Office Work Is a Dead Horse
"When you discover you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount." This saying, attributed to the Dakota people, has been making the rounds on LinkedIn lately. And clearly it is striking a chord, as a series of drawings I created and shared to illustrate the idea garnered just under a million views, over 5,000 reactions and 1,400 reshares.
So what exactly is the Dead Horse Theory and why does it speak to so many people?
The Dead Horse Theory
The Dead Horse Theory describes a situation where a problem has become insoluble to the point that it is better to start fresh, with a new approach rather than continuing to pursue the old solution.
While the exact origin of the Dead Horse Theory is unknown, it's likely some management consultants developed it as a way to describe a common challenge in managing projects and solutions. The theory provides a useful framework for thinking about when it's time to abandon a failing solution and start fresh with a new approach.
Based on my 25 years of experience in consulting, the Dead Horse Theory deeply resonates with me. Throughout my career, I have worked with a diverse range of companies and organizations. And unfortunately, I have observed many instances where they poured money into initiatives, products and solutions that they knew had already failed or where there was convincing evidence of their failure. Perhaps they were afraid of implementing the "dismount the horse" strategy, which they might have deemed risky to their career. Instead, they found other tactics, such as postponing deadlines, to distance themselves from the issue.
Related Article: Deciding to Decide
Evidence That Office Work Is a Dead Horse
There is an ongoing debate regarding remote work and the merits of flexible working conditions versus the traditional 9-to-5 office work model. Regardless of which side you are on, it is evident that the traditional office work is a dead horse. In reality, it had died long before the pandemic. However, the pandemic brought this fact into sharp focus. How do I know? Well, there is compelling evidence:
- Technology has evolved to allow a vast number of employees worldwide to work from any location of their choice.
- Numerous studies, including Gallup, demonstrate the higher levels of engagement among employees with flexible work arrangements. As Gallup concluded in a recent study: "Engagement is highest among fully remote workers — and lowest for fully on-site workers who can perform at least a portion of their job from home." The inability to control one's working conditions is the leading cause of workplace stress. It's no surprise that most employees wished to continue with remote work to some extent even after the pandemic.
- Productivity soared when the pandemic necessitated remote work. What is perhaps even more interesting, productivity seems to have declined when companies started to mandate their staff to return to the office after the pandemic.
- A Gartner study published in June 2022 showed that offering flexibility in terms of location almost doubles the probability of an employee wishing to stay, halves stress and doubles performance capabilities. On the other hand, if the entire work model was altered to encourage more mindful cooperation and empathetic leadership, the likelihood of an employee wanting to stay tripled, stress decreased by a factor of three, and performance quadrupled.
Furthermore, there are several business economic benefits to remote work, including lower office expenses, access to a broader talent pool, a reduced carbon footprint due to less commuting, and less time wasted on traveling. These are not mere opinions or preferences, but well-supported facts.
Related Article: The Values and Limitations of Returning to the Office
Why Do Some Employers Get Back on the Dead Horse?
The decisions by some employers to mandate a return to office after the pandemic are often based on a lack of trust, a lack of experience or skills to manage remote work, and the desire to establish a sense of control. In times of uncertainty, it's natural to want to take control of what can be controlled, even if it's not the best solution.
Learning Opportunities
Unfortunately, this approach is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If top management doesn't trust employees, employees won't trust each other. This leads to a culture of control rather than a culture of trust. The lack of trust doesn't just erode engagement and productivity, it also confirms that control is the solution, and returning to the office is just one way to exert that control. Digital surveillance is another way that can lead to further erosion of trust and employee engagement. Ultimately, this approach can stifle innovation and lead to missed opportunities.
Just look at the sheer amount and variety of strategies companies use to bring employees back to the office. If that doesn't convince you that office work is a dead horse, I don't know what will.
Here are a few approaches that spring to mind (do any of them sound familiar to you?):
- Mandate everyone back to the office.
- Loosen the leash a bit by introducing a policy that tells employees they don’t have to go to the office every day of the week.
- Present remote work as an employee benefit (so that employees should be happy to get the benefit) rather than as a business opportunity.
- If you are part of the management, convince yourself and others that you cannot build culture or innovate while working remotely, hence implying everyone should be at the office unless they want to erode the culture and stifle innovation.
- Make use of the coming economic downturn to scare employees back to the office (subtext: you will loose your job if you don't show your face at the office).
Related Article: Is Responsible Employee Surveillance Possible?
We Need to Dismount the Horse and Fix the Core Problem
To be clear, I am not saying the office has no use. I’m just saying that the idea that work needs to be carried out at an office, or that the office is the foundation for knowledge work, is wrong. We all know digital technology has changed that. We don’t need to go to an office to access the tools, resources and people we need to do our work. We can access those things from devices. The thing we need to fix to take work and business to the next level has little to do with technology. It’s trust that is broken, and it needs urgently to be fixed.
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About the Author
Oscar Berg is an accomplished author, speaker and strategist who has dedicated his career to helping organizations navigate the complex world of digital transformation. With a background in computer science and business, Berg brings a unique perspective to the field of digital strategy, blending technical expertise with business acumen to help organizations thrive in the digital age. He has over 25 years of experience consulting organizations including IKEA, H&M and Volvo with their digital strategies.
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