Telework Centers. an Evaluation of the North American and Japanese Experience. Workscape 21: the Ecology of New Ways of Working. INSTITUTION State Univ
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 418 276 CE 076 202 AUTHOR Becker, Franklin; Rappaport, Andrew J.; Quinn, Kristen L.; Sims, William R. TITLE Telework Centers. An Evaluation of the North American and Japanese Experience. Workscape 21: The Ecology of New Ways of Working. INSTITUTION State Univ. of New York, Ithaca. Coll. of Human Ecology at Cornell Univ. PUB DATE 1993-12-00 NOTE 149p. AVAILABLE FROM International Workplace Studies Program, E-213 MVR Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 ($20). PUB TYPE Reports Research (143) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC06 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Adult Education; *Computer Centers; *Decentralization; Foreign Countries; Information Technology; Job Satisfaction; *Office Automation; Office Management; *Organizational Change; *Telecommunications; Work Environment; Workstations IDENTIFIERS Canada; *Japan; *Telecommuting ABSTRACT Telework Centers are work locations used by firms to acommodate staff who live near the telework center location. A study examined the impact of using telework centers on communication, work groups/departments, performance, supervision, travel/environment, and type of work done in various locations. A case study approach was used to investigate 10 telework centers and 2 resort offices in the United States, Canada, and Japan. Questionnaire, interview, and archival data were collected. Telework centers had primary (transportation issues, economic development, marketing) and secondary drivers (quality of life, cost reduction, better way of working, disaster recovery). Goals and objectives for telework centers related to the drivers were reducing traffic congestion and employee stress due to commuting and promoting use of new telecommunications and economic development in rural areas. Standard technology at most telework centers included telephones, computers and modem, printers, fax machines, and copy machines. Employees were very positive about their experiences; telework centers enhanced their productivity. Japanese workers experienced a greater sense of social isolation and difficulty in self-management. Self-reports consistently showed greater productivity. Remote work required new management attitudes and skills, such as skills related to setting clear performance and quality targets. Telework center use patterns appeared to reduce fuel consumption and traffic congestion. (Appendixes, amounting to over one-half of the report, include case studies of telework centers and resort offices, interview questions, and 32 references.) (YLB) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** Workscape 21 The Ecology of New Ways of Working rrelework Centers An Evaluation of the North American and Japanese Experience PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND yeCA.DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENTOF EDUCATION 0 Educational Research and Improvement DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL E TIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION Franklin Becker HAS BEEN GRANTED BY CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization Andrew J. Rappaport originating it. Minor changes have been made to Kristen L. Quinn improve reproduction quality. William R. Sims TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) official OERI position or policy. Cornell University International Workplace Studies Program a COPY AVAILABLE Worksce21 The Ecology of New Ways of Working elework Centers An Evaluation of the North 1 American and Japanese Experience Franklin Becker Andrew J. Rappaport Kristen L. Quinn William R. Sims Cornell University International Workplace Studies Program Ithaca, NY 14850 607/255-1950 © December 1993 Cornell University International Workplace Studies Program 1992-1993 Consortium Members Aetna Life and Casualty, USA Arthur Andersen and Company, SC, USA ASPA by, Netherlands Chubu Electric Power Company, Inc., Japan E.I. DuPont and Company, USA Eastman Kodak, USA Ernst & Young, UK General Electric Company, USA IBM, USA Kokuyo Company, Inc., USA Osaka Gas Company, Ltd., USA Project Office Furniture, UK Rijksgebouwendienst, Netherlands Shimizu Institute of Technology, Japan Steelcase, USA Xerox, USA International Workplace Studies Program Acknowledgments Many people deserve thanks for assisting in the study.In particular: Hitoshi Shimamura of the Shimizu Institute of Technology who gave an initial nudge to help launch the study in two cultures; Tetsuya Yamada, also with Shimizu, who was instrumental in arranging and collecting information during the Japanese portion of the survey; the telework center administrators and project managers who paved the way for smooth data collection and site visits; the organizations that opened their doors to be detailed case studies sites (the Inland Empire Economic Partnership, Los Angeles County, BC Tel, NTT, Fuji Xerox, Izumigo, and the Shonan Resort Office company); and other researchers in the field who helped by sharing their time and thoughts, in particular, Chino Rao at the University of British Columbia and Wendy Spinks of the Institute for Economic and Financial Research in Japan. And most of all many thanks to the users of the telework centers who gave their time and shared their enthusiasm for their new working practice. International Workplace Studies Program iii 5 Foreword The International Workplace Studies Program, formerly the International Facility Management Program, is a research program based at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. The program is supported by a consortium of private and public sector organizations in the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and Japan, and was launched in 1989. The IWSP mission is to generate research-based information related to the planning, design, and management of facilities thatcan contribute to the development of more competitive and effective organizations. International Workplace Studies Program v Executive Summary Introduction Telework centers are being introduced in countries all over the world to address a number of key issues in organizations today. In California, USA, where commutes to work often force employees to begin their day in the very early hours of the morning (e.g., 3am), telework centers are being established to change travel patterns and help employees balance work and family life. In places like Vancouver, British Columbia and Tokyo, Japan, traffic and air quality issues are the primary driving forces behind the introduction of telework centers.Still other drivers, such as the ability for telecommunications companies to demonstrate new products and to model new work patterns, or to bring work to people in remote, rural areas, influence companies to begin using this type of workplace arrangement. Report Goals The purpose of our research and this report were to: Identify as many telework center sites as possible in North America and Japan. Develop a typology of telework centers and their variations. Describe in summary and case study form key characteristics of these sites, including their location, size and scope; driving forces; goals and objectives; nature of work and workers. Describe in summary and case study form the effects of working in telework centers on workers, coworkers, and supervisors based on a combination of our own and others' on-site observations, interviews and archival data. From these data identify what appear to be critical success factors. Examine the cost and space implications of telework centers. Examine the technology implications of telework centers. Identify factors that block the development of telework centers as a component of new ways of working. Methodology The specific research questions that were addressed in this report include: What is the impact of using telework centers on: communication work groups/departments performance supervision travel/environment International Workplace Studies Program vii 7 type of work done in various locations? Are there differences between the effects that telework centers have on the above issues depending on whether the centers are single or multiple company centers? Are there differences between the effects that telework centers have on the above issues depending on whether the users are full-time or part-time? Research Design Ten telework centers and two resort offices were investigated in the United States, Canada, and Japan. A case study approach was utilized to analyze the key research questions at each of the sites. Sites were chosen to obtain a variety of telework centers according to differences in design, funding, and use; whether they were used as full- or part-time work locations, single company or multiple company sites, and/or whether they were funded by private organizations or by the government. Data Collection Three methods were used to collect data: (1) A questionnaire was distributed to site administrators to provide background information necessary for the planning of the study. (2) Interviews were conducted with office administrators, telework center users, their coworkers, and their supervisors. (3) Archival data available at the centers was used to analyze use patterns. Respondents were selected at random and confidentiality was assured. Defining Telework Centers For the purpose of this report, telework centers were defined as work locations used by firms to accommodate staff who live near the telework center locations. A primary