Is the virtual organization we have had to step into these past few weeks due to the virus really a new thing? Martin Mickos, CEO of HackerOne, shares an analogy that is helpful to think about in an article titled “8 Strategies to Set Up Remote Work in the Time of Coronavirus Outbreak”.
Mickos equates the virtual organizations we are experiencing now to an ancient fishing village. In the evenings the fishermen returned and could have some social time, but during the day they were out in their boats alone. Every morning before dawn they would head out to sea, with just radio contact, no real help available if needed. They worked a long day as they didn’t come back until the work was done.
Mickos remarks that the industrial revolution brought us the idea that work is done in the proximity of others. One could argue that it is this notion of a shared workplace that is unusual, not working alone. Mickos reminds us herders, lumberjacks, hunters to name a few for tens of thousands of years have been alone with their immediate job yet connected to others who are doing the same.
We who work remotely during this time of the Covid-19 Virus are much like the fishermen. We labor at getting our job done each day without the company of colleagues. We do structure getting together together in Zoom meetings, emails or over the phone. We have the need to share our stories much like the fishermen of days of old.
Mickos says working remotely is not a challenge to overcome. He promotes it is more of a business advantage to achieve.
Today we are so fortunate. We are online, we are digital. By not tying work to any location or moment, Mickos feels we democratize opportunity, and we create possibility.
In addition, we remain safe. Working remotely affords us to place our positive energies and thoughts toward those on the front lines. The nurses, doctors, police, and all who don’t have this luxury we do to labor in a safe environment, and on whom our safety and lives depend.