CONTENTS1. STRESS -NEW WAYS OF WORKING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.1 WHATISSTRESS? . . . . . ..__.........__................................................................................................ 21.2 STRESS AT WORK . ..____.....,..___..............,.......,,.......................................................................... 21.3 IMPORTANCE OF STRESS _...___.,,,._____...................................................................................... 3

2. NEW WAYS OF WORKING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

2.1 THE CHANGING BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT .._____...,........_.................................................. 72.2 LEARNING ORGANISATIONS . ..___........__................................................................................ 8

22.1 Business drivers for Iearning organisation initiatives., .__ ,._.______., ._. .., _. _._..._.._ . . . . . . 102.2.2 Techniques and tools used in learning organisations _____..._____._..,......,................................ IO2.2.3 Constrain!_v and barriers to becoming a learning organisation . . . . . . .._................................ I2

2.3 HOT-DESKlNG . . . ..___........____..................................................................................................... 132.3. I Business drivers for hot-desking initiatives . ..__.__._..._._...........,............................................ I42.3.2 Techniques and tools used to suppon hot-d-king andflexible working initiatives........... I52.3.3 Constraints and barriers to hot-desking initiatives ,._.........__...,,,........................................ 16

2.4 NEW WAYS OF WORKING: BUSINESS CASE . ..______....,_.__,................................................. 17

3. STUDY METHOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

3.1 STAGE 1: SAMPLING, DEVELOPMENT OF MATERIALS AND INITIAL ANALYSIS... 193.2 STAGE 2: RESEARCH AND DATA GATHERING .___,.,.,..__,...,_............................................ 263.3 STAGE 3: ANALYSIS _.___...,...___...........,,.................................................................................. 273.4 STAGE 4: REPORTING AND RECOMMENDATIONS ,,,___._..._..____....................................... 29

4. FINDINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

4.1 sTREss/ARousAL - LBARNING ORGANISATION _.,..___._.,._._____....................................... 3 14.1.1 TheLeamingInitiative .,,,,_.___..._.....,............................................................................ 3 24.1.2 The ControI Group . . . . . .._____....._..,.........,.......,,.,.....................,.,........................................... 354.1.3 Sti-esandArot,salDatn _...._..___......,...............,.......,...........................................................36

4.2 S’lRESS/ANXJSAL - HOT-DESKING .._.......___.,.,..........................,,.....,........................... . 374.2.1 The hot-desking environment ..______.........,........,........................................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374.2.2 Stress and Arousal Darn .._____._......._....... I _____......___..____............................... .,...__.___.........., 39

4.3 WORK ENVIRONMENT FACTORS __......___........_,.................................................................. 404.3.1 Learning Organisation .,.______.._._..,.,..................,............................................................... ..414.3.2 Hot-desk@ Organrration _..,,._...___.._.___...........,.................,,,.............................................. 43

5. ORGANISATIONAL DATA AND RESEARCH NORMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

5.1 LEARNING ORGANISATION DATA __...______....._._...................,............................................. 455.2 HOT-DESKING ORGANISATION DATA _..,.,_._......,.............................................................. 465.3 NORMATIVE DATA FROM RESEARCH PROJECTS ______...____...,,........................................ 48

6. BUSINESS PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

6.1 BALANCED SCORECARD ____._..,,..________.,....................................,.......................................... 536.2 CHANGE MANAGEMENT __..__..._______..,,,......,,,.......................,,.,............................................ 566.3 BENEFITS REALISATION ,,,.____...._..__._..........,........,,.............................................................. 586.4 REQUIRED DEVELOPMENTS IN BUSINESS PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT 616.5 SUMMARY .__..,...____.,....................,...........,...........................,.......,,.......................................... 62

7. DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

7.1 STRESS AND AROUSAL FINDINGS ____..,._______.,.__................................................................. 637.2 WORK ENVIRONMENT ISSUES ,..__._,.,,..__...............,............................................................ 647 3 PARTICIPATING ORGANISAHONS . . . . . ..__.......____............... 657 4 SURVEY RESPONDENTS 65

7 5 ORGANISATIONAL MEASURES ................................... .657.6 FUTURE AREAS OF RESEARCH........................................................................................... 677.7 RECOMMENDATIONS: .......................................................................................................... 67

8. REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................... 71

9. APPENDIX A.................................................................................................................................. 75

9.1 STRESS AROUSAL CBECKLIST ........................................................................................... 759.2 WORK ENVIRONMENT CHECKLIST ................................................................................... 769.3 SAMPLE COVERING LETTER. .............................................................................................. 779.4 RESEARCH NOTE. .................................................................................................................. 78

LIST OF TABLES

Table l- Workdays lost through mental disorder and cardio-vascular disorder .................... .6Table 2 - Questions used in the Work Environment Questionnaire.. .................................... 22Table 3 - Phase 1 participants.. .............................................................................................. 23Table 4 - Phase 2 participants.. .............................................................................................. 24Table 5 - Sampling procedures for the survey.. ..................................................................... 24Table 6 - Survey response rates.. .......................................................................................... .27Table 7 Learning organisation stress results ......................................................................... 36Table 8 Learning organisation arousal results....................................................................... 36Table 9 Hot-desking organisation stress results.. .................................................................. 39Table 10 Hot-de&rig organisation arousal results ............................................................... 39Table 11 Transpositions carried out on work environment questionnaire responses.. ....... ..4 0Table 12 Work environment questionnaire results (learning organisation). ......................... 40Table 13 Work environment questionnaire results (hot-desking organisation) .................... 41Table 14 Individual work environment question response for the learning organisation

condition ....................................................................................................................... .42Table 15 Individual work environment question response for the hot-desking condition....4 3Table 16 Measures from learning organisation employee satisfaction survey .................... .46Table 17 Results from hot-desking organisation performance measurement study.. ......... ..4 7Table 18 Results from hot-desking organisation’s employee satisfaction survey.. ............ ..4 8Table 19 Normative data for the stress factor ...................................................................... .49Table 20 Normative data for the arousal factor ..................................................................... 49Table 2 I Norming sample - age groups.. ............................................................................... 50Table 22 Norming sample - vocation profile ........................................................................ 50Table 23 Norming sample - status profile ............................................................................. 50

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1- Individual and organisational effects of stress (adapted from multiple sources) 4Figure 2 - Person-Environment Fit (adapted from Furnham 81 Walsh 1991) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Figure 3 - Objectives, changes and requirements of a learning organisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Figure 4 - Objectives changes and requirements for hot-desking ._....................................... 13Figure 5 - Triangulation of data from the strands of the research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Figure 6 Organisation chart showing the relationship between the participating business

units _......._.....__................................................................................................................ 32Figure 7 The learning initiative __....___........................................................................,........... 32Figure 8 Measuring Learning and Growth _......_.....___............................................................ 55Figure 9 Example approach to Benefits Reahsation (Wentworth Research, 1998) 60