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Managing in the Email Office
To our respective parents Barbara and Cecil, Joyce and Harry
Managing in the Email Office
Monica E. Seeley Gerard N. Hargreaves
Butterworth-Heinemann An imprint of Elsevier Science Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP 200 Wheeler Road, Burlington, MA 01803 First published 2003 Copyright © 2003, Monica E. Seeley and Gerard N. Hargreaves. All rights reserved The right of Monica E. Seeley and Gerard N. Hargreaves to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 Illustrations © Grant Springford, 2003
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright holder except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London, England W1T 4LP. Applications for the copyright holder's written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the publisher
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 0 7506 5698 0 For information on all Butterworth-Heinemann publications visit our website at www.bh.com Composition by Genesis Typesetting, Rochester, Kent Printed and bound in Great Britain
5 Ways to reduce information overload 1.Contents Computer Weekly Professional Series Foreword Preface Acknowledgements Part One – Managing your email before it manages you 1 Taking control of your inbox 1.2 The picture of me painted by my inbox 2.4 Case history – Joe Fielding (high noise/low information) 2.6 Case history – Ronnie Sutton (low noise/high information) xi xiii xv xxi 1 3 3 5 8 10 13 15 16 16 17 18 21 24 27 2 .3 Case history – Pat Hodgson (low noise/low information) 2.6 Summary What your inbox says about you 2.5 Case history – Justin Watson (high noise/high information) 2.1 Introduction 1.3 What do we really mean by information overload? 1.1 Introduction 2.2 Exploding the myths of size and time 1.4 Who's making demands on my inbox and creating a noise? 1.
8 Summary Auditing your inbox 6.2 What is email IT fitness? 3.1 Introduction 6.7 2.1 Introduction 4.1 Introduction 3.2 The email IT fitness checklist 4.6 The winning IT fitness mind – self-assessment exercise 5.4 Picking the right resource for me 5.2 How the email office causes stress 7.3 Scoring 4.4 Case histories 3.5 The winning email IT fitness mind 5.4 Symptoms of stress – the downward slope 7.5 Summary Boosting your email IT fitness 5.4 Nuances and subtleties across different environments 4.3 Sources of help 5.2 The game plan 5.1 Introduction 7.5 Summary 4 5 6 7 vi .Contents 2.2 The QSPER process 6.3 What is stress? 7.4 Summary Managing stress in the email office 7.8 3 What your inbox says about you – self-assessment exercise Summary 30 31 33 33 34 35 37 47 49 50 50 50 54 54 57 59 59 60 63 66 67 68 71 74 75 75 76 85 88 89 89 89 90 92 95 Email IT fitness 3. Operations Director. government agency 6.7 Maintaining peak performance 5.3 Case history – David.5 Bronze to gold – key differences 3.3 Levels of email IT fitness 3.1 Introduction 5.6 Summary Assessing your email IT fitness 4.
3 Do you need to access your email on the move? 10.4 Case histories 10.1 Introduction 10.8 Summary Email on the move: a necessity or an option? 10.4 What are the key elements to be included in an email policy? 9.1 Introduction 9.10 Summary 97 101 101 102 104 105 106 107 108 110 112 113 115 115 116 117 118 122 123 126 128 129 129 131 133 134 136 137 137 138 144 145 152 153 156 vii 9 Communicating in the email office 9.8 Owner drivers 8.3 8.1 8.5 people one inbox: working with your PA Introduction Three options for working with your PA Working with your PA: self-assessment exercise Overall assessment How effectively are you and your PA managing your inbox? 8.7 Named drivers 8.Contents Part Two – You and your team in the email office 8 Two 8.3 11.5 Implementing the organization's email policy 9.6 Writing a good email 9.2 The case for email on the move 10.5 Summary – what's best for me? Ways 11.2 11.2 8.9 Two people.6 11.4 11.7 to access your email on the move Introduction Range of devices Handling your emails Connectivity Security In reality – case histories Summary 10 11 .3 Case study 9.2 When is it not appropriate to communicate by email? 9. one set of archives 8.7 Case study of an email policy taken from a public sector organization 9.4 8.5 11.6 The chauffered approach 8.1 11.
3 16.Contents Part Three – The corporate perspective 12 Organizational fingerprints in the inbox 12.1 Introduction 14.3 The picture of the organization painted by use of email 12.1 16.2 16.2 Corporate decision making 14.4 Comparisons 12.5 Is your organization at risk? 15.1 The Nine Ps of Email Best Practice 17.3 Issues 15.5 Summary The 13.1 Introduction 12.5 of creating email best practice Introduction Heading for email best practice Lessons from other organizations Keys to success Summary 15 16 17 The email citizen's charter for best practice 17.3 The impact of email on decision making 14.1 Introduction 15.2 13.2 Words about culture 12.4 16.2 Email management technology 15.3 13.4 Summary Technology to manage corporate email traffic 15.5 13.6 email gender gap Introduction The differences What does this tell us? How macho are you about email? How can we work together even better? Summary 159 165 165 166 167 175 177 178 178 179 182 184 186 187 188 188 189 191 194 195 195 196 201 202 204 205 206 206 208 216 218 219 220 221 221 13 14 Decision making in the email office 14.1 13.4 13.4 Benefits 15.2 How well does it work? viii .6 Summary Ways 16.
3 What about the actual technology to access and process email in whatever form? 18.Contents 18 The inbox of the future 18. as we know it now? 18.4 In the context of electronic communications what business skills do you see as being important for the future? 18.5 Summary 222 223 223 224 224 225 227 229 Bibliography Index ix .2 How are IBM planning to help people be more effective email users? 18.1 Will there still be email.
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One of the key objectives of the series is to reduce the time it takes for leading edge management ideas to move from the academic and consulting environments into the hands of the IT practitioner. Thus keeping abreast of what is going on is really a major task. This book is also relevant to both the IT professional and the business user of IT systems. Aspiring or already established authors are invited to get in touch with me directly if they would like to be published in this series. The Butterworth-Heinemann – Computer Weekly Professional Series has been created to assist IS executives keep up to date with the management ideas and issues of which they need to be aware. but also ideas about the actual management of the IS function are being continuously modified.Computer Weekly Professional Series There are few professions which require as much continuous updating as that of the IS executive. Where appropriate some books are supported by CD-ROM or by additional information or templates located on the Web. This series provides IT professionals with an opportunity to build up a bookcase of easily accessible.uk . Dr Dan Remenyi Series Editor dan.remenyi@mcil. Thus this series employs appropriate technology to speed up the publishing process.co. Not only does the hardware and software scene change relentlessly. updated and changed. but detailed information on the important issues that they need to be aware of to successfully perform their jobs.
USA Arthur Money. Technical University of Delft. Trinity College Dublin Ross Bentley. Harding University. Johannesburg Other titles in the Series Corporate politics for IT managers: how to get streetwise Delivering IT and e-business value eBusiness implementation eBusiness strategies for virtual organizations The effective measurement and management of IT costs and benefits ERP: the implementation cycle A hacker's guide to project management How to become a successful IT consultant How to manage the IT helpdesk Information warfare: corporate attack and defence in a digital world IT investment – making a business case Knowledge management – a blueprint for delivery Make or break issues in IT management Making IT count Network security Prince 2: a practical handbook The project manager's toolkit Reinventing the IT department Understanding the Internet xii . Visiting Professor. UK David Taylor. Management Editor. UK Terry White. Arkansas. MCIL. The Netherlands Ann Brown. The Australian National University Reet Cronk. CERTUS.Computer Weekly Professional Series Series Editor Dan Remenyi. Henley Management College. Trinity College Dublin Advisory Board Frank Bannister. BentleyWest. Computer Weekly Egon Berghout. City University Business School. UK Sue Nugus. London Roger Clark.
Is this really necessary? Far better to talk to a competitor than risk a leak of sensitive information to that same competitor by using a laptop in an open area. We all need to take stock of when and how we use email – it's too easy to get addicted to your inbox and not really think about whether it is the most appropriate or productive method of communication in the circumstance. Indeed. email makes it easy to retain. anywhere in the world at any time. How often have you fired off an email response when picking up the phone might have worked better? How many times have you seen a businessman or woman waiting in a busy airport with their earpiece in. become a hindrance rather than a help in business. Taking time to read this book will be repaid many times over. I strongly feel that there is a time and a place for it. copy or discard a record. easyJet . This runs the risk of devaluing the medium either through overuse or by generating resistance to its use – both of which could impair a company's operations. However.Foreword Over the past ten years email has become a vital element of our business and personal lives and few of us could now operate without it. In addition. for most organizations it is the primary method of communication because of its speed and the ability to send almost any size of information. like any other form of communication. through excessive use. Email needs to be properly managed by both individuals and companies or it could. Chairman. Like any other aspect of management the effective use of IT requires continuous learning and the updating of skills. apparently madly talking to themselves while tapping away on their laptop sending emails and ignoring all around them. Sir Colin Chandler.
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For some this can even be as high as one every three minutes. five days a week to 24 × 7 × 365 and the growth in usage of computer technology at home. . There are now over 8 million households in Britain with web access and over 120 internet service providers in Britain. It is only in the last ten years though that emails have become such an integral part of our lives. The peak daily level is reached late afternoon and early evening. This reflects partly the changing work environment from a traditional nine to five. representing a 20 per cent growth of internet traffic in recent months alone. Email is growing at a rapid rate and the number of person-to-person emails sent on an average day is predicted to exceed 36 billion worldwide in 2005. Little wonder. when you realize that on average we all receive one new email every 15 minutes of the normal working day. The first ever email was sent in 1971. The equivalent of 360 000 emails are sent every second in Britain today.Preface Why read this book? This book will show you not only how to survive in the email office but how to come out winning. Email is now one of the top ten causes of work-related stress.
Among those of you in senior positions. This will lead you to use email more successfully. just a look at the content of an inbox and how the owner manages (or does not manage) that inbox reveals a great deal about both the person and the organization they work for.Preface Yet despite the havoc it causes to many people's carefully planned working day and total work–life balance. Nonetheless. email is a powerful enabler. email now touches the lives of nearly everyone who works. Regardless of whether you handle your own email or delegate tasks. while others will delegate that task to a personal assistant (or secretary). which in turn will increase both your personal productivity and that of your organization. you may have responsibility for ensuring email is used properly as part of the overall corporate communications strategy and is in keeping with the image of the company. some will handle their own inbox. Your inbox is a fingerprint of you as a manager and of your organization's culture. It transforms not only the work we do but also the way we do it. even if you are not a frequent direct user yourself. The extent to which it has invaded our lives depends on many factors. However. Know yourself and your organization and you can learn to take control of your inbox. Figure i Managing your inbox before it manages you xvi . from a receptionist in a small company to the chairman of a large multinational corporation. as a member of the top management team. Many people feel their inbox has spiralled out of control and that it now manages them rather than the other way around.
having established the role model for how a well-respected email citizen behaves. as a whole. Fostering and engendering a similar change among your immediate team can provide a further 10 to 15 per cent efficiency . you need to improve your personal effectiveness as an email user and become a good email citizen. The first two stages are evolutionary as you are essentially in control certainly of your own destiny and to some degree that of your team (or department). division or the organization as a whole. whereas at the corporate level you may be looking at a fundamental change in perceptions and behaviours. Creating email best practice across the organization. Improving your own personal email management techniques will result in at least a 25 per cent efficiency gain.Preface Winning the battle with email and containing the shower of new emails is a three-stage process as shown in Figure i. Second. This is achieved mainly through the savings in people's time spent dealing with email and the hardware resources needed to process and store all the emails. finding information and receiving just the email you need – no more no less. putting across your message. You should see a further reduction in the volume of email traffic in and out of your inbox. you need to work towards changing the overall corporate attitude towards email and the way it is used. is therefore often the hardest part but it will add at least another 25 per cent gain in efficiency and resource allocation. That is to say. Stages 1 and 2 generally require some small change to existing management processes and they may require you to rethink how you work and communicate with your immediate team members. Email is often just the wallpaper covering up much deeper organizational problems and mismatches between the espoused values and those in practice and especially openness. Third. to adopt similar principles of best practice. First. This will be in terms of time saved using email and by being right first time. you need to influence those you work most closely with. Who is the book for? This book is for those who are constantly trying to protect themselves from the torrential downpour of new and often unwanted email and those who have responsibility for how email is used across a team. xvii .
be more productive using email. communicate more expediently by email. all sizes of organizations from a micro-organization of one to two people to small to medium size enterprises (SMEs) and large FTSE 100 organizations. private sector. professional organizations such as accountants and lawyers. stop email disrupting your work–life balance. engineering and research. identify ways to use email to support your preferred working style. customer service. decrease the number of emails you handle. sales. academic institutes and charities. from chief executive to receptionist. pubic sector. logistics. reduce the information overload stress factor. sector. What you learn will prevent you from being so buried by your email that you lose sight of your business strategy. Using email effectively depends on you knowing what you want to achieve as an individual and what you want to achieve for your organization. for example. personnel.Preface The principles of email best practice are independent of organizational size. all levels of technical expertise (from beginners to very experienced users) and working with all types of email software and systems. xviii . Therefore this book is for users from: all levels in the organization. The contents of this book are designed to help you: save time dealing with your inbox. all functions of the organization such as marketing. develop quicker ways to share and manage information using email. systems in use and position. They are independent of the technology you have in place. What will you gain from reading this book? This book is about how to leverage the power of email as a business management tool. set the role model for being a good email citizen. information technology. Why? Because many of the ways to leverage email as a management tool are basically grounded in sound management practices. all sectors.
most chapters contain case histories and some self-assessment exercises and instruments. Part One – Managing your email before it manages you This will provide you with ways to improve your own personal techniques for managing your inbox. enhance the way you and your secretary handle your inbox. which reflect this model. This book is in three parts. Structure of this book Taking control of the inbox and exploiting the potential power of email is a three-stage process as outlined.Preface create best practice within your immediate team. This includes an email citizens charter which is a set of nine suggested guidelines for what we believe comprises the hallmark of personal email best practice from a behavioural and management perspective. To gain the maximum value from reading each chapter you should work your way though these exercises. It closes with a look at how we might be working with email in the future. whether as a two-person team of manager and PA or a larger team. subsidiary. It covers how to manage yourself as an email user and how to use the technology to do so. Part Three – The corporate perspective This part focuses on what to do to establish best practice across a complete organization. Part Two – You and your team in the email office This is about how to work email and your inbox as a management tool for working more effectively as a team. establish best practice across the organization. They are designed to help you identify strengths and weaknesses as an xix . How can I gain the maximum value from reading this book In addition to the core content. or the corporation as a whole. be that a division.
