Chapter 15 - “A Good Fit for Telework?”
Ziyu Long
Synopsis
This case discusses the opportunities and challenges faced by a small start-up IT company, JikeChina, in sustaining its telework arrangement for employees. Telework is defined as the performance of paid labor activities at sites other than conventional workplaces and through the use of communication technologies, a form of work that has not been widely adopted in organizations or considered as a legitimate work form in mainland China. The case describes the events of a weekday from the perspective of Achan, the CEO of JikeChina, as he begins to address the challenges in managing the company that relies on teleworking employees in Beijing, China. The case also portrays the dinner conversations among JikeChina’s employees about how they negotiate various tensions of this nonstandard work arrangement.
Keywords: Telework, Work-life Negotiations, China, Talent Retention, Collaboration, Leadership.
Key Takeaways and Take a Stand Form
Key Takeaways
- Roles, tasks, decision procedures, and communication protocols should be clearly articulated and constantly communicated to facilitate effective telework/virtual collaboration.
- The implementation of telework arrangement should not follow a one-size-fits-all approach.
- Flexible work arrangement does not always mean benefits to employees and increased employee satisfaction. It can also lead to accentuated work-life/family conflicts, communication problems, and feelings of isolation.
- Since telework has not been widely adopted in organizations and/or considered as a legitimate work form in mainland China, teleworkers need to actively manage work-life boundaries and negotiate different meanings associated with this non-traditional work arrangement.
- Choosing the right mode of collaboration (i.e., collocated, virtual, or a combination) for the task at hand can be essential for successful group decision making and creative processes.
Take a Stand Form
- Take a Stand Form (DOC 17KB)