This is a time to innovate the way we get work done

Matt Perman Feb. 9, 2021

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Jack Welch was right: we live in a time of dazzling innovation. Not just in terms of cool products and solutions to engineering problems, but also in terms of how we get work done.

Now this is even more true during the Corona economy, as so much of the workforce is having to adapt to remote working.

Remote working is a different paradigm from in-the-office working — which is often overlooked. If you simply try to adapt it to the rules of working well at the office, you will be unable to harness the unique advantages it offers.

Here are two books that can help you think through and make the most of the unique advantages of remote working. These ideas will remain useful even after people are able to go back to the office. Why? Because they articulate an improved way of thinking about work in the connected economy altogether.

Interestingly, both of these books are now several years old. But the concepts are still catching on and these are still two of the most helpful.

Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It.I wish this book was called something else. However, the concept of a "results only work environment" is huge. The principle is this: work where you want, when you want, as long as the work gets done. The full implementation of this might not be for every organization, but the underlying concepts of trust and freedom — with accountability for results, notmethods (a core principle of good management) — are important for all contexts.

Remote: Office Not Required.By the founders of 37 Signals (now Basecamp; I actually liked the former name better). The authors can overstate things too much in some of their writings, but there is nonetheless a lot to learn from them and I enjoy their willingness to be unconventional and their lively style of writing.

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Matt Perman is the director of career development at The King’s College and co-founder of What’s Best Next, which aims to empower Christians to be more effective in all areas of life. Perman is also author of the best-selling book What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done and a frequent speaker on leadership, productivity and theology from a gospel-centered perspective. He lives in New York City.

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