These can be used as personal reminders to help you as you master and implement the relevant parts of the book on your journey to becoming a better email user. xx . Each chapter finishes with a summary and often a quick reference guide in the form of quick tips and hints.Preface email user and hence where and how you could develop your skills to improve yourself (or your team and organization as appropriate).
Rebecca George and Dave Snowden of IBM. Thank you for the challenge.Acknowledgements This book could not have been written without the help of the many executives who opened up their inboxes (and often their hearts) to us to talk about how they managed their email. to Grant Springford for all the illustrations which he did in his spare time for the love of email and art. Simon Peach of Executive Lifestyle Computing. Some of the initial impetus for this work came from Sir Michael Bichard who asked the question 'how can I reduce the volume of email . Steve Dobson of Giga (for providing us with key briefing papers). Writing this book was a team effort. Thank you for sharing with us your highs and lows and the delights and the frustrations of using email. All authors need a helping hand and someone who believes in them. We are eternally grateful to Lorna Campbell for acting as a model team manager being gentle but firm and editing each chapter to ensure that there was continuity. Part of the research for this book was undertaken by students at the Business School. We thank John Riley and Ross Bentley of Computer Weekly for their inspiration and persuading us to take the plunge. and to Susan . We are most grateful to the many expert users who provided us with ideas and insights into the world of managing by email and especially Lynn Clarke of Lafarge Aggregates. and Carmel Swann of the Department for Education and Skills. . . Kerstin Reiners of Clearswift.'. Will Brown of Telecom One. Brian Sutton of Ufi/learndirect. Imperial College London: we appreciate Professor David Targett's insightful guidance and those who carried out the research on our behalves.
now we are clicking and sending notes as fast as our fingers can race across the keyboard .Acknowledgements Oakes of the London Mathematical Society for providing us with a meeting room and an endless supply of coffee. Walt Disney Financial Times. . Chairman. . Michael Eisner. read and re-read before sealing and mailing. 2 May 2000 xxii . Like Queen Victoria we can use the written word to express ourselves articulately and with more authority. considered. Unlike the old days when a letter was carefully written. and to our excellent editors Mike Cash and Jennifer Wilkinson of Butterworth-Heinemann for their patience and support.
Whether this is right or wrong is another matter. benchmark your level of email IT fitness and email management style. Taking control of your inbox and learning to manage it rather than letting it manage your life at work and away from work involves a combination of sound personal management practices and appropriate level of email IT fitness (that is. People have different ways of coping with it [the red tidal wave of new email] but I've found that you do have to have a mechanism for filtering your mail or else you go bonkers. It is about knowing what information you really need. Part One is about you as an individual user. . It will look at what you alone can do to surf the tidal wave of new email and in particular it will help you to: measure the level of email overload to which you are subjected. competence and confidence with the technology). I get down a screen of red email and I go down and I can see immediately the third I don't need to deal with . international computer services organization This quote typifies how many users feel about email. feeling secure and not worrying about having all the 'nice to know' stuff. . I don't even think about it. Director. Business Division.Part One Managing your email before it manages you I find that I automatically filter my emails. and properly managing the time you spend dealing with your email. . Some people feel they cannot even take a holiday without checking their email at some point.
You cannot expect others to behave as good email users if you behave badly and either shower them with unwanted emails or ignore those you receive. recognize what might be your strengths and weaknesses as an email user. and to use email more productively. learn how to reduce and manage the stress associated with email and information overload.Managing in the Email Office appreciate how your use of email and the volume of email you receive relates directly to your preferred pattern of work and style of management. 2 . time and energy dealing with email. This part of the book contains a selection of self-assessment exercises to help you benchmark how well you personally manage your inbox. be aware of what aspects of the use of email you can control and where you need to influence other people's email behaviour. audit your inbox to identify how you could reduce the volume of emails you receive. There are tips and hints on how to improve in order to save yourself and others. Successfully and efficiently making email work for you as a business communications and knowledge management tool truly embodies the principle of 'doing unto others as you would be done by'. develop your strengths and overcome your weaknesses as an email user.
1 Introduction The two questions. This may . For example.1 Taking control of your inbox How can I reduce the volume of email I handle each day? Do I need to change the way others use emails with me? How can I take control of my inbox rather than it controlling me? 1. if you decide to stop smoking. Perhaps you have chosen to manage your time better. you will need 'a little help from your friends' and from your colleagues. regardless of why. and what that behaviour constitutes it will have some form of ripple effect on those around you. are: 'How can I reduce the tidal wave of email I receive each day?' 'Why do I feel as if my inbox is managing me – what can I do?' The solution to both questions requires some simple but firm changes. most frequently asked of us. you may be grumpy en route to achieving your goal. When you decide to change your behaviour. To paraphrase that famous song.
One aspect of this is evidenced by employers who now implement strict rules for deleting email. Few even realize that part of the problem lies not with the individual but with the corporate culture and how information and management are perceived. organizational skills and vigilant workplace policy.5. Email has become the DNA of communications and to some extent knowledge management. Keeping email under control requires a careful balance of common sense. This includes both your immediate team (and/or department) and the organization as a whole. there will be an organization-wide training and development strategy and protocols designed to handle any resulting new process. Yet. It provides a more reliable way to measure email overload. This chapter explodes some common myths associated with the size of your inbox and the time you need to spend dealing with it. very few organizations ensure this valuable resource is used wisely. when a company decides to improve its quality control processes. Yet. Similarly. Everyone is playing 'cover my backside'.Managing in the Email Office mean changing the time you have available for different people. Many organizations talk about having an apolitical culture where trust is the byword and that its workforce is empowered. the full extent of your success will also depend in part on how others you work with use email. Reducing the tidal wave of incoming emails depends not only on how you manage your inbox but also on getting your colleagues to act responsibly. a cursory look at a sample of their middle manager's inboxes will reveal a high percentage of copied (cc'd) emails. This is because the manager is still seen as the hub and the ultimate controller of power. However. page 4 . It gives you an overview and the Mesmo three-stage model (three steps to effective personal email management – Figure 1. When an organization decides to effect a change in how it and its employees behave there is usually a corporate change management programme and initiative. A large part of the solution lies in your own hands in terms of you becoming a better email citizen. This not only helps employees but also saves the company spiralling data storage costs and offers legal protection. The same applies to reducing the volume of email you handle each day. So to make real headway with your inbox you need to make sure your company and colleagues are involved.
which shows you how you can reduce the time spent dealing with your inbox without suffering any loss of information or ability to communicate effectively.1 So you think you have a bulging inbox? What constitutes a high volume of email traffic? For one manager this might mean 25 incoming emails per day and for another it could be 125. 1. it highlights the opposite. Figure 1.1 shows the average number of emails received by a group of ten managers (whom we studied) each from different organizations which range from a medium sized PR company to Figure 1.2. as he actively encourages people to talk and use the intranet to share information rather than email. the global span of your responsibilities and your organization's heavy dependence on email. a more effective communicator and save yourself time. notably Fridays.2 Exploding the myths of size and time 1. when ministers clear the decks for the weekend.Taking control of your inbox 14). Take control of your inbox and encourage others to do the same and you can quickly become better informed. On the other hand one managing director of an international software house feels he is overwhelmed if he receives more than about 15 emails a day.1 A day in the life of an executive's inbox 5 . It is not unusual for a senior director in a government agency to receive an average of 120 emails at certain points in the week. Indeed. You might be the European operations director of a large technology company and receive about 100 emails a day because of the nature of your job.
This certainly begs the question about who else is sending all that email? What is always fascinating is the gap between perceptions and reality. While the average number of received emails was 68. The number of sent items is generally about a third of what is received.7 Title Director European operation Managing director Managing director Vice president marketing Manager public relations – EMEA European operations director IT director Chief technology officer General manager Director Organization International software solutions company Public relations company Public relations company International software development organization International telecommunications organization International technology hardware manufacturer Automobile parts manufacturer Telecommunications organization International software and services supplier Government agency the director of a division of a major government agency as summarized in Table 1. 6 .1 A typical day in the life of an executive's inbox Executive A B C D E F G H I J Average Volume 49 55 115 50 40 98 50 75 25 120 67. this masked terrific swings from the general manager (I) who only received 25 to the senior director of the division of government agency (J) who received 120. guess what you think is the average throughput for your inbox.1. Most people have a tendency to overestimate the number of emails they receive. Now take a more object measurement and actually count the number received and sent. Without looking at your inbox.Managing in the Email Office Table 1.
briefings. probably.e. thinking of it as a sign that they must be really busy and important. Most are people asking can I do this and me saying yes or no. i. Before we look at this all-important ratio and explore just exactly what is influencing the traffic let's explode one other major myth about handling your inbox – the time it takes. The trouble with comparisons and measures of time is that although it's very comforting to know that you are within striking distance of your peers. they really are only comfort blankets. Please. We all. don't misread us. Others are operational information. The DTI recently found that people spend on average 49 minutes per day working with emails. employment sort of things. Of course those who are good email citizens will know that what really counts is the ratio of noise to information. being asked to make 7 . Number received although there is evidence to Number sent yesterday suggest that men are more How does it compare to those in likely than women to boast our study? How do you feel this compares to about the size of their inbox. government agency I receive about 50 emails a day.Taking control of your inbox To some extent therefore comparisons are meaningless.2 Are you spending too long on email? Comparison of time spent handling email is another of those mythical nonsensical yardsticks that is bandied around and used to make people feel really depressed. Then there is personnel – i. head of personnel. Your inbox traffic 1. spend far too long clicking the keys of our PC firing off emails and in effect engaging our fingers before our brain.e. But what takes the most time is the day-to-day projects (I am involved in six). One group would be about being informed – updates on projects I am interested in.2. Four or five will require going away and proper thinking to draw up a proper reply. Lisa. and your role and organization. In reality the time someone else spends on her inbox tells you nothing about whether that same time is correct for you. Spending one to two hours might be nearer the mark for some and indeed quite proper for their job: I get 60 or so emails in a day. others in your organization/ Some senior executives division? almost boast about the size of their inbox and the quantity of daily emails they receive.
Stephen. Stevie Smith (1975) 'Not Waving but Drowning' You wake up on Monday knowing you still have a hangover of at least 60 unread emails from last week. 1. 1. 8 . business development manager. international software supplier The time you spend dealing with your inbox will depend on the volume of emails. What you need to think about is how can you personally save time or invoke the help of others to help you save time.3 What do we really mean by information overload? Nobody heard him. How do you know if you have email overload? The number of emails and the time spent dealing with them is not in itself an effective measure. asking others to make decisions. Whereas others get by in short sharp bursts of no more than an hour at the end of the day. By the time you arrive at your office the red tidal wave of unopened emails will probably be washing over you. the dead man. Some managers can easily find themselves spending up to three hours per night dealing with it in addition to time spent in the office handling the really urgent ones. A more realistic measure is what we call information to noise ratio.3 Busting the time myth Don't stress yourself out by trying to calibrate yourself against others.Managing in the Email Office decisions. The week hasn't even begun and already you feel like that character from the famous Stevie Smith poem. 'Not Waving but Drowning'. All this is interspersed with conference calls or one-to-one telephone calls then an email that confirms what went on.2. but more fundamentally the nature and complexity of the emails. Being aware of who and what is causing the congestion in your inbox will help you reduce the volume and time you spend dealing with your inbox. But still he lay moaning: I was much further out than you thought And not waving but drowning.
