Working remotely - how it influences culture

If culture is a set of behaviours that are rewarded, remote working can and does encourage good, productive behaviours and can therefore contribute to a better culture. 

And so, it creates circumstances where trust between people can be built and/or strengthened. It allows people to design their own schedule and to manage their time and energy more effectively compared to when they work from the office. 

Douglas McGregor came up with so-called Theory X and Theory Y to do with human work motivation and management back in the 1950ties. According to the former, people are generally lazy and need to be controlled in order to perform. When it comes to the latter, people are naturally wired to do great work and only need the right encouraging environment that builds them up (rather than threatening them into high performance) in order to flourish. Whichever theory you believe in, you will find plenty of evidence in the workplace that you are right. 

During this time, when working remotely is the national standard, gives us a unique opportunity to put Theory Y into practice. All that needs to be done is to treat your people as adults that are naturally keen to do great work simply because it makes them feel good. Simply expect them to do well and watch what happens and how your culture evolves as a result. 

I talk more about culture in my upcoming book “Laid Bare: What The Business Leader Learnt From The Stripper”. Sign up here for presales and updates. Have a positive and productive lockdown!