4-Way Stop: Redirecting Your Organization To Be Human Again

• 4 min read

tel·e·com·mut·ing [tel-i-kuh-myoo-ting] noun Origin: 1970-75 : “Working at home by using a computer terminal electronically linked to one’s place of employment.”

Tele -as in phone. Commuting as in going back and forth from point A to point B. Telecommuting, going back and forth through the telephone …as a way of working. Now how silly does that sound? Very. So why are we still using this term?

Oh we’ve evolved to “Remote Workforce”. Remote — as in isolated, disconnected from the main source. So disconnected workforce. Okay, part of this actually makes sense. There’s a physical disconnect in the literal sense from a primary home base of an organization. But in an era of digital and social interconnectivity, is it still appropriate to call an employee group or company disconnected? I don’t think so. Is it legitimate to place value on profit at the cost of people? Certainly not.

It’s time to humanize business processes in what I call the era of the NetWorkedForce. I define this term “Networkedforced” as a thriving ecosystem of a) employees working from locations other than a central office b) Consultants c) Field operatives d) Other free lancers e) everyone who works from a smart device when not in the office. So basically anyone working for or with an organization of any size towards achieving a common set of company-wide or project objectives is part of the networkedforce; in essence, everyone who needs to learn from and with each other.

The competitive advantage to choosing human over how-to’s begins by deciding to be a networkedforce, then employing the tools and technology to support the decision. Docebo CEO, Claudio Erba refers to this as the emergence of humans taking their rightful place again at the “center of society” and “driving the digital renaissance”. I agree and here’s the best part— you don’t need to lose yourself in the chicken and egg dilemma. You can simultaneously curate a culture through conversation while engaging the right technology to drive learning and collaboration. So here are some simple ways to cultivate a sustainable networkedforce:

  1. Change the conversation. The language of “remote workforce” and “telecommuters” creates an us/them culture. These terms create an invisible divide along the lines of belong/don’t belong, inside/outside, included/excluded, worthy/unworthy. Misaligned language can be unknowingly working against your companies diversity and inclusion efforts if it is systemically creating a minority group of virtual contributors.

  2. Invest in quick win tools and technology. The RIGHT tools will help you create the shift you’re seeking. These tools should be simple and engage your organization in a way that leverages social collaboration. Docebo is a great platform for this type of influence. It’s ability to connect people to knowledge, knowledge to people and people-to-people with little to no barriers is key to humanizing workplace learning. You may need some help with identifying the best way to leverage the technology. Get creative through gamification by running a competition within your organization asking people to submit ideas. Learning fundamentals amplified with user driven experiences makes learning play and increases adoption.

  3. Don’t Get Caught Up on What Everyone Else is Doing. If Yahoo! and HP are hanging up the phone and herding people back into the physical office — there must be a reason. This reason: there is no networkedforce. This is extreme, disruptive (in both senses of the term) and in some cases, relevant. Evaluate the existing strengths of your organization with a lens of humanization vs. process justification. Celebrate what you do well by telling the story. This also lays the groundwork for sharing your vision of new ways of engaging.

  4. Create a Cross-Functional Team to Lead the Charge. As I say in my manifesto “Collective is the New Intelligence — Get Smart Outside the Silos”. Identify the mavens and movers in your organization that have proven resourceful and exhibited hustle in evolving the organization. This will ensure key decision-makers are connected to the beat on the workplace street, and will help support change management efforts.

“It’s cool to be human again. We are the genius of imperfection.” No one said you had to get it right on the first try. What’s important is trying. Start with the truth of how human your business is (and isn’t) and build confidence by making meaningful investments in technology that supports collective intelligence. The art of being human in the digital era is to first connect people to what matters most – themselves. Learn forward together from there.

Written by Salima Nathoo,

Named one of the “Top 100 Most Social HR Experts on Twitter” by Huffington Post, Salima Nathoo is a Workplace Innovator, Learning Futurist and Speaker. She works with companies at the front of the pack as a strategic partner to build powerful leadership ecosystems, manage change at the human level, and leverage social technology. Her big thinking approach and expertise in learning-design and facilitation helps companies experience Conscious Disruption, LeanLearning and increase the level of joy & fulfillment. You can connect with Salima on LinkedIn or Twitter.


If you’d like to catch Docebo’s CEO, Claudio Erba, speak about Humanizing Business Processes: Technologies, Trends & Insights to Succeed in the Next Decade, you can do so at the ASTD 2014 International Conference & Exposition which will take place May 4th-7th at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.Where: ASTD 2014 International Conference & Exposition @ Walter E. Washington Convention Center
When: Sunday May 4th, 3:45 – 5:00pm
Location: 152A
Session Details: S23EXD – Humanizing business processes: technologies, trends and insights to succeed in the next decade