Noise is those emails you receive which are of no interest or importance to you. Yes. by improving your decision making you are better informed about your market place and your team's work. They are the emails that form an essential part of your daily diet of killer information which helps you perform your job (whether you are part of a formal corporate team or selfemployed but working with others). They enable you to perform your role more effectively.Taking control of your inbox 1. That is.3. They are the emails which linger at the bottom of your inbox. An audit of one quite typical senior executive revealed that of 160 emails over 45 per cent were information with no sell-by date (see Figure 1. trivial extraneous messages about which you have little or no interest. You may wonder why you have been sent it in the first place and proceed to bin without hesitation. 9 . unsorted and maybe even unread.3. They include junk mail.2 Noise and information Noisy emails are the ones which you either flick open or even go straight past.2). This means the email was sent to him with no specific time by which he needed to read it – therefore most was unread and would be deleted. and so on. What we call email overload is the point when your inbox starts to contain a high percentage of noise to information.1 Information to noise ratio What is undisputable is that most people's inboxes contain far too much noise. A more precise scale of email overload is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1. For example. data not information. irrelevant. e-newsletters which have lost their appeal and ones from colleagues who just sent you the email because they felt you really ought to know what they were doing and talking about. enhancing your relationship with your clients. Information. by contrast. helping you manage a project. is represented by the emails you feel add value to your executive lifestyle and modus operandi.
3 The inbox information overload scale This is the true measure of email overload. machine? Or stopping to read what percentage do you think is a newspaper or even phoning noise? someone? With a high level of Who and how is all this noise being generated and how can you noise the temptation is to turn redress the balance? away from these richer and possibly more rewarding sources of rejuvenation to stay glued to the shallow. When your inbox contains more than 30 per cent noise (regardless of the overall volume of email) that is when you will start to feel email overload. especially if it is a hard thought-provoking task. We all need some distractions in life.Managing in the Email Office Figure 1. which could be better used. the problem with the noisy inbox is that it is in all probability consuming precious energy and time. What you should be thinking about therefore is how to redress the balance (assuming there is an inbalance). The volume of traffic through your inbox will be a reflection of: you and your personal work habits (dictated to some degree by factors such as your role. Remember those old fashioned chats we all used to have around the coffee Think about your current inbox. For many the noise in their inbox just represents a light-hearted break. when what you need to run your business is low noise and high information. It is impossible for most of us to stay focused on one piece of work all day.4. 10 . My inbox and the ratio of noise to information 1. information needs and management style). which leads to information overload and stress. as shown in Figure 1. faceless world of our inbox. Sadly. However. many managers' inboxes contain a diet of low information and high noise.4 Who's making demands on my inbox and creating a noise? The volume of traffic in your inbox will depend on a number of interrelated factors.
4 Who's making demands on my inbox? how your team perceives email should be used.Taking control of your inbox Figure 1. communications patterns and information needs. as indicated in the introduction. 11 . and these will influence how you use IT in general. 1.1 You and your executive lifestyle No two managers will ever perform the same job in an identical manner. We all have different management styles.) The first person making demands on your inbox is you. We will explore these briefly and revisit them in more detail in Chapter 12. (See Seeley (2000) for a review of the relationship between executive lifestyle and use of the PC. relationships that we value.4. These are the attributes that comprise your executive lifestyle. the organizational culture with respect to email. Are you the sort of manager who like to micro-manage and be involved to a lesser or greater degree in every project? Or do you prefer to stand back and delegate and make space for others to shine through? How extensive is your network of contacts? How well do you work that network? Are you very selective about what you read. and more specifically email. roles. or are you an information junkie drinking in any news that is available? The answer to all these questions (and others about how you manage) will affect the size of your inbox and the time it takes you to manage it.
e. What you have to do is systemically deter any unwanted aphides to have a healthy plant.4. tempering the temptation to rush to the inbox instead of talking and last but not least. For example. If you work either on your own or are part of a team. We are not talking about typical junk mail but rather all those emails members of your team send you because they think you want or need to see them. For example. You must do the same with email. not surprisingly. as you will see there are several common sense tactics you can employ to help yourself.Managing in the Email Office Ways to save time depending on your executive lifestyle are discussed in Chapters 2 and 3. from a small group to an entire department for which you are the manager. managing your time better. They do it because there has been no word or order to the contrary and they are 'protecting their backs'. you need to destroy their eggs before they can even hatch. Cries of despair and deleting mountains of unwanted email are rather like cutting off the leaves on a rose that has been blighted by greenfly. very few actually provide clear guidelines of the email behaviour they want members of their team to exhibit. So it's hardly a surprise that email floods the communications systems and people are drowning in noise 12 . To a large extent. do you want to be copied in on all dialogues relating to all projects? Whether you are managing an entire business division or a small team. 1. it is taken to imply those with whom you work directly. 1. However.3 The organizational culture It is surprising how few organizations proactively promote email best practice and have clear well-established standards and guidelines. have you stated what you see as acceptable protocols for using email? Managers often talk about the amount of emails they receive that they do not want and then have to spend time deleting them. making the time to audit your inbox to identify what you really need and what is irrelevant.4. i.2 Your team's perception of email The word team is used here to encompass all those for who you have overall management responsibility. However. your management and communications style will dictate how people communicate with you through email. They complain that a large proportion of their inbox is the result of the excessive use of 'reply all' and the 'cc' box.
Ruth Daniel. For example. Uncertainty during a takeover bid or restructuring can cause the inbox to start to bulge. prevailing structure (e. By telling everyone you hope you have probably told the right person. levels of uncertainty within the organization (due to change. inboxes are likely to have a high level of cc'd mail which for some may constitute simply noise. intranets and personal portals). in a bureaucracy. task. bureaucracy or people based). as we will see. And similarly a push information culture will drive up the throughput. The question now is how can you reduce any email overload and save time dealing with your inbox? 1. This is the initial stage over which you have 13 . as Ruth explains: There is a feeling that everyone needs to tell everyone what they are doing because they don't understand what everyone else is doing and who is responsible for what. redundancies). other available information sharing systems (e. mergers. head of human resources. international business services organization Chapter 12 contains a more detailed discussion on how to spot these deviations and deal with them. power. organization's prevailing corporate culture.g. i.5 Ways to reduce information overload Gaining control of your inbox and learning to surf the tidal wave of new emails is a three-stage process as outlined in the preface in Figure i.e. At this stage the key point is to note that the enormity of traffic though your personal inbox will be determined by a combination of these three factors.Taking control of your inbox rather than information. Moreover.g. team's preconceptions about you and email. namely your: executive lifestyle. aspects of the organizational culture can also affect the flow of emails such as: information culture (pushing information out rather than an individual pulling information to him or her as needed).
Step 2 – Ensure you are using the full potential of the technology.5. All email software has a number of built-in time-saving features and functions. If you improve your personal techniques for managing email (steps 1 and 2) you can expect to see a 10 to 20 per cent gain in efficiency and correspondingly reduce any email overload.Managing in the Email Office Figure 1. Step 1 is to ensure you are managing yourself effectively in terms of the time you spend handling your inbox. Step 3 – Audit the noise to information level of your inbox. This is the hard part as we all have this innate fear that we might just miss something of importance. If you then audit your inbox to evaluate the ratio of noise to 14 . The question is are you working at the right level of email IT fitness to operate the software to maximum capacity? Step 3 is about being ruthless and auditing your inbox to decide just what it is you really need to receive. As illustrated in Figure 1. Have you prioritized where email fits in your day and what priority you place on which emails? Are you a good email citizen who is able to manage their inbox efficiently and use email to work productively with others? Step 2 is to make sure you leverage the full power of the email software to match your email management style. this is a simple three-step process to effective email management: Step 1 – Check you are managing your email time effectively.5 The Mesmo model for effective personal email management total and absolute control.
6 Summary The only real measure of whether you are suffering true email overload is to measure the percentage of noise in your inbox. you must first improve your level of email IT fitness and your personal management processes. 15 . 1. If you want to reduce the volume of traffic through your inbox. The last step is changing or at least establishing adequate organizational processes and procedures and these are discussed in Part Three. Having done this the next way to gain an improvement and further reduce any information overload is to reassess how you use email within your team. Then (or at the same time) audit your inbox to determine the ratio of noise to information.Taking control of your inbox information you will see a further improvement of about 15 to 25 per cent.
work–life balance. ethical values. At the macro level your inbox echoes the ethos of the organization and especially its: style of management. approach to flexible working and work–life balance. information needs. On the micro scale it reflects your: management style. use of technology. value and culture of information management. .1 Introduction To a large extent your inbox is a fingerprint of both you and your organization's culture.2 What your inbox says about you Is there a correlation between the content of my inbox and my information needs? How does the content of my inbox reflect my management style? What does the content of my inbox say about my communications preferences? 2. patterns of work. acknowledge how your weaknesses might work against you when managing your inbox and cost you time and create stress. In this chapter we will build upon the foundations laid out in Chapter 1 and explore how you can attune your preferred executive lifestyle (modus operandi) to: build on your personal strengths to help manage your inbox more efficiently and save time. communications preferences. communications processes and preferences.
Figure 2. We will look at how you can develop some personal management protocols to help you manage more effectively in the world of email (Step 1 of the Mesmo model of better email management). along with the way you handle the incumbent email.2 The picture of me painted by my inbox Most people's inbox fall into one of the four quadrants of the noise to information matrix shown in Figure 2.What your inbox says about you The relationship with the corporate culture is dealt with in Chapter 12. those with a high level of noise and information are often email addicts. In this chapter the focus is on you and your management lifestyle. They place a high value on face-to-face communications and are often not very good with IT to the point of being almost technophobic. For example. In contrast those who have a low noise–low information inbox often have a more planned and relaxed management style. gives a snapshot of your overall working habits. 2.1 Typical management styles and the noise to information matrix 17 . As indicated this.1. They often take a scattergun approach to communications and may be poor in general at managing their time and at identifying just what information they really need for their job.
He is known to be somewhat long-winded and one of his colleagues describes his style as 'Why use two words when you can use twenty'. which IT insisted on connecting to the office network.Managing in the Email Office We will look at a typical day in the life a person whose inbox represents each one of the quadrants to see: what it tells us about that type of inbox.3. Once Pat gets into the office.3 Case history – Pat Hodgson (low noise/low information) 2. His favourite lament is: 'Do I have to do everything myself?' He is fearful of delegating too much and really would prefer. He's never worked out how to use the CD changer so that remains unused. Pat likes to take his time and enjoy life. decisions are rarely made without a lot of deliberation. if time permitted. sits on a spare desk in the corner of the office. While Pat is happy giving general direction. how you could save some time and work smarter with email. focus is the key thing. On arrival in the office Pat spends some time chatting to the secretary and other members of the team under the guise of a daily briefing. Pat has never been a fan of the computer and regrets the day email arrived in the office. The car has a good radio/CD player and the relaxed drive to work is time well spent keeping abreast of world events by listening to the news. The main desk is full of important paperwork. His computer.1 Pat – the pen Pat begins the day in a very leisurely fashion helping to get the children up and taking time to sit down for breakfast with the family. to do everything himself. Pat likes to allow plenty of time to get to the office. unless his kids load his favourite music up for him. Powers of concentration are impressive and Pat's eye for detail sometimes borders on the fanatical. How can you do this effectively without talking things through face to face or at least a telephone call? He really enjoys meetings but if Pat is in charge they can go on. an in-tray. pending tray 18 . 2.
personally leaving it to the secretary to print off important messages and leave them on the desk. having to go through his secretary first.' Business trips and time away from the office have always been precious for Pat. He has had plenty of opportunity to learn but it has become something of a point of principal. Booking a meeting with Pat can be a long process. One day he must change . Pat does secretly worry that he is getting left behind as business becomes reliant on technology.2 What is revealed about Pat's executive lifestyle? Management style A relaxed and open style of management Sometimes procrastinates Engenders calm and trust among his team and subordinates Popular to a point 19 . It has become a standing joke in the office that Pat rarely opens emails. 'It wouldn't happen if they kept to paper copies.3. In addition to a reluctance to use email Pat rarely uses PowerPoint for his presentations or the electronic diary system.' Pat is a popular boss and colleague but his refusal to embrace the world of technology frustrates them. Pat will use the mobile phone and is meticulous at returning calls. Pat has tried but he finds it so impersonal that he would only open emails once or twice a week. . This is thinking time. Pat gets frustrated that most of the messages seem to be from people copying his name on every thing. There are too many reports of stressed executives taking their laptops and mobile phones on holiday for Pat to even contemplate this. . The line is drawn on holidays though. 'We are a people business and that's the best way to communicate. Pat refuses to allow technology to be the driving force and gets very frustrated at people who cannot be bothered to walk across the office or along the corridor to talk to colleagues personally rather than always sending emails.What your inbox says about you and an outbox plus a pile of unread magazines and journals. Holidays are a time for the family and the phone stays switched off. He just can't believe that people need to spend hours every day sending and receiving emails when in many cases a quick phone call or meeting with all parties concerned would solve the issue. but where to start? 2.
