Proceedings of 8th European Assembly on telework (Telework2001)

42But even so, on average the developments mean that individuals by and large will have moreindependence and responsibilities at work. The control based on organisation, hierarchies andregulations is being gradually substituted by personal commitment and target orientation. Whilebetter personal command <strong>of</strong> one´s work in many ways is exactly what is expected <strong>of</strong> good work,the coin has another side. As outside control decreases and work becomes free <strong>of</strong> limitations <strong>of</strong>time and place, the possibilities <strong>of</strong> overload will dramatically increase. Surprisingly, working timeslengthen when this freedom extends and the control <strong>of</strong> an employer loses its significance.I have already touched upon the issue <strong>of</strong> polarisation as a dimension <strong>of</strong> individual and regionaldifferences. The research findings seem to indicate that organisations can just as easily drift onto adeprivation path. In fact, only a significant minority <strong>of</strong> enterprises have managed to find workingmethods that keep them qualitatively flexible and markedly innovative. The majority <strong>of</strong> workplaces still stick to traditions and methods that seem to enable only comparatively slow advance.This latter orientation is <strong>of</strong>ten regarded safer for the enterprise and for the employees. At the age<strong>of</strong> information economy, or more rightly innovation economy, one may question this traditionalapproach. Would it not be more likely that the methods <strong>of</strong> proactive enterprise are also likely topromote individual and continuos learning, which in turn is considered to be the best safeguard <strong>of</strong>employees from unemployment. One could also ask, whether in these circumstances there are anyother real possibilities to arrange life long learning but to resort to working life itself. As it is, thispotential is used only in a very limited degree, to say the least.As the responsibilities and empowerment <strong>of</strong> workers necessarily increase in this environment <strong>of</strong>information and innovation economy, one might expect a sad future for managers. Are they neededin the long run? Not really in the most conventional meaning <strong>of</strong> management. It is obvious that thecoaching approach <strong>of</strong> management will be emphasised even further. Less and less directions canbe given to players as how to skate or handle the hockey stick. The managers will more and morebe faced with the need to combine the mystic dimensions <strong>of</strong> leadership to coaching behaviour. Thiswill no doubt mean that managers will need to resort to such new wonders as personal balancesheets and intellectual capital. Such a capital has necessarily human nature which makes it evenmore evasive and difficult to handle than old time hardware and currencies. It is a challengingjob to foster environment where explicit and tacit knowledge steadily promote innovation. This ishardly possible without research and research based development work at work place level.I have stressed innovation as a target <strong>of</strong> knowledge based work. Without steady innovation flowthere is little hope <strong>of</strong> such a competitive edge that will keep customers happy. For a long time it hasbeen evident that the prerequisite <strong>of</strong> innovation in the grand and minute scale is well functioninginteraction and co-operation between the concerned individuals and organisations. That is evenmore emphasised as the knowledge content <strong>of</strong> work As it is we have already become dependenton the net. Manuel Castells talks about being connected. This connection is needed for thetransfer <strong>of</strong> data or information and it is <strong>of</strong> cause kin to much more impressive neurone networkin human brain. In a modest way the technical and social net resembles the miracle <strong>of</strong> the myriad<strong>of</strong> connections in the brain <strong>of</strong> each individual. The e-work, which we have discussed in ourconference, reflects the same model, only in a much more simple and schematic manner. In wellfunctioninge-work the technical net and the social net are firmly linked to each other. This idea <strong>of</strong>being connected is present already in telework, a feature that is demonstrated even more obviouslyby e-work.