Introduction
The initials ‘ROWE’ stand strand for Results-Only Work Environment (Thompson, 2013). This is a culture that managers may decide to apply to their organizations. It operates on the principle that employees should only be rewarded or paid based on their net contributions and not by means of the number of hours that they have worked. Under this performance culture, workers have absolute freedom to do whatever they want whenever they want to do it, provided they get the work done. The implementation of this strategy in an organization depends on the nature of operations taking place in a firm and the type of employees that have been hired to work in that organization. It is a system strongly founded on high levels of accountability and commitment to the job assigned. There are no strict rules that may create any aspects of supervision.
Implementing ROWE in an Organization
The decision to put in place ROWE as a mode of operation is a critical management decision that is likely to come along with effects, both positive and negative. In addition, there are reactions that are bound to arise from the workforce regarding the work allocation and performance expectations. There are various trade-offs that are likely to accompany ROWE implementation. Managers have to take into account these factors while making a final decision to use the ROWE culture of operations. The main ones are as illustrated below.
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"ROWE Culture".
i. Relationship among employees. An organization that puts ROWE into full operation will have to expect workers to report to work at their own individual time convenience. Not all the workers will be working at any given instance. For this reason, it will be difficult for the managers to create relationships and team spirit on the workers. Efficient performance in any given workplace highly depends on the relationship that exists between workers. These relationships are best created through face-to-face communication among the workers.
ii. Team projects completion. Any organization is bound to have team projects to pursue. In this sense, if a manager implements the ROWE method of performance, it will take time for the team projects to be completed. Everyone will be willing to complete their work at the most convenient time for them. The main objective will be to complete the tasks and not when to complete them.
iii. Management Roles. There are basically five management roles. These include staffing, directing, controlling, planning and organizing. In case the ROWE culture is put into operation, the management is likely to part with some of these responsibilities or the extent to which the roles are exercised will drastically. The directive role of the managers will be limited. They will merely recruit managers and assign them tasks. The rest will be left out to the workers to decide on.
Feasibility of the ROWE Culture to Managers
Whether or not managers can work with the ROWE culture depends on how they perceive it. There are issues that managers can make clear to the employees before fully implementing this mode of work performance. A manager who wants to successfully use the ROWE culture should take into account the following precautions to make it work effectively.
i. Technological enhancement. Full operation of ROWE does not require physical presence of the employees at their work stations. Managers can enable internet communication among the workers. Communication is vital tool towards proper performance by any organization. Once there exists effective means of communication between the workers, it will be easy to indirectly supervise the activities being carried out and direct them towards attaining the ultimate goals set by the firm.
ii. Conform to sludge. In this case, a manager can make any time office time. Since time is never a factor of consideration in ROWE, an employee may decide to work on a task late in the night (Reseller & Tho, 2008). In the event of a challenge, he will be bound to make consultations, most likely with the manager. Late night and weekend calls will have to be responded to since each employee creates his/her own convenient time to conduct their operations. This will help the manager work well with the employees. Restrictions on time will have to be eliminated.
iii. Regular meetings. It is natural that when people are granted full freedom, performance levels might have to decline. A good manager must have proper communication skills. There should be regular fora in which the workers get to socialize and get motivated to perform. However, there should not be so many meetings since the workers might feel the pressure and raise complaints.
It is thus possible for a manager to put into use ROWE, having put in place appropriate measures to manage the employees and respond to emerging issues.
ROWE Complementation
ROWE can be applied per se as a method of operation with necessary precautions. The fear of reduced performance should not be in the minds of managers. Motivation will make the workers perform their duties. It can operate without being complemented by any other policy.
Best Employees Suited for ROWE
ROWE can best be used for freelance contractors especially during project work. The contractors always perform best under freedom. Freelancers operate at their own time, provided they get to do the job as expected.
Conclusion
Making a decision to implement ROWE remains a critical decision to any organization. The manager must be sure of the measures put in place to ensure that the employees perform to the expectations.
- Reseller, C. & Tho, J. (2008). 10 Ways to increase productivity using a Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE) mindset. TechRepublic. From http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10-things/10-ways-to-increase-productivity-using-a-results-only-work-environment-rowe-mindset/362/#
- Thompson, J. (2013). The Results-Only Work Environment. New York. SGI Quarterly. From http://www.sgiquarterly.org/feature2013oct-8.html