Pat should start to cultivate using email for the short non-equivocal communications.3.g. e. no top manager has missed out on promotion because they don't use email. A compromise might be needed.Managing in the Email Office Information needs Not always clear about what information he really needs Finds it hard to throw away old papers and magazines IT fitness Bronze level – slightly technophobic Likes paper Depends on his secretary to handle his inbox Communications patterns Prefers face-to-face communications. e. However. It will mean that his emails will be properly worded (no typos. He is right to believe that it is the people that count. He should increase his personal level of email IT fitness.3 How could Pat make email add more value to his work life? First and foremost Pat should try to recast his thinking about email and the use of an electronic calendar. email shorthand or staccato messages from Pat). and his staff will need to recognize that just because he is on-line doesn't mean they will be replied to any more quickly. but his disdain for email may be causing his team as much stress as the person who overuses it. His ability to concentrate means he should find it easy to allocate specific times in the day when he will deal with his email. this means that it will take him far longer to send an email than is necessary. Pat's eye for detail could be a double-edged sword.g. meetings Meetings can be unstructured Discussions may be verbose and rambling Work–life balance Home life is important A firm believer in disconnecting from the world of work when on leave 2. To date. but increasingly it is becoming an 20 . saying yes or no to a request. booking a meeting. This would help him feel more comfortable with the technology in general.
Joe has a 45-minute train commute which gives time to fire off responses to overnight emails from the New York office.What your inbox says about you unwritten rule that you can use email and especially as more and more companies operate in the 7 × 24 × 365 space. which he has every intention of reading but rarely does. Breakfast is snatched from the toaster on the way out the door. Many are cc's. Being the first in the office. This has caused embarrassment on several occasions when colleagues assumed Joe to be up to speed on a project. he has a coffee and finishes the overnight emails. This effect is amplified by his constant use of upper case and exclamation marks. particularly for those in overseas offices. Joe believes in 'crisp' emails often replying with a simple yes or no. the busier the office'. you will not be surprised to learn that his sent box is even bigger. It is not unusual for Joe to receive 100 emails a day. Joe is known by colleagues as 'an email junkie'. Most responses are a swift yes or no. Brevity and speed are key to Joe's communications. However. He is a busy man. However. Joe hates long 'waffley' emails – more than four lines and he loses concentration. Joe likes to be in the know and insists on being copied in on all the departmental activities. Joe hates hanging around when there is work to be done.4. 2. snappy email but to them seemed rude and aggressive. The longer Pat leaves it to join the world of email the harder he will find it to embrace as part of his modus operandi – he might just be jeopardizing his future career prospects. time is key. he has to get his email 'fix' and dips in and out of his email all day long. Joe really believes that the number of emails you receive reflects your importance.4 Case history – Joe Fielding (high noise/low information) 2. Anything more complicated waits in the inbox until later. both verbal and electronic. He is always in a rush and everything is done at a run. 'The bigger the inbox. Joe has upset colleagues with what he thought was a short. Joe is too busy for 21 . This style often appears brusque to his colleagues.1Joe – the email junkie Joe is up and out of the house in 15 or 20 minutes depending on whether ironed clothes can be found. is one of Joe's many mottos.
Although he delegates work he prefers to chase and check progress and now he can do this with daily (even hourly) emails. They would like him to indicate the priority of the work. When there isn't time to switch on the laptop. At least they get a response. This will speed up the process especially when Joe is away on business trips. On occasions they would really like more information and even detail on what and when they are supposed to be doing something.Managing in the Email Office niceties. trains. He is not the most trusting of managers and his constant hovering style of management causes a lot of stress in his team. he can send a text message. 'If they don't like it. After all. Not any more! Boring meetings. airport lounges and holidays lasting more than two days are all an opportunity for Joe to 'zap a few more emails'.4.2 What is revealed about Joe's executive lifestyle? Management style Always in a hurry Micromanages – likes to know exactly what is going on and uses email to manage Can create stress for those around him Places more emphasis on things rather than people A brusque style of management and communications 22 . It is thought that Joe has an 'allergy' to the phone as he far prefers to email or simultaneously 'instant message' his colleagues – his latest way to 'talk' to them and check instantly how they are doing. which he delegates fast and furiously by email. tough! I haven't got time to pussyfoot about. we live in a 24 hour global economy now! 2. Joe rarely goes anywhere without the laptop and is testing a new piece of real time software. Joe takes pride in an instant response and much to their frustration expects nothing less from colleagues. Over the years Joe has collected a bag full of cables and connections for every eventuality around the world. sending emails saves him having to have lots of pointless meetings and long conversations with colleagues and clients. This goes on every overseas trip – holidays included. From Joe's point of view. Joe's colleagues used to look forward to him being away on business trips or holidays as this gave them some peace.' This can cause frustration and resentment from colleagues. the back of a taxi.
he should place and leave each email in the 'draft box' for at least one hour before he sends it. If needs be. people-centred approach to management and communications in general. Indeed. He should try to limit the number of emails he sends per day and actively seek opportunities to use other methods of communication (e.What your inbox says about you Information needs Likes to feel he has all the key information he needs at his fingertips but rarely uses it Finds it hard to prioritize and rarely files any emails which makes it hard for him to find old ones Thinks he is well informed when in reality information overload means he is probably unenlightened IT fitness Gold level A poor role model of email citizenship Wonders how anyone functioned before the arrival of the PC and email Communications patterns Prefers email to most other forms of communications Likes short sharp communications and has little time for the pleasantries that help create relationships Gives little thought to how others might interpret what he writes Work–life balance Finds it hard to switch off when on leave and email is the perfect foil for him to keep in touch with the office and keep the adrenaline flowing 2.4. First and foremost Joe should start to engage his brain before he sends another email.g.3 How could Joe make email add more value to his work life? Joe's snappy almost 'shooting from the hip' approach to email is symptomatic of his general style of management. he might need to go on a management course to help adopt a more planned. the phone). 23 . This will be hard.
5. he fails miserably in his office and study at home which features piles of printouts and trays full of trade journals still in their plastic wrappers all waiting to be read – one day. missives from Justin. but hardly essential.5 Case history – Justin Watson (high noise/high information) 2. Sadly many of Justin's emails go unopened as most people in the office are struggling to handle the important ones without the many 'nice to know'.1 Justin – just on-line Justin loves information and all the new technology and gadgets available to him make it easy to get everything he may need. Justin thrives on information and has pride in keeping everyone up to date. He should ask his colleagues to put his name in the 'To' rather than 'cc' address box if action is required from him. Still Justin has become 24 .) It's no wonder he has little time for reading because as well as his work he is usually testing the latest piece of hardware or a software package for the company. It might enhance the professional image his boss has of him and improve his chances of promotion! 2. (However. Interesting emails are forwarded to colleagues and relevant information from the web is sent out to all who may be interested in the first of many emails for the day. Justin believes that having the latest information at your fingertips is essential in business. The day begins with a quick scan of the emails that have arrived during the night followed by a check of the market conditions on the web. He will also reduce the risk of unknowingly upsetting others and begin to become better informed about what is really going on around him. He should then tell people and ask to be removed from the cc lists of emails he really never reads. This makes it easier to read on the train journey to the office and supports the corporate philosophy of the 'paperless office'. He starts the day by downloading the newspaper onto the latest handheld computer. In this way Joe will decrease the noise level and save himself time dealing with email.Managing in the Email Office He should consider what information he really needs from his colleagues in order to do his job.
What your inbox says about you the person in the office to forward all requests for information and on-line surveys. Emails are always opened immediately which leads to a very disruptive day. During the journey home there is time to read the latest market survey report that has been downloaded from an analysts subscription site. Justin rarely has face-to-face meetings. He never seems to have enough of the computer and often stays late or takes work home in the evening. preferring emails and conference calls. . all of this 'noise' makes Justin's box something of a minefield in which it's very difficult to spot the really important notes. . if only it could be found. Justin tends to keep everything.5. He really hasn't got time for meetings. Justin often wonders what life would be like without computers. However. His work– life balance is not equal and his partner is not impressed. which get in the way of sending and receiving emails and searching the internet for information. which can delay action for days. Once opened they often get lost in the system. He gets frustrated that he is diverted from his real job by all the interruptions and distractions of the email he receives but feels he must attend to them. just in case it might be needed. On average Justin sends and receives 150 emails a day. 'Not to worry. Justin's office is never empty of people asking for help and advice with their computer and data.2 What is revealed about Justin's executive lifestyle? Management style Hurried approach Finds it hard to delegate and say no Likes to know what is going on and be involved with everyone and everything and so a high percentage of his email are cc'd Is easily distracted and finds it difficult to concentrate for long periods of time Does not manage his time well 25 . He spends hours on a very complicated system of filing all his notes but this makes things hard to find. I'll email you with the answer later' is the usual response. This is not a problem as Justin has a fully equipped office at home that is linked into the office network. The answer is somewhere . Colleagues often wish Justin would give it a try! 2.
Again he might need to do some deeper personal development on his time management and communications style.Managing in the Email Office Information needs Likes to think he is well informed but finds it hard to prioritize and identify what his real killer information needs are Unfocused and hoards emails.5. 26 . just in case Subscribes to lots of e-newsletters. He (like Joe) would find himself able to achieve his real goal of being well briefed and informed about both the business and what is going on in the office. few of which he reads The real information is often obscured by the noise and as a result in reality Justin can often be unaware of an impending crisis (or opportunity) Justin will also often miss out on the subtle nuances of a situation which can only be gained from face-to-face or verbal communications IT fitness Gold – is seen as the department's local helpdesk Always intends to be a better email citizen but never quite manages as his desire to deal with his email there and then takes over any good intentions Communications patterns Prefers short exchanges Email is the medium of choice Work–life balance Is very rarely out of touch either at home or when on leave. email is his lifeblood and his addiction can cause friction at home 2. Like Joe.3 How could Justin make email add more value to his work life? Justin's first task is to wean himself off email and onto other forms of communication such as meetings and phone calls. An email-free day for Justin might initially cause him great stress but the long-term result would be astounding.
use instant messaging for the 'What time shall we meet?' type of email. Ronnie has spent a lot of time thinking about the right level of IT support. Emails are not sent when a phone call or conversation will achieve the same results. 2. he would be well placed to drive forward a push towards better email citizenship: then he really could put his technical expertise to good use. think if email is the best medium for the message. But he will need to manage himself more effectively and ensure his espoused beliefs and behaviours matched those in practice. 'Time spent in planning is rarely wasted' has been one of the guiding phrases in her successful career.6. file or archive non-urgent but essential mail so it doesn't clog the company server or personal inbox.What your inbox says about you With his high level of IT fitness. This means all her team are required to: tailor their inboxes.1 Ronnie – the responsible email citizen Ronnie is a high achiever. She focuses on the important and doesn't get side tracked by trivia. desist from automatic caching of everyone in the department or team. Determined not to become a slave to the computer and email. She believes in being organized and spends the first few minutes of the day planning and ensuring that the team know their key tasks for the day. The office is organized to ensure that the computer does not dominate. Emails are monitored and filters are in place to prevent Ronnie being bombarded with unnecessary information and emails. Ronnie has developed an email policy called 'email by exception' for the team which is keenly enforced. Cc emails are kept to a minimum and 27 . systems and protocols have been developed to give Ronnie the appropriate level of access to right information and people.6 Case history – Ronnie Sutton (low noise/high information) 2.
Emails are opened and sent at certain times in the day and only if a vital one is expected will an eye be kept on the screen. Ronnie believes in the old edict 'ruthless with time. 2. assertive but not aggressive Places high emphasis on people Good at prioritizing and planning Believes in delegation and empowerment Creates trust and a calm atmosphere even when there is a storm brewing Leads by example Information needs Knows exactly what are her killer information needs Information is regarded as an asset to be used judiciously and not sprayed around the company 28 . Ronnie applies the same rules for filing and organizing information on the computer as has been developed for paper. Every email is sent for a specific reason rather than simply 'fired off' and careful thought is given to ensuring that this is the correct medium to use. She has seen too many colleagues become slaves to their computers and there's no way it will happen to her. gracious with people' and believes that for many the computer and particularly emails have become a great waster of time. This has caused a few raised eyebrows but it's her way of ensuring that emails do not take over. delegate and delete are the simple but effective rules. Ronnie really believes in face-to-face contact and regularly holds meetings with colleagues and clients. Information is easily accessed and Ronnie does not waste time searching the computer every time she wants to find something.2 What is revealed about Ronnie's executive lifestyle? Management style Very focused. neat and tidy.6. A real effort is made not to hide behind the computer by simply sending and responding to emails. The computer like the office is organized.Managing in the Email Office colleagues are urged to return emails they are copied in on but have not requested. Staff know that when they receive an email from Ronnie it is worth looking at and giving careful attention to. Deal. If it's worth keeping it needs to be properly filed and easily retrieved.
so she deals with her inbox with the same structured approach. The raised eyebrows from peers at the way she handles her inbox are probably jealousy. (This is rare. as her team are used to trusting their own judgement. but is available if absolutely needed. 29 .6. and each member has defined responsibilities for different aspects of their job in her absence.What your inbox says about you Emails are regarded as an important source of information and are filed for easy retrieval Communications patterns Focused. but has time to develop relationships Takes care to think before saying/writing something Tries to use the best medium for the purpose Places a high value on face-to-face communications and soft non-verbal signals IT fitness Silver level user Role model of the good email citizen Manages to instil email best practice across her whole division by setting the standard and being the role model Work–life balance Believes in staying off-line when on leave or out of normal office hours.) 2. Just as she would have dealt with her paper in-tray in an orderly fashion. Ronnie has moulded her use of email to her preferred executive lifestyle and how she wants the division both to manage information and communicate.3 How could Ronnie make email add more value to her work life? This is more a case of what can we learn from Ronnie as the role model of a good email citizen. The main danger for Ronnie is keeping track of any new electronic communications technology and making sure she doesn't miss out because others think she is reticent about IT. Her ability to plan and prioritize means that email does not distract either her or her team from the main task in hand.
then I either deal. through meetings and talking to them). valid reliable information is like gold dust My inbox very rarely contains emails which I have not properly read Generally I only handle an email once. 2. especially with the advent of electronic communications My inbox usually contains quite a few emails which I have not properly read I often find it hard to decide what to do with an email and find myself rereading them at least twice Many of my emails go unanswered 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 7 1 2 3 4 5 8 1 2 3 4 5 30 .Managing in the Email Office Underlying Ronnie's approach to how she uses email is her own management style – assertive. 1 I pick the best medium for my message I craft my email to suit the respondent's needs Generally. I only deal with my email at set times during the day I have a very clear picture of what information I need for my job (my killer information needs) Even with electronic communications. and circle the number you feel most accurately mirrors your personal management protocols for using email. a high flyer – but she knows how to balance her needs against others in order to draw out the best in them (for example.7 What your inbox says about you – self-assessment exercise Look at the statements below. delete or delegate it to someone When I send an email the recipient always replies 1 2 3 4 5 I nearly always use email to communicate I use the same style for all my emails I dip in and out of my inbox all day 2 1 2 3 4 5 3 1 2 3 4 5 4 1 2 3 4 5 I am not really sure what are my killer information needs Information is easy to find. challenging.
