First up - some terminology.

Create a productivity workflow that works for the team by enabling asymmetric and asynchronous collaboration

asymmetric | Making different contributions towards a project based upon our contribution value

asynchronous| Collaborating at different times when we are each individually most productive

Figuring out that part of things is easy, but now we need to break down our work along two axes: place and time

Geographically, our physical location is getting most of the spotlight lately. For the first time in our careers, many of us began to work from home. This single move opened up the opportunity to work at different times, depending upon the type of work and our most productive times. Let's look at some types of work we do, the key drivers, and the time and place needs that each involves

and how they're affected.

Strategic thinking |

A critical driver of productivity for this role is focus. Planners often need to work undisturbed for stretches of at least three hours in order to, for example, gather market information and develop business plans. The axis that best enables focus is time—specifically, asynchronous time.

Team management |

Here the critical driver of productivity is coordination. Managers need to regularly communicate in-the-moment feedback with team members. They need to engage in conversation and debate, share best practices, and mentor and coach those on their team. The axis most likely to encourage this aspect of productivity is once again time—but in this case, the time needs to be synchronous.

Product innovator |

For this role, the critical driver is cooperation. But now the important axis is place. Innovation is stimulated by face-to-face contact with colleagues, associates, and clients, who generate ideas in all sorts of ways: by brainstorming in small groups, bumping into one another in the hallways, striking up conversations between meetings, attending group sessions. This kind of cooperation is fostered most effectively in a shared location—an office or a creative hub where employees have the chance to get to know one another and socialize.

Marketing management |

Productivity in this role—indeed, in most roles—requires sustained energy. Both time and place can play a role here. As we’ve learned during the pandemic, many people find being at home energizing, because they are freed from the burden of long commutes, they can take time out during the day to exercise and walk, they can eat more healthily, and they can spend more time with their families

Now that we've taken a pass at things based upon the type of work (the modality of work), let's find some overarching principles which apply to them all: