Team managers try to trace underperformance to its origins by evaluating the track record of other teams using the same engine supplier, write David Clough and Henning Piezunk

Clough, David

Piezunka, Henning

English

LSE Research Online

The tangled relationship between performance and suppliers: lessons from Formula 1LSE Research Online URL for this paper: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/104644/Version: Published VersionOnline resource:Clough, David and Piezunka, Henning (2020) The tangled relationship between performance and suppliers: lessons from Formula 1. LSE Business Review (17 Apr2020). Blog Entry. lseresearchonline@lse.ac.ukhttps://eprints.lse.ac.uk/ ReuseItems deposited in LSE Research Online are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved unless indicated otherwise. They may be downloaded and/or printed for private study, or other acts as permitted by national copyright laws. The publisher or other rights holders may allow further reproduction and re-use of the full text version. This is indicated by the licence information on the LSE Research Online record for the item.How	to	‘go	virtual’	as	efficiently	and	painlessly	aspossibleDigital	technologies	have	given	rise	to	“new	ways	of	working”	(e.g.	remote	working,	virtual	teams)	which	comewith	their	unique	benefits	and	challenges.	These	new	ways	of	working	are	known	for	the	increased	flexibility	theyoffer	to	both	the	employer	and	the	employee,	the	reduction	of	transportation	costs	and	commuting	times,	as	well	asfor	providing	the	conditions	for	creativity	and	innovation	by,	for	example,	enabling	access	to	geographically	distanttalent	and	expertise.	However,	these	benefits	come	with	unprecedented	challenges,	and	workers	need	to	have	thenecessary	skills	to	come	to	grips	with	them	in	an	effective	and	timely	manner.At	present,	the	COVID-19	pandemic	urges	organisations	around	the	globe	to	“go	virtual”	from	one	day	to	the	nextwithout	the	required	preparations	for	such	changes.	The	following	practices	can	help	organisations	transform	theiroperations	as	efficiently	and	painlessly	as	possible:Maintaining	a	social	context:	Workers	transitioning	from	the	“traditional”	to	the	“virtual”	have	the	benefit	of	sharinga	work	history	within	an	established	social	context.	Knowing	your	colleagues	face-to-face	increases	the	levels	oftrust;	a	prerequisite	for	effective	digital	collaboration.	In	the	digital	environment,	it	has	been	found	that	people	focustoo	much	on	work	tasks,	underplaying	the	importance	of	social	interactions.	Today’s	technologies	(e.g.synchronous	technologies,	social	media)	promote	socialisation	within	and	beyond	the	work	environment.Consequently,	virtual	workers	should	not	restrict	themselves	to	work	tasks,	but	they	should	place	equal	emphasison	social	aspects	of	work	in	order	to	mitigate	the	lack	of	informal	forms	of	socialisation	that	typically	take	place	inface-to-face	environments.Tip:	Start	your	Skype	meeting	with	an	informal	chat	over	coffee,	focusing	on	non-work	issues,	as	this	may	reducethe	perceived	geographical	distance	between	workers!LSE Business Review: How to ‘go virtual’ as efficiently and painlessly as possible Page 1 of 4		Date originally posted: 2020-04-16Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessreview/2020/04/16/how-to-go-virtual-as-efficiently-and-painlessly-as-possible/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessreview/Selecting	the	right	technologies:	Zoom,	Microsoft	Teams,Dropbox	are	some	of	the	numerous	technologies	that	have	beendeveloped	to	support	different	types	of	digital	work.	Some	aresynchronous	in	nature,	allowing	for	real-time	communication(e.g.	Skype),	while	others	are	asynchronous	(e.g.	Dropbox)	andhave	been	primarily	designed	for	storing,	visibility,	and	sharingpurposes	using	cloud	computing.	Though	synchronouscommunication	might	feel	more	natural,	it	may	not	always	be	theright	tool,	nor	is	it	sustainable	to	be	on	lengthy	Skype	meetingsfor	all	types	of	tasks.Tip:	Select	the	most	appropriate	technology	for	each	type	oftask;	for	example,	a	synchronous	chat	on	Skype	could	work	bestfor	sharing	ideas,	whereas	sharing	files	in	an	asynchronousonline	space	may	be	best	for	filing	purposes!	The	audio	andvideo	functions	offered	by	modern	synchronous	technologiescan	mitigate	the	negative	effects	associated	with	the	lack	ofphysical	proximity.	Further,	make	sure	that	everyone	knows	howto	use	the	selected	technologies!Adopting	alternative	(e-)leadership	styles:	It	has	been	found	that	leadership	in	the	digital	context	takes	differentforms:Centred	leadership:	This	leadership	style	is	commonly	found	in	traditional	(physically	collocated)	workingenvironments,	whereby	one	person	has	the	overall	responsibility	for	a	project	from	start	to	end.	In	digitalenvironments,	a	centred	leader	often	coexists	with	another	type	of	leadership,	such	as	the	ones	presentedbelow.Emergent	leadership:	Although	an	appointed	leader	may	already	be	in	place,	in	a	digital	environment	we	seepeople	emerge	as	leaders	during	the	lifecycle	of	a	project,	either	to	step	in	and	help	with	an	unexpected	task,or	because	they	have	expertise	in	a	specific	aspect	of	the	project.	It	is	important	to	allow	and	encouragecolleagues	to	emerge	as	leaders,	although	they	may	not	have	been	formally	appointed	as	leaders	upfront.Shared	leadership:	Due	to	the	geographical	dispersion	characterising	digital	work,	we	often	see	that	differentindividuals	lead	different	stages	or	different	aspects	of	the	project.	