It has especially reviewed how your dominant management style. now you should be well on your way to be a more effective email user. 31 .8 Summary This chapter should have helped appreciate how your preferred executive lifestyle is influencing how you manage your inbox and hence the ratio of noise to information. communication preferences. information needs and patterns of working are determining the level of noise and information in your inbox.1 Seven tips for reducing the volume of email by managing yourself more effectively 1 Check that your management style is not leading you to send too many 'just checking on progress' type of email. who could quickly become a high noise/low information user Very much a high noise/low information user 2. Some aspects of how to deal with the stress factor are dealt with in Chapter 7. moving towards a low noise/high information user A high noise/low information user. 2. However. 8 10 20 30 40 Low noise High information 8–10 11–20 21–30 31–40 High noise Low information A clear low noise/high information user A medium noise/medium information user.1 Interpretation Total your score for the boxes you have ticked and enter your score below.What your inbox says about you 2.7. You should now have some insight into your strengths and weaknesses as an email user and how you can build on your positive points and work at overcoming the negative aspects of how you use email. 2 Manage your most precious asset – your time: try to reduce the number of times you check your inbox for new mail.8.
Would the outcome have been better or worse if you had waited until you returned to the office? 32 . 5 Next time you are sending an email to someone who works near to you go and talk to them instead. deal may simply mean doing just that – thinking. For emails requiring time to think before replying. 7 If you log on while on leave ask yourself what would have been the consequence of not dealing with all those emails. 4 Try to prioritize just what information you really need to do your job.Managing in the Email Office 3 Only handle an email once – the golden rule is deal. If in doubt don't send it. delete or delegate. 6 Pause before pressing the reply/new mail key and ask yourself if you really need to send that email.
automatically insert a sign-off (signature) at the end of an email. the question is which features will help me reduce the time I need to deal with my email and help me spot the emails of high information value.3 Email IT fitness What is email IT fitness? Will improved email IT fitness save me time dealing with my inbox? Should we all be striving for the same level of email IT fitness? 3.1 Introduction Having developed a sound strategy to manage the way you use email. For example. to some extent we are spoilt for choice and it is like being let loose in Aladdin's cave. and rules to filter and prioritize incoming mail. For those for whom the software is really just a means to an end. There are just so many tools to experiment with and different ways to view the emails. Indeed. For the technophile this is nirvana. the question to ask yourself is 'How can I use the technology to help me implement my strategy?' Today's email software contains plenty of functions designed to help you save time managing your email. use colour to highlight emails from people and sources of importance to you. .
To do this assumes you know what can be done and what is the available functionality of the software. many people know that voting buttons can be used to seek opinions and consensus. For example. but also about exploring other ways your email software 34 . you can restrict the noise level in your inbox and enable you to extricate the high information ones more easily. If you want to swim the Channel you will need more stamina than if you want simply to cruise up and down the lanes in your local gym's swimming pool. are not in one place for very long. by adopting the right level of email IT fitness. However. There are case histories that show how. If you are surrounded by a team of dedicated staff who deal with your email and are not too bothered about reading them when away from your office. you also need to be very comfortable about using the function. Like a swimmer. not everyone needs the same level of physical fitness – the level you need will depend on where and for what purpose you want to swim. This chapter is designed to help you see how today's email software really can make your life easier by modelling itself on your chosen ways of working. Confidence comes with the experience. 3. In contrast if you like to deal with your email first hand. the majority perceive it is all a bit too technical and hard to implement.2 What is email IT fitness? We define email IT fitness to be the sum of your confidence and competence to use the appropriate email software: Email IT fitness = the combination of technical expertise + confidence to use the technology It is not sufficient to know how to use a specific function. and want to be able to handle your email at any time in any place you need to be a more confident and skilled user. you may only need a minimal level of IT fitness.Managing in the Email Office This chapter is about how to exploit the power of the software to add value to your way of working without becoming too submerged in it and becoming a technology bore. It is the same with technology. Most software reference books will tell you about the available features but not the benefits of how they could help you. The more you use technology the more confident you will be about what you can do. This is a great improvement on the older software that required you to change the way you worked to fit the way the software worked.
just because you are very proficient with your email software today it doesn't necessarily mean you will always be an expert user. Bronze – is the minimum you need just to survive and keep your head above water.Email IT fitness could help you. change the subject line when forwarding an email and set an 'out of office' reply. If you don't use the software for a while. change the way you view your inbox to suit your needs. add and change the automatic signature at the end of a new message. unlike learning to swim. silver and gold. 3. create email groups from your contacts. At this level you can create an effective filling system for all your emails. forward emails. The pace of technology is changing so fast that the same could be said of your IT fitness. you will probably have some of your incoming email automatically sorted as it arrives in your inbox. send new ones and read attachments. including Figure 3. those precious swing 'thoughts of the day' decay as rapidly as the half-life of radium. If you want to start filing and sorting your emails you need to build up your stamina to reach the silver level. the chances are the way to do things will have changed with the next version. Moreover. You want to be totally self-sufficient 24 × 7 × 365 days a year anywhere on planet earth. It means you can basically reply to incoming emails. Author and keen golfer John Updike once commented that in golf.1 Levels of email IT fitness 35 . Unfortunately. Gold – this is where you need to be if you need to access your email on the move. often from an alternative device such as a mobile phone or palmtop and with no extra help. bronze. Silver – this is the level of stamina you need to swim with the tide.3 Levels of email IT fitness There are three levels of email IT fitness.
It is about working at a level of email IT fitness which you are comfortable with and can maintain. Do not expect to reduce the volume of email you receive or the ratio of noise to information. It is also about developing a positive mental attitude towards technology.1 shows a spread of email IT fitness across a group of about 70 typical executives with whom we have worked. it does not mean that either of you is any better. position in the organization. finance or sales). First. marketing. There are three key benefits to be obtained from adopting a reasonable level of email IT fitness. forward and reply to emails. These changes can only be obtained by reviewing how you manage yourself with respect to email and auditing your inbox. What is also important to note is that the level of email IT fitness is independent of: job function (e.3. Just because you have achieved the bronze level and your colleague is cruising at gold. 36 . e. It is all about how you want to operate and whether or not you could personally benefit from being more adept with the software. This is not a race to see who can use the most software features in any one email. size of the organization (from large multinational to independent consultant). Bronze users are often the ones who have the least affinity towards technology.g.2 What can I gain from being more proficient with the technology? First let's be clear about what not to expect when you increase your email IT fitness. 3. a to-do list.g.1 What is right for me? Like most aspects of management there is no right or wrong. look for old emails. sector.Managing in the Email Office all types of information in an email from charts to links to web pages and be able to integrate your email with your electronic diary and other personal management tools. 3. you can expect to save time and in particular the time it takes to: send new emails.3. Figure 3.
handle attachments. being a fitter user will help you highlight the emails of high value and not get distracted by those of low information value and maybe even noise.45 am just before his first meeting about the new pension scheme. initially opens all his email during the week and deals with anything urgent. 3. access your emails when away from the office. He sees that about ten new emails have arrived overnight. He cannot find Jo's address – it must be there somewhere but he is starting to feel rushed as he still needs to print off the document which arrived late yesterday for today's meeting. Arriving at the office Robert arrives at his office at 8. Second.1 Robert – bronze user Robert is a group HR director and spends at least two days a week travelling between different office locations. Harry is easy as he is on the global company address book. He needs to send emails to Harry the marketing director and Jo the external consultant who is running their time management course next week. Third.4 Case histories Here is a typical day in the life of each type of user. 3. his PA.4.Email IT fitness find emails which relate to a meeting you are about to attend. Robert sets the document printing and quickly replies to the email from the CEO. arrange meetings. He would have liked to catch Arthur in their Beijing office but by now he has gone and Robert is not very good at logging in from home. Anne. He leaves his secretary to deal with the others. He would have liked to have added his edits to the draft 37 . keep track of tasks you delegate to others. stay on top of your to-do list. being more adept with the technology can also help you become a better email citizen and in particular take account of the recipients' preferred working styles.
He has tried once before but somehow all his changes were lost. He had copied him in on the dialogue he had with Arthur. So this time he has given his comments to Anne for her to amend and forward to Gordon in time for their meeting tonight.) After the meeting It was a long meeting and there were two new people present who needed to be added to the circulation list for this project. He notices a couple of requests for meetings and a note from Sam (a member of his team) asking for approval to attend a conference. asks Robert if he has the table to hand which he sent him by email yesterday and whether he knew what those working in the Beijing office thought about the scheme. He gives Anne the email addresses to add to the list and asks her to forward some old emails that contain relevant information. One he forwards and also sends it to Anne asking her to keep a note to chase up progress in a few days. He responds to that but decides to leave the diary ones for Anne. As he walks out he dictates an email to his PA and hands her the printed copies of yesterday's emails on which he has annotated his replies. which have arrived since Anne went for lunch. Robert had not. He would ask his PA to do this later. but now John needs Robert to talk to Arthur. (At this point Robert felt a little marginalized as everyone else seemed to be just a little more in touch with what was going on and almost one step ahead of him. as he had been out of the office all day and had only just picked up his email. He scribbles his responses and then scans the five new emails. And he had not yet emailed Arthur. During the meeting John. He buys a sandwich for lunch and ploughs his way through the pile of printed emails from the last 24 hours left him by his PA. 38 . the new pension manager. Robert could do this himself but it would take him a while to find the old emails and the right distribution list (there seem to be so many).Managing in the Email Office of a document from Gordon he read late yesterday and which they will discuss tonight.
which are placed in date order on his desk. That way he could email Anne the letter he is drafting and respond a little more quickly to some of his incoming email. he has a nagging suspicion that he could be saving himself some time if he could at least access his emails from time to time from home (and maybe even another company office like the Newcastle one). Robert ends the day with a working dinner with Gordon. However. there is no doubt that he could save time dealing with his email if he could access them when away from the office. where they discuss recruitment for the new sales manager and finalize the new flexible working policy for the Newcastle office. Although he does notice that Anne has now placed them in conventional plastic folders. And anyway he uses the time he has for other tasks such as drafting reports and catching up on the ever-mounting pile of reading. Anne will fax through the document. Gordon agrees to make the changes and email it to Anne for Anne to send out in Robert's name. which arrived from the training consultant. the general manager of the Newcastle office. The end of the day Robert is staying overnight in Newcastle. He would also find he is better informed and able to keep track of dialogues between offices working on different time zones.Email IT fitness Robert carefully ignores the mounting pile of printouts of older emails. Robert for his part will fax Anne his reply in the morning. 39 . Robert sends one more new email asking for some information and then dashes to catch the train to the Newcastle office. What would Robert gain from enhancing his email IT fitness? There is nothing wrong with how Robert operates. Robert assumes he will have seen any that are really important and the rest can be skimmed over sometime: maybe on the train this afternoon. He has tried to log-on away from the office a few times but it never goes smoothly and he always has to ask for help. He calls Anne to catch up on any late arrivals and dictate a few new ones. Robert feels that although he gets by dealing with his email. not to mention catching people working in other offices on different time zones. in the sense that he is committing an offence.
