I've been researching and writing about 'Green' practices and corporate strategies like telework and telepresence for some time now. It's good to see AT&T take a position on how the network can help companies address their challenges. The chapter on Telepresence and the advertising agency's CEO's perspective on why they were culturally dead-set against it, shows that the real hurdles to making Telepresence (and other personal productivity choices) work are emotional, expectations-driven and historical.
At a conference I was at last month, where I spoke on 'Bridging the Cultural Gap to Telepresence Adoption', it felt like it was the same issue with the QWERTY keyboard. We know the Dvorak keyboard is more efficient and introduces fewer errors, but nobody knows Dvorak. Having customers take the lead, and ask their vendors to do telepresence instead of lengthy in-person meetings is one of the major ways we can get over that cultural hurdle.
In non-US cultures, there is much cultural resistance to audio conference calls too. Suppliers feel that a face-to-face is a sign of respect for customers, and customers feel that it is recognition of their importance to the supplier that they travel to meet them.
Excellent points, Peter.
Reminds me of about 10 to 15 years ago when I was writing an advertorial, and the customer insisted that we needed to meet in person. Wasn't cost effective (for them), but I got a neat trip to Paris out of it. (Really!)
In all seriousness, I think this is a case where we can't overlook the social side of the equation. Interestingly, though, through anecdotal analysis, there don't seem to be "hard and fast" rules that we can apply to any given demographic.
Perhaps the most impressive development over the past 25 years that I've been primarily "teleworking" is the availability of tools that we have today. Particularly with respect tools like collaboration, I wonder how we ever got by without them. (I know... Fed Ex and fax machines.)
While we've been giving "lip service" to the issue and talking about the use of the network for reducing carbon emissions, etc., for several years, I hope that this is becoming an even more "top of mind" issue in light of the recent coal mine tragedy in West Virginia and the on-going issues with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
The particularly important aspect of this paper is that it's *not* just touchy-feely "Let's Save the Environment" fluff. Rather, it takes an objective, analytical approach, and include extensive end-notes to substantiate and document the claims made in the paper.
This is a "must read" paper not only for your network, but also for the future of our environment.
As always, I welcome your further discussion and feedback.