This chapter looks at several approaches to improving teleworking through increased trustworthiness and performance. Any combination of these methods should be beneficial. Some of the methods deal with analyzing LMX and improving its use. One of the ways to do that is to mitigate “distance” in LMX. “Distance” is a disconnect in the work relationship at times that are important. It concerns accomplishments that are crucial to recognition and promotion. Organizations need collective agreements that guide teams and foster shared understanding, collaboration, and innovation. Another valuable approach is an asynchronous one with work characterized by flexibility. Asynchronized working creates a situation where employees work a schedule without fixed hours. This is said to promote constant feedback and deep-thinking by freeing employees to manage necessary contacts with managers and other employees while self-managing their work-life balance in the process. The need for meetings is minimized and, when meetings are necessary, they may be more effective if they allow participant flexibility.
TopBackground
This chapter looks back at all the discussion and discovery in the preceding pages to suggest beneficial approaches. We examine several approaches that can make teleworking a viable solution for any organization. The previous chapters have attempted to cover a full range of possible alternatives for organizations. We examined ways to employ teleworking to its best advantage based on the way our world is changing due to COVID-19. We analyzed trustworthiness, performance, leadership development, employee motivation, and productivity under the lens of telework.
Starting with Chapter 7, we made sure that we had a sound theoretical foundation by focusing on motivation, productivity, EI, and radical change and then using that knowledge as we examined a research project created to help with discovery and solutions. The March 2021 survey considered three hypotheses dealing with teleworking, trustworthiness, and performance. The findings led to the various approaches we will discuss in this chapter.
To get the best results from this multi-faceted analysis that combines personal interviews, survey results, and the results of an online LinkedIn survey, I used triangulation to arrive at my conclusions. Certainly, other surveys were used and there are other methods for arriving at conclusions, but triangulation works just fine. Triangulation was rooted in mathematics in the 1970s but then researchers and other scholars began to use it as a sociological method. A leader of that movement was Norman Denzin, who identified four types of triangulation in 1978 (Denzin, 2012).
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Data triangulation uses various data sources in a single study.
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Investigator triangulation uses multiple researchers or investigators to study some phenomenon.
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Theory triangulation interprets the results of a study using multiple theoretical perspectives.
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Methodological triangulation uses multiple methods to conduct an analysis.
I am using data triangulation to arrive at conclusions here. The use is intended to enhance validity of the research effort, find different ways to understand these complex issues, and create a broader picture of the research problems and the subsequent findings. While I may have ended up with more a multi-method approach than triangulation, my ends justify my means in this case.
Understanding the process by which the volumes of data and discovery were analyzed is important. Now we are free to examine several approaches to teleworking success suggested by our learning journey. They include the use of LMX theory, the need to create or improve the telework process, the use of an asynchronous approach, a focus on key telework plan features, ways to show full telework commitment, and the importance of managing leadership controversies. What follows is an in-depth look at each of the suggested approaches.
LMX Applications
What are the best ways to use LMX? How do organizations incorporate it into daily operations?
LMX helps leaders examine their leadership style in terms of individual relationships instead of dealing with entire groups as if every person were the same. This is consistent with what we know about emotional intelligence. The resulting relationships can help leaders impact efficient and productive work situations. Through LMX, leaders can understand that each team member is a unique person who deserves interactions handled in a unique manner. Understanding each member can help with group dynamics.
Be sure to analyze the frequency and quality of the use of LMX. This will foster productivity, innovation, and growth of your people. Make LMX a part of your organization’s telework plan.