He could have emailed the letter he drafted to his PA and again saved them both some time and duplication of effort.) Robert is probably making double work for his PA who can never be quite sure when he has opened an email.4. How much should he interact with his email directly and let this eat into his time and how much should he leave to someone else.2 Ruth – silver user Ruth is the marketing director for a medium-sized engineering company. Where they can. She has a desktop computer in her office and a 40 . Robert should learn to be more confident using address books and distribution lists.Managing in the Email Office In the time it takes him to plough through the paper copies he could have dealt with the bulk of them on the screen rather than go through this three-stage process. bronze users more than most have a tendency to be more chauffer driven than perhaps they should be. There is always a trade-off for someone like Robert. if he has either dealt with it or just scanned it. Together they could develop a system of folders into which they put emails to avoid handling an email twice (see Chapter 8). He is not a great lover of technology. 3. Only when he starts to become more of a direct user will he see just how much irrelevant email he is receiving. His inbox is currently erring towards high noise/high information. access to a PC device while away from the office (but not necessarily in transit) would make his life run more smoothly. In summary. Being able to access his email away from the office would probably help him and make him feel generally more effective. Then he can start to reduce the noise levels in the ways outlined in Chapter 6. his PA will have a little more time to finish doing some much needed market research on possible providers for a new in-company senior management programme. just because of their relatively low level of IT fitness. That said. Most of the executives we know feel it is better to try to deal with as much as possible yourself. Meanwhile. Robert must be careful not to become addicted and should continue to ring fence off time for reading and thinking. (There will always be some emails that need to be printed and thought about before replying. There is therefore little chance that he will start to become too absorbed or obsessed with it to the point of losing sight of the real business objective.
Some she replies to and forwards immediately. Ruth feels this news falls into that category and copies them in on this email. mobile number. On one that she forwards she also changes the subject line so that the recipient can quickly see the relevance to him. which is about one day a week. which is not that helpful to outside people. The rest of the morning That all takes about half an hour and now Ruth is ready to start working on the new marketing campaign for Redtop. Then she switches from the company address book to her personal contacts list and sends a note to three people in external organizations with whom she is working on a new public relations campaign for safety in the engineering industry. She is on broadband and her email is always on. The morning Ruth is spending the morning working from home on a new marketing campaign. The latter contains full contact information (full phone number. First she checks her inbox and deals with the 15 new emails. Ruth also remembers to change her automatic signature from her internal to her external one. but now turns off all the functions which tells her when new mail has arrived (pinged and on-screen notices). When she has finished both documents she emails them to the Redtop project Steering Committee using another of her distribution lists.) rather than just her internal extension number. Then she works on an outline brief for their PR agency. Ruth scans the two trade e-newsletters that have come in and spots a piece about their competitors. She edits the project plan contained in an attachment sent to her yesterday. only exceptional information. At the same time she checks her incoming email.Email IT fitness lightweight laptop for use at home and when she travels. She forwards this to all those working on the Redtop project using a preset distribution list which ensures they keep ahead of the game. 41 . Ruth is involved in several high profile projects. It took her a little time to set up this Redtop distribution list and then she had to modify it when a couple of people said they did not want to receive everything. She quickly scans the list to see if there are any relating to 'Timberbox'. Fifteen new emails in the space of about two hours. etc.
and deals with them. leaving the e-newsletters (marketing pushes) until last. She tries to respect other people's working habits and be helpful by making her messages clear (e. She then prints of a copy to remind herself to follow up on that specific action in a few days' time. Before she leaves she sets her 'out of office' auto reply that directs anyone to Brian her assistant if they have an urgent query.Managing in the Email Office another hot project. She also copies it to her assistant to ask her to undertake a part of the task.) Ruth is on leave tomorrow.g. She tries to clear all her new emails by the end of each day – including filing them in the relevant folder. the new member of the PR agency. Ruth has received about 50 new emails today of which nearly all are of high information content and few noise. she tries to pick out those which are important for her. changing the subject heading when 42 . Then she just picks her way through the rest. After the meeting At 5. She uses voting buttons to gain some idea of which is the most popular date. She needs to set up a meeting with several members of the Redtop team including some people from their suppliers.30 Ruth returns to her office. which she feels are a valuable way of keeping up with sector and industry specific news. There she spends about an hour clearing the remainder of the morning's email plus another 30 emails that have arrived during the afternoon. She wishes there was a way of making the emails which relate to certain key projects stand out while at the same time putting her e-newsletters letters into a separate folder. About 25 per cent are e-newsletters. and she finds using the voting buttons saves time. Ruth clicks on it to automatically create a new contact in her personal address book. and she deals with it there and then. This is one that needs a quick response. First. (For the internal members of the team this is easy as she can check their diaries but this is not an option for the others. Gill. She sent about 15 emails during the day. has emailed her some background papers and an electronic business card. Over the years she has honed her use of email to make sure she receives only what she needs. She then replies to Gill and also includes an electronic business card so Gill can do likewise. and decides to leave the rest until later and prepares to go to an offsite meeting (hoping there is nothing critical).
Email IT fitness forwarding). They would still show up as new and unread but they would not be cluttering up her main inbox. rules and creating an automatic diary entry from an email. Although. Ruth would not need to sort them into the appropriate folder after she has read them as they are already in the correct folder. (Automatically creating an action in someone else's diary or task list might not be so desirable. Most email software allows you to generate an automatic entry on the calendar task list (for both yourself and those who you work with – assuming you are networked). She could use rules to organize incoming mail so that it is coloured according to different people/projects. for example red for the Redtop project and brown for Timberbox. namely. 43 . as the prompt will appear as a diary reminder. She uses her distribution list to target her email and save herself time. This is really useful for people working on their own or those who do not have access to a dedicated secretary. This way Ruth would be able to extricate more easily the emails of high value from those of lower priority and in some cases just noise. She could also use rules to sort and automatically place in folders some of the incoming e-newsletters. she manages to keep on top of her inbox by being fairly disciplined and using the technology reasonably well she has watched others who seem to gain more performance out of the software and make it work a little harder for them. Ruth would boost her level of IT fitness to gold and this will save her between 10 and 20 minutes per day.) In summary. However. there are two features that would help her manage her inbox even more efficiently. by increasing her expertise with rules to organize her inbox and learning how to link and create calendar and task list entries automatically. She is a good email citizen as she changes the subject line when forwarding an email to make it more obvious why the recipient needs the email. Not only that. This means Ruth would not have to ask her assistant to remind her to follow up. How would enhancing her email IT fitness help Ruth? Ruth uses the technology well and does not waste her time or that of her colleagues by playing email ping-pong.
He has a PA who deals with all diary matters.3 Peter – gold user Peter is the operations director for a large public sector organization. He is only taking his palmtop today as it has all his key documents including the presentation he will give in the morning. They have two main offices in London and Manchester and three other smaller offices.Managing in the Email Office 3. One email had a large attachment. he also has a palmtop. He is involved in several projects. Peter continues to work on email and drafting some documents. He makes a mental note to remind his team not to send him emails with large attachments when he is in transit. Besides his main PC and a small but powerful laptop. Slowly the world is waking up and there are ten new emails including three e-newsletters.30 am Peter checks his email although he is not expecting much as he cleared his inbox at midnight before going to bed. At last there is a message from Frank. but he prefers to personally handle his inbox unless he is on leave. He has used rules and specifically colours to 44 . There is one from his counterpart in America to which he replies. which was a bit of hassle to download. but he has it now. They have several email addresses between them (for work and social use). He is hoping that by now Frank has the data he needs in order to complete the report he is working on. Before leaving home at 6. During the journey With his palmtop he reconnects to his email (by dialling in through his mobile phone) and sends a couple of new ones. He quickly synchronizes his palmtop before being driven to the station to catch his train to London. During the train journey to the London office. which are on the critical path. Peter has installed a network at home as both his wife and children have PCs. At the same time he sends an email to Frank who is in India on a two-week assignment. At the London office At 9.4.00 am just before the board meeting Peter quickly synchronizes his palmtop with his desktop PC. He would like to flag the status of Frank's project at today's board meeting.
00 am he has dealt with about 20 incoming emails and sent about the same number. The three e-newsletters have automatically gone into folders for him to read later. Then he catches up with his PA and they talk through arrangements for the rest of the day. He has several distribution lists so this only takes a minute. of which about half are copied to him rather than addressed to him directly. It can all wait for another hour. Later that afternoon It is now about 4.Email IT fitness organize his inbox. Peter likes handling his own email although several other members of the board use their PAs to filter it. He finds it quicker to handle his own. For example. By 10. Even at home he has installed firewall and anti-spam software. Just time to fire off a couple more emails about the new data Frank has sent him. There is a copy of a press release that he needs to clear.00 pm and he spends the next half an hour dealing with his inbox which now contains about 30 new emails. but 45 . After the meeting After the meeting he spends about ten minutes tidying up his notes and generating a Word document from the electronic file. There is a working lunch and he is careful not to be seduced into checking his email. He edits the document and sends it back to the communications department. Peter then circulates the minutes to the other board members. There are two invitations to events. which he initially created on the palmtop. He extracts the action points and circulates them to his team. He spots the one from James telling him there were no problems last night with the trial run and none this morning. During the board meeting Peter takes notes on his palmtop. Finally. He annotates and forwards these to Pam his PA who deals with the diary to check that he can attend and make the necessary travel arrangements. all incoming email relating to the installation of the new network is in purple. But he is still getting some from odd mailing lists. He doesn't receive too much spam as the organization has software to stop the bulk of it getting through. he generates an automatic reminder (on his calendar and task list) for him to follow up on certain points.
He might think about the impact of sending email late at night and very early in the morning. He could use the timing function to preset a more friendly time to have the email sent. Peter is probably obtaining a very good return on his investment in his IT fitness programme. Peter emails George who works in another office to see if he wants to meet for an early evening drink tonight. Being a gold user means he is exploiting the full power of the available software to support his preferred executive lifestyle and way of working. This would heighten his profile as a good email citizen. to forewarn her that the finance director wants to talk about budgets later in the day. Could Peter use the technology to handle his email any more effectively? Probably not.30 pm he goes to meet a supplier for dinner. that he will be about ten minutes late. He has tailored the front page (entry screen) of the email software to 46 . Otherwise. He has it as a shortcut on his Outlook Shortcut bar. Peter does a little more work on the report he has been working on all week. Before he leaves. Like many gold users Peter needs to make sure that he does not start becoming obsessed with the technology and sending emails when a phone call or meeting would be better. who he's about to meet. His inbox certainly contains a high level of information and it may be verging on the border of high noise. Although this suits his style of working it can be stressful for others. At 7. the IT manager. This means he can access it directly from within the Outlook email software with one click of the mouse. However. he is using rules to organize the incoming email to target those with high information content. When he returns to his hotel he quickly rechecks his inbox through his palmtop and mobile phone and sends an email to James with a note of the conversation he had with the supplier. He uses his instant messaging software to alert Carol. Peter receives about 70 emails a day and up to 100 on a bad day. He sets an expiry date of tomorrow on the email: if George is away the email is redundant so there is no need for it to sit clogging up his inbox. He also sends an instant message to Paula.Managing in the Email Office is careful to copy his PA in on anything she needs to be aware of such as meetings.
it is not uncommon for a silver user to have their PA handle their inbox while they are busy or in meetings. 47 . This does not mean that they will use an alternative medium. Although he plans to revisit these new devices again when they have more functionality and are cheaper.5 Bronze to gold – key differences In addition to sheer technical expertise there are some other subtle. In today's business environment where you often need to be able to communicate outside the normal working hours many bronze users often find they do need to be moving into the silver league. the difference between them and their bronze counterparts is that they can very quickly deal with their email when they need to. it gives him more functionality and freedom. as indicated above and shown in Figure 3.) He has tried some of the newer always-on email systems (like Blackberry) but prefers the palmtop connected via a mobile. To some extent it is a chicken and egg situation. It is rare for a gold user to delegate responsibility for their inbox. 3.Email IT fitness allow him access to other files and applications he frequently uses.1 Level of involvement with the inbox Typically. especially coming in and out of different applications. Their limited confidence and competence with the software means they will often shy away from using email themselves. They will often have neat piles of unread printed messages just like Robert in the case history. (We are only talking seconds.2. In part this may reflect their need to remain in control. These relate mainly to: the level to which they involve the PA in handling their inbox. 3. more qualitative differences between the different user types. This again helps him save time. their interest in technology.5. but as a heavy user of the PC these seconds soon add up during the day. There is no definitive right or wrong. However. bronze users make limited direct personal use of email. Their secretary or PA will act as the initial filter. Indeed. how they adapt their use of email to accommodate others. It is more about their general disregard for email.
Gold users with all their expertise could use the software to soften their image.30 pm and then maybe for a 48 . bronze users tend to be the least interested in technology. It is their way of keeping busy. For example.Managing in the Email Office Figure 3. The notion of exploring just what can be done with the technology leaves them cold. Joyce is a divisional manager in a government agency.2 Interest in technology Not surprisingly and in keeping with general findings on IT fitness.3 Sensitive use of email Gold users are often the least sensitive to other people's needs in terms of firing off emails at all times of the night and day.2 Other email IT fitness characteristics 3. Joyce has three young children and works flexible hours which for her are 5. They use it because they have to and only in so far as it does the job. Whereas silver users are often more considerate and will delay sending a message if it is wildly outside the normal working day. Indeed they would probably rather have a cold shower than try to find out how to link an email to a diary entry. It doesn't have to be like that.5.30 am to 3. 3. getting things done quickly at all costs. Their use of email is again very much in your face. They just don't grasp what could be gained from being more proficient with the technology.5.
make sure you do not loose yourself in the technology at the expense of the task in hand. 49 . especially when they are to her team. Certainly we don't all need to achieve full gold medal status for email IT fitness. Sadly. gold users are also more likely to use email even when it is an inappropriate medium. The optimum level of email IT fitness will depend on your circumstances. 3. The ideal level is top end of the silver to low end of gold.Email IT fitness couple of hours after dinner. She feels this is less intimidating and means she doesn't have to impose her working patterns on others. They are also the types that play email ping-pong. The key message is: For expert users. The technology is there to help you.6 Summary This chapter has discussed how you can use the email software to work smarter and save yourself time. If you have tuned up your personal management techniques then you should be able to save yourself a little more time by boosting your level of email IT fitness. For less expert users check that you are not taking too long to execute simple tasks when there may be a quick time saving feature of which you are not aware. But rather than send emails that early in the morning she uses the delayed time function.
