Proceedings of 8th European Assembly on telework (Telework2001)

107The Siemens CaseSiemens Finland started telework in 1994 as part <strong>of</strong> the “Telework for Change” project. At thetime, we wanted to survey the concrete objectives focusing on questions such as how to improvecustomer service and customer satisfaction.However, our definition <strong>of</strong> telework has changed during the last few years. At first, it meantworking at home. Now it refers to the type <strong>of</strong> work that is done partially or completely somewhereelse than in an <strong>of</strong>fice building. Thus, the central question is how to communicate with the existing,documented information and one’s co-workers. For this purpose, video negotiation and pc-videonegotiation <strong>of</strong>fer one possibility to develop e-work.What we concentrated on in our pc-video project was studying combining real time video, audioand data with information sharing and e-work.During our project, we found the key question to be how to motivate and integrate people.Regardless <strong>of</strong> technical development and the numerous possibilities it has made available, thePC-Video project underlined some indisputable benefits <strong>of</strong> e-work, the most obvious <strong>of</strong> whichare:• Reduced travel costs.• E-learning; reduced training costs and the possibility to focus on studying new skills andacquiring knowledge when it is best for you.• Time saving.• Flexibility; working anywhere, anytime. There are also certain benefits in connecting work andfamily time.• More efficient connections with our customers.• Real-time information sharing, virtual teams, and better mobility.The PC-Video project also pointed out some specific challenges we face:• Fast technical development and the need for up-to-date technical skills. In-service training isrequired for any change to be efficient.• Unsteadiness <strong>of</strong> the lines or equipment used. Fast technical development also brings about acertain amount <strong>of</strong> uncertainty when using latest technology.• Cultural challenges that can be divided into:- Cultural differences, language, how we act, react, and so on. It is even more crucial to be aware<strong>of</strong> them when talking about virtual connections between people from different cultures.- Changes in organizational culture, which represents yet another challenge. When we talk aboute-work, we are not talking about people only; it concerns the whole organization, its processes,and its way <strong>of</strong> managing its personnel. We noticed that even though there has been clearevidence <strong>of</strong> the benefits <strong>of</strong> using these systems, cultural changes within the organisation havebeen rather slow, or at least slower than we presumed.ConclusionUsing new technical systems and taking part in the e-work development in the private sector is notonly a benefit but also a necessity. Information management is today’s way <strong>of</strong> doing business ande-work is one very concrete element <strong>of</strong> it.