Maximizing Virtual Productivity in Times of COVID.pptx

Jerry Manas
Maximizing Virtual Productivity
April 29, 2021
11:00 am EST
Leadership
www.greatpro.org
In Times of COVID

Jerry Manas
Jerry Manas
VP, Customer Success & Learning
PDWare
jerry.manas@pdware.com
Hosted by
Wendy Nolan
The Great IT Professional
Wendy.Nolan@cai.io
www.greatpro.org

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Key CAI Offerings
• Application Support Outsourcing
• Application Development
• Service Desk
• ServiceNow
• Agile & Testing Services
• DevOps
• Managed Services Provider
• Autism2Work
• Contingent Staffing Solutions
• Digital Accessibility Audit
• Intelligent Automation
• Governance
• Contingent Staffing Solutions
• Learning Services
www.cai.io
Privately Held Since 1981 / Approaching $850M in Revenue
CEO, Founder, and Owner: Anthony J. Salvaggio

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TrueProjectInsight.com
This webinar is sponsored by
 Identify project bottlenecks and risks
 Lets you “start the fix” earlier
 Safeguard Project Success

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Listen and Learn From ANYWHERE!
SUBSCRIBE at GREATPRO.ORG/SUBSCRIBE
DOWNLOAD the free iOS app at GREATPRO.ORG/MOBILE
Or the free Android app at GREATPRO.ORG/ANDROID

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Portfolio Decision Ware, Inc.
• PDWare™ is a provider of resource
planning and portfolio management
software
• We make it easy to align people,
teams, projects, and budgets with
your most important strategies
– And… perform robust what-if analysis
Maximizing Virtual Teams in Times of COVID
www.pdware.com

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Maximizing Virtual Productivity in Time of COVID
Welcome to the Zoom Age
Maximizing Virtual Productivity in Times of COVID

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Pre-COVID – Why Did We Work Remotely?
Flexibility Travel Restrictions
Shift from Brick-and-Mortar
Operations to Online
Geographic Expansion
M&A

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Working Virtually in a Post-COVID World
Key Findings:
• 56% of employees have increased anxiety around
job security
• 55% are stressed due to changes in work routines
and organization
• 45% are stressed due to family pressures such as
childcare
• 55% struggle with work-life balance
• 49% feel lonely or isolated
• 46% struggle with inadequate home setup
Source: ‘Anxiety, Stress, and Loneliness: COVID’s Toll on the Lives of
Workers”, 28-Country Global IPSOS Survey for World Economic Forum
- December, 2020
Note: This was a global study. Some areas, such as
Japan and Europe, fared much better. Others, such as
Peru, Malaysia, Colombia, India, and Saudi Arabia,
struggled more.

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Key Findings:
• 83% of employers now say the shift to remote
work has been successful for their company
• Fewer than 20% of executives say they want to
return to the office as it was pre-pandemic…
BUT…
• 87% of employees say the office is important for
collaborating with team members and building
relationships (But not every day!)
• 61% of employees want to return half-time to
the office more slowly than employers expect.
But all expect only half-time at some point.
• Over half of employees (55%) would prefer to be
remote at least three days a week.
Source: “It’s time to reimagine where and how work will get done”
PwC’s US Remote Work Survey - January 12, 2021

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Key Findings:
• 34% of the least experienced workers (0-5
yrs) are more likely to feel less productive
while working remotely (vs. 23% for
others).
• Most (87%) executives expect to make
changes to their real estate strategy over
the next 12 months to accommodate
remote work.
• 79% of employees say they have more
flexibility to manage family matters.

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Key Success Factors for Virtual Productivity:
• Strong Collaboration Culture
• Access to Information
• Customer Focus
• Virtual and Mobile Technology
• Reduce “Zoom Fatigue” – minimize
meetings
• Flexible Resource Scheduling
• Management and Employee Training
• Solutions for Child Care

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Reminder:
Some people need
coaching.
Practice Situational
Leadership*
(Directing, Coaching,
Supporting, Delegating)
* Ref. Hersey and Blanchard

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• 75% of employees said that during the
first few months of the pandemic they
have been able to maintain or improve
productivity on their individual tasks.
• 51% of employees said they have been
able to maintain or improve their
productivity on collaborative tasks (e.g.,
with teams/clients).
• 60% of employees said they want some
flexibility in where and/or when they
work (67% in US, 50% in India)
Source: “What 12,000 Employees Have to Say About the Future of
Remote Work” - BCG Study, US, Germany, and India - August, 2020
Collaboration culture and tools are key!