It is based on the Microsoft Outlook software and assumes you are working in a corporate network environment. 4.1 Introduction In Chapter 3 we saw how you can use your email software to reduce the time it takes to deal with your inbox by simplifying some key tasks such as sending one email to several people and automatically inserting a signature at the end of an email.4 Assessing your email IT fitness Which functions of my email software can I use really confidently? What is my current email IT fitness? Where are the gaps? 4. Most software packages have almost identical functionality although the terminology may be different. Work your way through each section and tick the box that most closely corresponds to how comfortable you feel carrying out that task. .2 The email IT fitness checklist On the following pages you will find a checklist of tasks commonly associated with specific levels of email IT fitness. These nuances are discussed later. This chapter will enable you to benchmark your personal level of email IT fitness and identify gaps in your expertise. We also saw how by increasing your level of email IT fitness you can more easily identify those emails. which are of high information value to you.
Assessing your email IT fitness 4.g. e.2. by date.g. Word documents Manage the inbox: create folders for filing emails file emails save attachments sort emails into preferred sequence. Word document) send an email to one person send an email to a group of people Receive incoming emails: open and read incoming email reply to incoming email forward email open files attached to an email.1 Bronze email IT fitness Task/Feature Very comfortable Access your email system from: your office desktop PC Store contact information: insert new contact information in the default 'contact' address file Compose and send emails: create new email insert meaningful subject line use the contacts address book input text message use the spell checker attach a file (e.g. e. name delete emails Respond to email: reply to sender only use reply to all where appropriate forward email to one person forward email to a group of people 51 Level of comfort Comfortable Need to learn .
Word use bullet points change the text layout use receipts Work with others with email: forward email and edit subject line forward email and edit text of message Virus protection: recognize potentially infected emails delete potentially infected emails 52 Level of comfort Comfortable Need to learn .g. e.2.2 Silver email IT fitness In addition to the bronze level task. be able to do the following: Task/Feature Very comfortable Access your email system remotely when away from your office.Managing in the Email Office 4. e. from a laptop to: receive incoming mail send mail Contacts files/address books: create and use other contact lists create a new contact from a business card (vcf) attached to an email Customize email messages: create customized signatures automatically insert a virtual business card create and use templates Voting buttons: use voting buttons Auto reply: create an out of office message vary your out of office message Manage the inbox: print a list of emails in a folder change the way emails are viewed find a current email archive old emails retrieve archived emails keep your inbox within the specified corporate limits (where appropriate) Compose and send emails: send email directly from within other applications.g.
2. change the access phone number and password) Work with anti-virus software: customize the software.g. e.g.g. e.g. delay to suit work patterns of others or send when away insert an 'expiry date' after which the email self-deletes in the recipient's inbox automatically ask for a reply from a recipient Edit internet connections: add new internet connections edit existing connections (e. to create tasks and calendar entry Send emails: time sending emails. a chart) insert hyperlinks to websites Manage emails: create shared folders change colour used to highlight unread emails change fonts and colour used for editing use 'rules' and 'organize' automatically to sort emails move an email between different parts of the software. e.g.3 Gold email IT fitness In addition to the bronze and silver level. be able to perform the following time saving tasks: Task/Feature Very comfortable Customize your email software: customize the entry front page to suit personal use add shortcuts to access other frequently used applications from within the email software Create email messages: creating links to files in shared network drives insert information in another application directly into an email (e. to run regular updates 53 Level of comfort Comfortable Need to learn .Assessing your email IT fitness 4.
Managing in the Email Office 4. A silver to gold user – you would be very comfortable not only with all the tasks in the bronze and silver users' list but also about six or seven of those listed for the gold user. the defining criterion is that you can use them when you need to. A full silver medalist – you would be very comfortable undertaking all the tasks listed for a bronze user and over half those listed for a silver user. You are probably just a silver level user. 4. 54 . You don't have to use all the features to qualify for full membership of a specific division and indeed some may not add any value for you (e.1. To really merit a silver medal you should learn how to expedite at least half of the silver user tasks. this exercise should have helped you identify where you could improve in order to make the software work more efficiently for you.4 Nuances and subtleties across different environments There are some subtle differences between the different email packages such as Notes. However.3 Scoring To achieve full membership of any one specific level of IT fitness. the main differences between Notes and Outlook are summarized in Table 4. My current level of email IT fitness: My ideal level of email IT fitness would be: Do you feel this is right for you? If not. A bronze to silver level user – you are very comfortable with at least half those tasks associated with the bronze league but less than half in the silver league and only a couple in the gold league. colour coding). Outlook. A gold medalist – you will be familiar with all the tasks listed in both the bronze and silver level users and over half those on the gold user list. you should be 'very comfortable' undertaking at least half of any of the stated tasks. Eudora. this indicates that you need some help to achieve that level of IT fitness. In essence it is about identifying what you don't know and then learning how to use those functions as and when they can add value to how you want to work. Pegasus and Entourage (for Apple Mac users).g. If you are only 'comfortable' with about half the tasks. For example.
e. Notes Outlook 'Shortcut Bar' is specially designed for Outlook. and also a 'mood stamp'. In the latest version of Notes (version 5) you can customize the front page and bookmark where you want to go. Notes provides a range of pre-formatted letterheads and templates. a smiley for a thank you. Not available in Outlook. designed for one to many communications. or specific document.g. Templates and letterheads Rules to organize the inbox You can create rules to manage the incoming email by folder and by colour. This is a decision that will need to be made in conjunction with your IT department who will be able to provide you with more information. The latter is designed to let you add some feeling to your email.Assessing your email IT fitness Table 4. Outlook lets you customize the entry screen. You can create templates but there is no 'mood stamp' option. e. This is reflected in the bulletin board infrastructure. for example. Bulletin Boards These are the main differences and largely highlight the fact that Notes is the true form of knowledge sharing groupware. or your diary. you can just go directly to your email. These again are unique to Notes and designed to allow you to share information through common databases.1 Differences between Notes and Outlook Function Shortcuts to other applications Replicating your local PC with the corporate file server Customizing the front page Known as 'Replication' in Notes and is unique to Notes. 55 . This book is not the place to argue the case for or against either system. There is no facility to colour code incoming email. Notes databases. No comparable feature within Outlook.g. You can only use rules automatically to move new email to folders.
we all have some sort of 'not available message' on our phone but are less reluctant to do this with email. UK managing director of a medium-sized multinational software company: I treat my inbox like I treated my bedroom as a teenager. The rational ones among us will say yes. We are often asked whether or not everyone should put their emails into folders. However. If they are in folders it will be easier to find. Jackie meticulously files her email once she has read it and will sometimes file one email in several places where it relates to multiple projects or people. 4. some people find it just as quick to scroll through screens of unsorted email. Contrast this with Jackie who is the founding managing partner of medium-sized international PR agency: I like to keep myself organized and try to keep the number of unsorted emails in my inbox and sent items to ten. Our company best practice policy encourages creating files by client names. This makes it easier for others to find things when you are away.Managing in the Email Office 4. I can't find anything.4. But there comes a point when I just have a blitz and throw out all the junk.1 Folders and email IT fitness Perhaps one of the greyest areas of email IT fitness is the use of folders. marketing. She is also diligent about clearing out old emails especially those that are part of a dialogue: she deletes the old emails and only saves the last one.2 Out of office reply It's funny.4. Everything (received and sent email) is filed by projects. His inbox is in date order and he will happily work with several hundred in his inbox at any one time. clients or cash/flow. Steve is a silver user who uses both email and text messaging but hates spending time filing until he absolutely must. Like many functions you can have several template (predefined) messages 56 . When he does tidy up the emails they go in one of four folders – personnel. Take this example of Steve. If someone tidies it up. Everything is piled up but I know exactly where my things are.
2 Use distribution lists (groups) for sending one email to many people.Assessing your email IT fitness and then all you need to do is activate the right one. Those not working in a corporate network environment (e. 4. 4. and those that diminish the noise element and enable you identify the high information ones more readily. For example: I am out of the office today. I am in a meeting from 8.5 Summary This chapter should have helped you assess your current level of email IT fitness.g. It will have highlighted any obvious gaps in your competence and shown you how to make your email software work harder for you.) 4 Set an out of office reply when you are away. 57 . These fall into two categories. independent consultant. Here are ten sure ways you can use your email software to reduce the time you spend handling your email.) may be denied this facility: although some ISPs can provide the function. Just because someone else might think his or her email is important you may not want it clogging up your radar screen of the world. even if it is only for a short time. sole trader. etc. e.5.1 Ten ways to let the software handle your email more smartly Saving time sending email 1 Create an automatic signature (sign-off).g. 5 Create shortcuts from your email software to key applications and files that you use frequently. It is also one of the benefits of broadband.30 pm and will deal with all my email on my return. 3 Use 'voting buttons' (or the equivalent feature) to gain consensus. If it is urgent please call. for a meeting or agreement to a suggestion. (In Notes you can do this through the shared calendar feature or for gaining consensus to a discussion through the 'Discussion Threads' folder.30 am until 12. those designed to reduce the time it takes to send email.
5 Link time critical emails to your calendar or task list so you can keep track of them and have them to hand when needed. 58 . newsletters) – this will help you reduce the noise element of your inbox.g. 4 Use folders to store both sent and received email. 3 Tailor how you view your emails to suit you (e.g.Managing in the Email Office Diminishing the noise and highlighting the information 1 Create rules to filter automatically non-essential email (e. 2 Colour-code incoming email – this will help you identify the emails that are important to you. a list or a split screen with a preview of the whole email).
However.1 Introduction IT fitness like physical fitness is about your physical expertise (in this case technical competence) and mental attitude. As you know.5 Boosting your email IT fitness How can I boost my email IT fitness? How long will it take me to reach peak performance? How can I maintain my chosen level of email IT fitness? 5. top sports people have a good mental attitude. it is the Zeitgeist of today's business and to some extent social world. This could be said to apply equally to using email. That means increasing your overall confidence as a user and your technical prowess. Perhaps you have little or no interest in computers. You may even dislike or have a negative attitude towards them. Alternatively. to succeed they also have to have well-developed technical skills and this means constantly honing and developing their abilities. With email traffic predicted to grow to over 36 billion by 2005. the best learning investment you could make over the next few months would be to boost your level of email IT fitness. you may love your computer but not have time to learn how to unleash its full potential. . Whether or not you like email.
1 Improving and sustaining your email IT fitness 60 . in this case about IT in general. This chapter includes an exercise for you to gauge your current disposition towards information technology. Like most aspects of life our ability to perform is often influenced by our own preconceptions. 5.Managing in the Email Office This chapter provides some ideas on how to develop and maintain your personal email IT fitness (issues relating to corporate levels of email IT fitness are addressed in Chapter 16).1. some suggestions about how to learn to love your computer. and how to maximize its potential.2 The game plan Improving and maintaining your email IT fitness is a simple five-stage process as shown in Figure 5. First and foremost you need a learning strategy designed to help you achieve your Figure 5.
where and when you will improve your email IT fitness. meetings and activities can overshadow your development plan unless you are really committed to it. you might be a bronze user whose inbox is 50 per cent noise. and within three months reduce the level of noise to 25 per cent. how often you use your system and hence how much time you have to practice.2. 61 .3 Stage III – Implement your plan It is surprising how many other urgent projects. how you choose to learn. This means benchmarking your current level of email IT fitness and deciding on the level you are aiming for. One way to prevent this is to make your email IT fitness programme a high priority.1 Stage I – Set yourself SMART goals – this is key to success Specific and precise targets (e. Achievable – challenging but not beyond your reach. Don't let someone else highjack this precious time – this is your time for you.g. move to the silver level). 5. A SMART goal would be to achieve silver level email IT fitness within say a month.3 we outline some of the available sources of help. Timely – a realistic timeframe. Measurable – a criterion by which you will know you have achieved your goal. This is especially the case for those with a slightly negative predisposition towards technology. How long it will take you to reach your target will depend on: the gap between your current and planned level of email IT fitness. Relevant – to what you do and your available resources.2. If you have a secretary ask her to preserve the time you have scheduled for your personal development programme.2. 5. In Section 5. 5.2 Stage II – Plan your learning strategy Decide how.Boosting your email IT fitness goals. For example.
