DL2022 Anita Gisch - Designing Business Systems to Support Flexible Work Practices and Hybrid Arrangements

Designing practices for hybrid and flexible teams requires a very clear understanding of what must be consistent and what can be flexible. In this presentation I will draw on some specific case studies and stories from my time as both a researcher and consultant in business process design and work practice. As researchers we talk about a desire to make our findings relevant to industry and as consultants, managers and leaders we talk about drawing on evidence. Over the last 7 years I have been wearing both of those hats simultaneously and it has had tremendous benefits for both my research and my consulting practice.

Transcript

1. Designing Hybrid Work Practices Anita Gisch | Gisch Consulting Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 1
2. Research Linked to Practice Anthropology Work Practice UX Research Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 2
3. Being an Introvert in the Work Place Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 3
4. Observations from Work Practice Challenges and cultural shifts before, during and after Covid Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 4
5. An Early Adopter Experience Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 5
6. A More Traditional Experience… Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 6
7. Physical Spaces have Socio-Political Consequences Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 7
8. Stepping Away from Cubeville Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 8
9. Shifts in Australian Work Practice First came the Cloud, then came Covid Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 9
10. Pre-Covid Normal: Capturing Physical Presence ► Heavy Emphasis on Physical Presence ► Common to see “performative” engagement: First in, last out ► Bonuses and wage increases negotiated on office hours ► Organisational Culture Centred around Faces In The Office ► After work drinks ► Lunch & learn activities ► Offsite staff/team days – introvert nightmares! ► Flexible Work Arrangements were Hard Fought, Political and ‘Exception-based’ ► A ‘choice’ between career and care obligations ► Often involved pay and status cuts Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 10
11. Emergence of Cloud ► Initial Trust Issues with: ► Security ► Data loss ► Local (familiar) vs distributed (ephemeral) ► Lack of Ecosystem Coherence ► Overwhelmed by choice ► Issues with app ► Spontaneous product selection ► Continued Reliance on the Physical ► Comfort with paper ► Visual productivity cues Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 11
12. Physical and Cultural Segmentation by Business Functions ► Architects collaborate and share files ► Snapshots are sent to accounts team for billing ► Data is manipulated or recreated to suite specific purposes Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 12
13. Stabilisation of Cloud Technology ► Cloud Technology as an on Premises Solution ► Shifting costs from Assets to Expenses ► IT Management & Security ► Increased Business Reporting ► Faster data entry ► Real-time reporting ► Reporting for decision-making Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 13
14. The Big C: A Forced Shift to Remote Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 14 ► Physical Office Shutdowns ► Borders between national, state and local areas ► Restrictions on physical movements within zones ► Loss of Supporting Mechanisms ► Schools and childcares closed ► Student online learning attempts ► Boundaries between work and home broken
15. Consequences for Design Applying research to practice Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 15
16. Three Areas for Design Leadership ► Physical and Digital Spaces ► Physical buildings & infrastructure ► Digital environments ► Systems & Processes ► Service design ► Access to and use of information ► Individual Work Practice ► Reimaging collaboration and connections ► Embracing and supporting work styles Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 16
17. Physical & Digital Spaces Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 17
18. Developing a Hybrid Experience Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 18
19. Not all Views are Equal Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 19
20. Creating Quiet Spaces and Times Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 20
21. Systems & Processes Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 21
22. Common Tensions Between Flexibility and Consistency Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 22
23. The Fabled Workflow Data does not Flow within Organisations It is Translated and Transacted Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 23
24. Consistency & Accountability Reporting Needs Information for Action Individual Styles Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 24
25. Individual Work Practice Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 25
26. It’s OK to Introvert ► Learn to Say No Not to be difficult, obstructionist and inflexible, just to manage your capacity ► Establish Boundaries Scope and role creep are a killer ► Own your Environment Figure out where you are most effective and find ways to make the environment work for you Anita Gisch | Design Leadership - UX Australia 2022 26