The out of office experience part deux

It’s been six months now – decision making in higher education organizations takes a long time – and the results are in: It’s a mixed experience. On the one hand the freedom to work where I wanted was enjoyable and being involved helped me be less remote from my team. It made me much less territorial (but I wasn’t very much to start with) – yet it confused some coworkers, who may have thought I wasn’t willing to work from my little pseudo desk in the main office. And as a matter of fact – it was often bothersome. On the other hand to run a department you sometimes need time to think and make decisions – that was almost impossible. I was certainly more accessible to staff and students – yet I was much more involved in issues I shouldn’t have been involved in. I strongly believe in delegation – but when you’re right there, being ‘hands on’ turns quickly into micro management. The lesson is: I like working flexibly – I write this while I’m on a train – yet for a stationary department in an institution which doesn’t define itself as such, a desk and an office are the way to go. I shall greatly appreciate it when our office is redeveloped and I get time to think – in my own office.

May 17th, 2011 by