Work Without Walls: An Executive’s Guide to Attention Management, Productivity, and the Future of Work

Summary

Knowledge work is changing the business landscape. Are you ready?

The competitive work environment seems to require 24/7 communications, perpetually changing priorities, and constant distractions. Yet high quality knowledge work requires the thoughtful application of wisdom, experience, and brain power. Executives must manage these conflicting realities, while protecting knowledge workers (and themselves!) from stress and burn-out.

Today’s “always-on” work culture actually prevents you and your team from producing what really matters: ideas, innovation, and meaningful results.

According to Maura Thomas in Work Without Walls, “[in the knowledge economy,] the most important individual and corporate resources are neither time nor money, but body and mind.” Her research and over twenty years of experience in the productivity field confirm that relationships and productivity suffer when people are stressed, and that greater employee happiness creates success and productivity, and is essential to deliver great customer experiences.

Author Maura Thomas describes how to intentionally create a workplace culture that nurtures creativity and improves productivity by getting intentional about:

• Work-life balance
• Holistic well-being
• Significant results
• Attention management vs. time management
• Effective communication strategies
• Office design that supports both collaborative and focused work
• Vacation and downtime
• Off-site work with healthy boundaries

Each chapter provides personal shifts and organizational changes through specific action items you can implement now to support the well-being and long-term success of you, your team, and your organization.

It IS possible to create a thriving organization that provides exceptional customer experiences, while also offering a high-quality employee experience. In fact, it’s not only possible, it’s critical. But it requires intention. Without it, instead of maximizing performance, you leave individual and organizational productivity to chance.