I've been reading the book Drive, which talks about what motivates people, and what is likely to help them perform better at their job, whatever that might be. It's a great read, and I'd highly recommend that not only you read it, but pick up a copy for your boss or HR director. It's could turn out to be a great investment.
As I've been reading about this, I've also stumbled upon the idea of a Results Oriented Work Environment (ROWE), which started at Best Buy headquarters. It's the idea that you need to get work done, but you decide how to get it done, on your own schedule. There is an interesting piece in Time about ROWE and The Gap Outlet is also implementing this idea.
It sounds cool, sounds like a great job, but is it really? It's more of an entrepreneurial framework, and it can be hard to adapt to. As someone that's basically worked in this type of environment for more than 8 years, let me tell you it can be tough. But for a Friday poll, I wanted to ask the rest of you:
Would ROWE work for you?
I'm curious, as DBAs, would you want to work in a ROWE environment, perhaps one without bonuses or incentives, but an environment where you had to achieve results, without the structure of someone telling you how to get things done?
I have to say that I haven't often worked in highly structured environments. Most of the time I have been given projects and deadlines, with the freedom to get them done as I wished, and for the most part that worked great. Now I work in a completely ROWE environment, and it's good and bad. It definitely can be an adjustment. I know I'm looking forward to seeing how Tom LaRock enjoys it now that he is working in a ROWE environment at home.
Steve Jones
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