This	is	often	due	to	their	specific	area	ofexpertise	and	it	is	usually	successive	in	nature,	with	one	leader	handing	over	the	baton	to	another	persononce	they	have	completed	their	task.Co-leadership:	While	shared	leadership	is	successive	in	character,	co-leadership	is	a	leadership	stylewhereby	two	or	more	teammates	assume	the	responsibility	for	two	different	tasks	(or	components	of	theproject)	at	the	same	time.	Therefore,	co-leadership	is	simultaneous,	rather	than	successive.Tip:	We	have	to	be	open	to	new	leadership	styles	that	may	be	different	from	those	found	in	traditionalenvironments.	The	above	styles	may	work	on	their	own	or	in	combination	with	one	another.	For	example,	a	projectmay	have	a	centred	leader	who	is	responsible	for	the	administrative	aspects	of	the	project,	alongside	other	leaders(appointed	or	emergent)	at	different	stages	or	simultaneously	for	different	tasks	of	the	project.LSE Business Review: How to ‘go virtual’ as efficiently and painlessly as possible Page 2 of 4		Date originally posted: 2020-04-16Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessreview/2020/04/16/how-to-go-virtual-as-efficiently-and-painlessly-as-possible/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessreview/Creating	new	work-life	boundaries:	We	often	make	the	mistake	ofletting	our	work	life	penetrate	our	non-work	life	(e.g.	personal	life,family	life,	social	life)	when	working	from	home.	While,	on	the	onehand,	digital	technologies	allow	us	to	work	anytime/anywhere,	weoften	find	ourselves	in	paradoxical	situations	whereby	we	end	upworking	everywhere/all	the	time.	As	a	result,	frequent	problemswhen	working	from	home	include	extended	working	hours	andreduced	wellbeing	for	ourselves	and	our	families.	Althoughsmartphones	and	tablets	blur	the	boundaries	between	work	andnon-work,	it	is	essential	that	we	somehow	restore	those	boundariesin	the	context	of	remote	working.	There	are	four	different	ways	wecan	achieve	that:Deciding	where	to	work:	Although	this	may	not	always	be	possibleif	our	homes	have	not	been	designed	to	have	a	space	dedicated	towork,	it	might	make	sense	to	designate	a	specific	space	in	ourhomes	within	which	we	can	conduct	our	work.	It	is	important	that	weestablish	rules	preventing	us	from	working	outside	that	space.Deciding	when	to	work:	One	of	the	benefits	of	working	from	homeis	that	we	may	be	able	to	work	at	our	own	pace,	defining	ourselvesthe	timeframe	within	which	we	will	be	working.	For	example,	an	8-hour	working	day	can	be	non-consecutive,	with	5	hours	of	work	in	the	morning	and	3	hours	in	the	evening,	inline	with	family	responsibilities	and	personal	preference.Deactivation	or	silencing	of	notifications:	Working	from	home	does	not	mean	that	we	should	always	beavailable	to	respond	to	work	queries.	Receiving	constant	work-related	notifications	on	our	mobile	devices	maydisturb	our	non-work	life	(and	that	of	the	people	we	live	with),	reducing	our	sense	of	wellbeing	and	ultimatelynegatively	impacting	our	overall	performance	when	that	is	most	needed;	during	our	working	day,	that	is.	Fullydeactivating	all	work-related	notifications	(e.g.	our	work	emails)	on	our	personal	devices	–	or	using	separatedevices	for	work	and	non-work	altogether	–	may	help	to	achieve	better	management	of	the	boundary	betweenwork	and	non-work	in	the	digital	context.Different	devices	for	different	purposes:	Working	from	home	does	not	mean	that	we	should	be	using	ourpersonal	devices	–	originally	meant	for	individual	use	–	for	work	purposes.	Using,	for	instance,	a	work	laptopfor	work	purposes	may	help	us	establish	another	boundary	whereby	–	by	switching	off	the	work	laptop	–	weessentially	put	an	end	to	our	working	day,	preventing	it	from	penetrating	our	non-work	life.Tip:	Think	what	kind	of	boundary	you	feel	more	comfortable	with	and	–	most	importantly	–	stick	to	your	decision!♣♣♣Notes:This	blog	post	expresses	the	views	of	its	author(s),	not	the	position	of	LSE	Business	Review	or	the	LondonSchool	of	Economics.Illustrations	by	Camille	Aubry,	NOT	under	Creative	Commons.	All	Rights	Reserved.	Featured	image	by	Ben	Kolde	on	UnsplashWhen	you	leave	a	comment,	you’re	agreeing	to	our	Comment	PolicyPetros	Chamakiotis	is	an	associate	professor	of	management	at	ESCP	Business	School	in	Madridand	the	chair	of	the	IFIP	WG	9.5	‘Our	Digital	Lives’.	He	holds	a	PhD	from	the	University	of	Bath	andhe	was	earlier	with	the	University	of	Sussex	and	Royal	Holloway,	University	of	London.	His	researchinterests	include	new	ways	of	(digital/virtual)	working,	the	role	of	technology	in	emergencies	(refugeecrises,	pandemics),	the	management	of	connectivity,	and	the	social	value	ofdigital	health	platforms.	Twitter:	@petros_cham		LSE Business Review: How to ‘go virtual’ as efficiently and painlessly as possible Page 3 of 4		Date originally posted: 2020-04-16Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessreview/2020/04/16/how-to-go-virtual-as-efficiently-and-painlessly-as-possible/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessreview/LSE Business Review: How to ‘go virtual’ as efficiently and painlessly as possible Page 4 of 4		Date originally posted: 2020-04-16Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessreview/2020/04/16/how-to-go-virtual-as-efficiently-and-painlessly-as-possible/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessreview/

The tangled relationship between performance and suppliers: lessons from Formula 1

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The tangled relationship between performance and suppliers: lessons from Formula 1

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