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(The Impact of Culture)
• India (vs. Western culture)
• Less Work/Life Balance (work is the first
priority; hours can be long; little
flexibility)
• More social interaction & social breaks
(among peers)
• More hierarchical division
• Had a historical management resistance
to remote work
For India, the shift to virtual work was drastic.
But months of technology investment and growing acceptance of remote work
have led to lasting change.

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• 87% of employers said they
anticipate prioritizing tech and digital
infrastructure investments that
support sustained remote work.
• Most employees say a good desk
and adequate tools at home boosts
productivity.
Source: “What 12,000 Employees Have to Say About the Future of
Remote Work” - BCG Study, US, Germany, and India - August, 2020

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• 13% more meetings are attended by
employees.
• 13.5% more employees on average
are included in each meeting (due to
it being virtual).
• Meetings are 20% shorter on
average (or an average of 12 minutes
shorter)
• Europeans are more likely than
Americans to cut meetings short
Source: “How Has the Pandemic Changed Working Lives” – The
Economist – Harvard Business Review Study, America, Europe, Middle
East – August, 2020
Beware of meeting overload!

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The Future is Here… But Questions Remain
How do you best maintain a collaborative culture virtually?
How many meetings should there be, and who needs to be in them?
What communication mechanisms and norms are effective?
What’s the right blend of remote and in-person activity?
How is coaching and training best accomplished?

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Maximizing Productivity
• Strengths
• Attention (limit multitasking)
• Flow (ability and challenge)
• Enablement (Training, Tools, Info, Support)

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Let’s Talk About Fitness
• It’s not just the “Quarantine 15”
• Stand up every hour (“Sitting is
the new smoking.”)
• Avoid constant Zoom meetings
• 4 Pillars: Diet, Exercise, Sleep,
Stress Management
• Have a daily feasible work plan
• Keep healthy snacks around
• Keep moving!

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What About Resource Planning?
• Still need to plan resources for
projects and programs
• Keep it High Level (Not Task-Based)
• Focus on Projects, Phases and
Milestones
• Be Transparent (Who’s Doing What)
• Have Accountability for Objectives
• Kanban is Effective for Work Groups

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The #1 thing people like about working
virtually:
Flexibility
A close #2:
Efficiency
Early Survey Indicators: High Performing Virtual Teams, Manas, Aldridge, Ring, 2008/2009
Results from a Pre-COVID Study

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The #1 thing people dislike
about working virtually:
Isolation (The Mushroom Effect)
A close #2:
Lack of work/life boundaries

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The #1 barrier to adoption for social
technology (i.e., social networks,
Facetime):
Vulnerability
A close #2:
Individual Work Preference

Success
Factors:
• Outcomes Focus / Kanban
• Employee Engagement (Everyone)
• Inclusion over Compliance
• Guidelines/Checklists over Rules
• Standardize Selectively
• Keep it Simple
Early Survey Indicators: High Performing Virtual Teams, Manas,
Aldridge, Ring, 2008/2009

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HQ
Hub
Hub
Hub
Role of HQ:
• Principles and Strategy
• Change Leadership
• Support / Systems
• Knowledge Broker
Integrated Leadership Model
Success Factors:
• Engagement
• Lean Governance
• Enabling Technology
Raw Materials:
• Shared Information
• Shared Ideals
• Customer Focus
• Relationships

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The “Through-Through” Relationship
A Helical Progression toward Better Knowledge of Better Activities*
* Ref. Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner, 21 Leaders for the 21st Century
Improvement of Activity
Improvement
of
Knowledge
GLOBAL
LOCAL

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3 Success Factors of ANY Virtual Team
Engagement
Lean Governance Technology
• Inclusiveness
• Identity
• Training
• Flexibility
• Customer Focus
• Small Groups
• Goals Focus
• Lean Processes
• Effective Meetings
• Teamwork Technology
• Meeting Technology
• Shared Information
• Knowledge &
Learning

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Welcome to the New World
The writers of Star Trek were ahead of the game on video calls © CBS/Getty
Kingsman | © 20th Century Fox

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Questions?
www.greatpro.org

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Listen and Learn From ANYWHERE!
SUBSCRIBE at GREATPRO.ORG/SUBSCRIBE
DOWNLOAD the free iOS app at GREATPRO.ORG/MOBILE
Or the free Android app at GREATPRO.ORG/ANDROID

SPEAKER NAME
Presenter Name
Title
Company
name@email.com
Hosted by
Wendy Nolan
The Great IT Professional
Wendy.Nolan@cai.io
www.greatpro.org

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