Managers in motion by Gemma Garen, Ellisons Solicitors
This article was originally featured as a column in the October issue of LPM. To read the issue in full, download LPM.
Innovation sometimes emerges through revolution, but most of the time it comes from evolution. Against the backdrop of innovative technological revolutions, SME law firms have evolved their working practices – and one such evolution is the growing adoption of hotdesking. Although it’s far from being universally accepted, hotdesking is steadily gaining momentum in SME legal and forming part of the mainstream response to competitive cost pressures.
But beyond mere cost-saving and agile scaling benefits, hotdesking can be a platform for effective innovation. I, for example, use hotdesking to practise ‘management in motion’ – a set of values and practices that encourages business leaders to move about the business. Becoming a more mobile manager through hotdesking has considerable benefits, including sharpening leaders’ overview of the business so they can identify trends and avoid traps of complacency. Hotdesking is an example of a simple and effective technique for leaders to stay moving and connect with business needs.
So, why is managing on the move a good thing for SME law firms? Two recent case studies of my success with managment in motion are illustrative of its key benefits. The first is that because I’ve elected to have no designated desk I spend my time in the office working among different teams in different branches – Ellisons personnel are now used to my daily ‘hunt’ for a desk to sit on. Over time, a growing confidence has grown among employees to reach out to me with concerns or innovative ideas. They feel that I have a meaningful connection to the issues they raise because by hotdesking I’ve immersed myself in the day-to-day ‘current affairs’ of their working lives. Secretaries and other support staff, in particular, are often overlooked by management as fountains of knowledge, and consequently shy away from expressing innovative ideas. But because I spend some of my time with them, I have meaningful conversations and I’m in a position to listen to their ideas.
Examples of their proactive ideas range from the merely stylistic (better cutlery in the office kitchen) to meaningful and substantive improvements to the firm’s working practices (clever mnemonics for our internal compliance and filing systems, for example). Most importantly, while going through a period of rapid expansion, our support staff are more engaged and happy to point out blind spots in our change programmes.
The second key benefit of management in motion is that by keeping on the move I have an unparalleled opportunity to identify hidden talent within the business. For example, by hotdesking in the office of an incredibly efficient fee earner, I discovered that he was a ‘diamond in the rough’. As such, I recommended that his leadership skills be nurtured much earlier than initially intended. Accordingly, his overall contribution to the business is increasing and he’s now leading a team and going beyond merely fee earning.
Encouraging SME management leaders to practise techniques of management in motion through the medium of hotdesking can strengthen the firm’s ability to innovate and take advantage of the continuing and countless evolutions in our industry.
