steps B-Z. The real problem is if they think ending telecommuting will solve all of the real problems. (It won't.)

98709870987 14y ago
>>The Real Problem (TM) It is really getting annoying to see the TM sign in every other phrase now. It doesn't make anybody look clever so please guys stop it.
- kevinconroy 14y ago
  Humor is In the Eye of the Beholder (TM)

smtddr 14y ago

>Are these companies doing so poorly that they feel that chance meetings in the hallways or at the water-cooler will be their salvation? For what it's worth, that is exactly the logic Google is using for the design of their new building near SF. http://www.dezeen.com/2013/02/26/google-reveals-plans-for-bay-view-california-campus/ http://www.dezeen.com/2013/02/26/google-reveals-plans-for-ba...

pyre 14y ago
I would see them as similar if Google was creating this new building for the sole purpose of these chance meetings. These changes by Yahoo and Best Buy seem to put a lot of focus/emphasis on these spontaneous meetings/ideas/exchanges.

doktrin 14y ago

At the micro level, I have seen many teams pull everyone in to the same physical location when faced with a sprint or deadline. It doesn't strike me as inherently illogical, and is a strategy that IME has yielded results. What yahoo and BB are doing is essentially this, but at scale. They are both companies under significant duress and pressure and are attempting to rally the troops. While it remains to be seen whether these drastic moves will help, they most likely will not hurt.

georgemcbay 14y ago
I have no opinion one way or another about either Yahoo or Best Buy, but in my experience (when I've seen these sorts of things go down in person at previous companies) once a company starts down the path of emergency policy changes to right the ship, the death spiral is more or less irreversible. The top employees are already either out the door or actively looking for their next gig, and in a couple of months the ranks will be down to primarily people who can't easily find more stable jobs elsewhere. This is in large part the fault of the corporations themselves who over the past 20 odd years have mostly destroyed the idea of company<->employee long-term loyalty, particularly when it comes to companies larger than a couple of hundred people.
- skore 14y ago
  I find it particularly interesting that Mayer goes to Yahoo from Google and straight away implements things that would surely make Google look like the better place to work at. At least for me (and I guess the HN audience type of people in general, judging from the comments on this topic so far). It's like a Trojan Horse that you can sell with a straight face as being tough on failure and driven for success and all that. Probably good for marketing and the chairholders to feel smug, will probably boost stocks... company will likely still fail.