It took him about six to eight weeks to move to the low end of the silver division. was just a bronze user who only interacted directly with his email once or twice a week.2. Although. Suggestions about how to sustain fitness are discussed in subsequent sections. Maybe you initially set a target of becoming a silver user and reducing the level of noise by 20 per cent.6 Case histories John.2.4 Stage IV – Maintain your level of email IT fitness As the technology landscape is forever shifting you must be prepared to see and accept learning to use technology as a lifelong learning process. Now you have achieved that goal and become more confident and selfsufficient it might be conceivable to move toward gold and reduce the noise by a further 10 per cent. Expertise hard earned today may be redundant in six to 12 months as the software and available email devices become ever more intelligent and sophisticated.5 Stage V – Review your level of email IT fitness and the goals you first established Ask yourself if they are still appropriate and correct for you.Managing in the Email Office Those who make the quickest progress are not necessarily those who have the most positive attitude towards technology. Rather they are those who are prepared to make the time to use their newly acquired skills. As he became more adept he started to use his email more often and after about another six weeks was very comfortable handling his own inbox both in the office and at home. his PA actively encouraged him and helped him to use his email. as often as possible as illustrated by the two case histories at the end of this section. 62 . 5. She also arranged for him to have a laptop at home. as a secretary mainly dealt with his inbox. He had little time to practise between sessions as he spent much of his time in meetings either in his office or away. when he was in. 5. John decided to have a series of one-to one coaching sessions.2. 5. chief executive of a leading defence organization.
3 Sources of help There are a number of ways you can boost your email IT fitness which include: attending courses. All you are doing is paying for the pleasure of going to another location and drinking their coffee rather than sitting beside your own PC. computer books and magazines. Although there are the motivation and distraction factors. 5. one-to-one IT fitness coaching. In the following subsections we review the advantages and disadvantages of each source and when one might be more appropriate than the other. when you go away from your office for training. Penny decided to achieve gold status.3. She had two one-to-one IT fitness coaching sessions and within two weeks was operating at the gold level. which are a bonus. director of a division of a government agency. Some activities billed as courses are in fact merely e-learning (computer-based training). software built-in help. The principal disadvantages are matching your availability and needs to those of the course. saving herself time and acting as a better email citizen. either streaks ahead in terms of their IT fitness or miles behind.Boosting your email IT fitness Penny. other users. 5. 63 . e-learning (self-teaching packages). websites. There is nothing more frustrating than attending a course and finding everyone is on a different plain to you. The main advantage is that it makes you commit and focus. the one you book is exactly that. Just make sure that if you want to go on a conventional instructor led course. was a lowend silver user who primarily dealt with her own email but had a secretary who handled the inbox when Penny was in meetings.1 Courses We have probably all been on a course at some stage in our career so there is little more to say here.
It has improved my strike rate. How good are you at learning on your own? Do you have a natural affinity for technology? Do you have a history of starting self-teaching programs but never 64 . For a whole course on how to use your email software. master the essentials of email and text generation and operate effectively.3. and the content is not well structured. senior advisor to a government organization Most people find that after 90 minutes their mind starts to wander and their eyes glaze over. For every good e-learning package there are probably five poor ones. Sessions can also be arranged to dovetail into your personal schedule. Poor in the sense that they do not provide adequate feedback. 5. it talks down to you. the content is a little trivial.Managing in the Email Office 5. Stephen. even if you are attending a class or working your way through a self-teaching e-learning package. Whereas for a keyboard training package this might be overkill. this might be a selection criterion for the program you choose. You can use the email IT fitness checklist to enable your IT fitness coach to home in on the gaps. The main advantage is that every session should be geared specifically to your needs and your business environment. The best e-learning programs are those which provide some form of dedicated tutorial help whether on-line or at the place where you are using the program. So. This is especially true when learning to use computers.2 One-to-one IT fitness coaching This is conventional coaching but focused on helping you manage your email better. make sure you take a break after about 90 minutes.3. Sixty to 90 minute one-to-one sessions are a very effective way for managers to boost their email IT fitness as highlighted by this quote: [Coaching has] proved invaluable in enabling me to climb up the learning curve. The key to using e-learning is to recognize that you need to be motivated to complete the course.3 E-learning programs Again many of you will be familiar with these either as e-learning or more conventional computer-based training packages. That said most organizations these days provide some form of e-learning programs on IT related subjects such as how to use your email software.
(Indeed the latest versions of the Microsoft products have 'wizards' which guide you through the steps of complex functions (e. which comes with most software (and especially Microsoft products).) Even those of us who are experienced users forget how to use a function from time to time and need to turn to the help function. and especially if you are not that enthusiastic about computers and technology per se. which option to pick and then which submenu and so on. rules). It is loyal and will never let you falter without offering advice about what to do next. 65 . It is always amazing how few people are aware of these valuable in-house resources. The Office Assistant is rather like an old fashioned servant (or Jim Hacker from Yes Minister).3. has improved markedly over the years. as some of the images are really very humorous. Accessing the built-in help can be done through several ways such as: F1 key. 5. Alternatively. You would probably be more successful with a course or one-to-one coaching. If you are working with Microsoft products don't feel inhibited and shy about having the 'Office Assistant'. the producer of your email software will have a dedicated website with numerous tips and hints often culled from users just like you. it can be programmed to speak only when spoken to. via the 'Office Assistant' (for Microsoft products). It generally comes with a set of easy-to-follow instructions on how to execute the task you have looked up: you are guided to the right menu. It is a really useful adjunct to any other learning activities and it may even make you laugh. 5.g.Boosting your email IT fitness finishing them? If so.5 Websites Again.3. for example when you type in a question.4 Software help function The built-in help. 'Help' icon on the main toolbar. These too can be a very useful source of learning. until the task is complete. These too can be a mine of useful tips and hints. Some organizations also provide their own help databases of frequently asked questions (FAQs). e-learning might not be for you.
but not for the uninitiated (e.6 Computer books and magazines Neither of the authors are what you might call typical nerds. There are also some very good self-help books such as the 'Dummies Guides' and 'Teach Yourself Visually' series (see the Bibliography).3. e.Managing in the Email Office 5. to learn about the business potential of the internet and electronic communications. The person you choose might not be around when you most need some help.4 Picking the right resource for me This is a brief overview of the different ways the managers we know have successfully developed their email IT fitness. Welch learned to use a PC quite late in his business career.7 Other users Find someone who is good with IT. 5. Talk to them. a double click of the left mouse button). There is also availability and time. ask them how they use the technology. He then insisted all his senior managers found themselves an 'IT mentor' (often a whiz-kid 20 years their junior). which is second nature to them. For the expert user. Role modelling is a wellrespected and proven way of learning regardless of the topic and it works just as well for IT as Jack Welch (2001) found. The main downsides of role modelling for IT fitness is that your role model might be a technocrat who speaks in too much jargon and finds it hard to explain in simple steps what to do. whom you respect and let them become your role model. it is very easy to forget that all-important keystroke.g. Yet perusing popular weekly and monthly computer magazines like the 'doorstoppers' available in most high street newsagents and the national newspaper technology sections often reveals a handy time-saving tip or interesting website. explain the type of tasks you want to do and ask them if they would show you how they would do it.3.g. Whatever the final outcome of the dotcom era the principle of the role model remains the same. One of the attributes of Microsoft products is the numerous different ways which you can do something. The 66 . send a new email. Many is the time an executive has come to us for help because he has been observing how his peers use their PC and wants to do the same. Imitation is the surest form of flattery and you will quickly find you have your own personal helpdesk. 5.
Regardless of their previous experience and level of IT fitness they will happily work things out for themselves. On the other hand you may prefer to be 'told' or taught more directly and be harbouring some doubts about your personal affinity for technology. there is a 'new email' icon on the Word toolbar which will take you straight there. For example.5 The winning email IT fitness mind Unless you are a gold user the chances are that you have some hang-ups about IT in general. your enthusiasm for technology might be a weakness for you as an email user. By trying different learning approaches and resources you can quickly widen your repertoire of nifty ways to do things. If you are working in Word you don't have to exit to send a new email.) Which of these many resources you find to be of value will depend on a number of factors such as your: current level of IT fitness. Use the following self-assessment exercise to benchmark your IT awareness and confidence. the day you lost all your files. 67 . the important email that went missing. some managers' dominant learning style is one of discovery and finding things out for themselves: they are well suited to self-teaching packages whether electronic or paperbased in the form of a book. There is never just one right way to do something in a Microsoft environment. If this is you. Conversely. (For example. You may be in danger of becoming obsessed with email to the exclusion of other forms of communication. the presentation that did not work on someone else's PC. preferred learning style. 5. For example. moving certain incoming email to a folder can be done either through the 'Organize' button on the main toolbar or through the 'Rules Wizard' on the Tools menu. It's about finding a way which suits how you use your PC and which you can remember. perceptions and attitude towards technology. You will be harbouring some grudges and negative thoughts probably based on past experiences with computers. then a course of one-to-one coaching might be a better starting place. These will no doubt be colouring your confidence as to how well you will be able to boost your email IT fitness.Boosting your email IT fitness more you read and talk to other users the more of these little tricks you can learn. available time.
Managing in the Email Office
5.6 The winning IT fitness mind – self-assessment exercise
Look at the statements below, and circle the number you feel most accurately equates to your attitude towards IT in general. Try not to opt for too many 3s.
1 2 PCs are fun to use The benefits gained from using a PC outweigh the investment in my time learning to use one I use my PC whenever I can 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 PCs are a hassle The effort to learn to use a PC outweighs the benefits I gain from using one
I only use my PC when I really have to and there is no alternative Technology doesn't interest me at all Technology is changing so fast it is very hard to keep pace with the changes I find it hard to learn to use new software
I am very interested in technology as a whole It is easy for me to keep pace with technology
It is quite easy for me to learn to use a new piece of software
Having reasonably good keyboard skills make it easier for me to use a PC
I can get by with limited keyboard skills
I always try to make sure that my use of the PC does not obscure the real task I am working on
I find it easy to get seduced by the technology and can lose sight of the real task in hand
If I am stuck trying to solve a PC related problem I can often sort it myself
If I am stuck with a PC related problem, I usually need to ask for help
I am always on the lookout for new ways to improve my IT fitness
My level of IT fitness has remained the same for some time
Boosting your email IT fitness
5.6.1 Interpretation Total your score for the boxes you have ticked and enter your score below. 10 20 30 40 50
Very positive
Negative Very negative
10–19 You are a committed and enthusiastic PC user 20–29 You accept the PC as part of working life 30–39 You only use a PC when you really must 40–50 You actively try to avoid using a PC Look at the statements where you have scored yourself with a three or more and reflect on how you could overcome some of these negative thoughts and train your mind to visualize using a PC in a more positive light. Below are some specific tips and hints related to your score. 10 to 19 – You are a committed and enthusiastic user of IT and especially PC related devises. Your main concern should be to make sure your use of IT does not overshadow completing the real task in hand. You should have no trouble squeezing the last drop of productivity out of any email software and related tools (e.g. electronic calendar). You are probably already a gold level user and are just looking at making some minor adjustments to your email IT fitness. You could do this by talking to other expert users (both end users and members of the IT department), looking at appropriate supplier websites, reading popular computer magazines, using self-teaching programs, dipping into the on-line help and maybe even a reference manual. 20 to 29 – You accept the PC as part of your working life and appreciate that it does make a contribution to it (and maybe even your work–life balance). You have a reasonably positive attitude towards using a PC, although you may not have any great affinity towards technology as a whole. You will probably be a mid- to top-end silver user. For you, the best approach to enhancing your level of email IT fitness would be either to attend a workshop with plenty of instructor input or have some one-to-one IT fitness coaching. You might try the on-line help
Managing in the Email Office
and be pleasantly surprised at your own ability, and this would certainly act as a confidence booster. 30 to 39 – You use a PC because you have to and feel that you should use one, but are probably not very comfortable doing so. PC related tasks probably take you a little longer than they should. Upgrades and new software are perceived as a nuisance, just another thing to distract your attention and time away from the real work of the day. Your email IT fitness is between bronze and low-end silver. No one is saying that we should all love our PCs but feeling that they are more friend than foe will certainly help you when you decide to improve your level of email IT fitness. A good approach would be to start with some one-to-one IT fitness coaching or attending some classes. Find yourself a role model and ask them for some help. Try reading a little more about the use of IT as a personal management tool (such as those listed in the Bibliography). They are not all laden with jargon and those such as the 'Dummies' series, contain invaluable tips and hints. Another way to heighten your awareness is to involve yourself in an IT project. This way you can also have some input, create ownership and perhaps provide some often much needed enduser guidance. Many IT departments are crying out for more involvement from users and especially input about how you as a user envisage the software being used. 40 to 50 – Somehow you and technology just don't mix and you probably wish for the good old days of pen and ink. The thought of using a PC conjures up dark clouds of doom and gloom. Email doesn't mean there is no place for a conventional letter or scribbled memo, but it is the Zeitgeist of today's world of work (and in some cases social networking). You have probably had a few brushes with technology and somehow it always ends in tears. You always feel like you have wasted valuable time when there are others more able than you to do the task. You are most likely a low-end bronze level user and what you need to do is gain some quick wins. Overwrite the negative experiences with positive ones. The most effective way for you is probably through some dedicated one-to-one IT fitness coaching. This will quickly help you climb the ladder to the top of the bronze division and then into silver. You will be amazed at just how easy it can be with the right coach. Make sure you build in review sessions and plenty of practice. If you have a
Boosting your email IT fitness
secretary you may find she is only too willing to provide some help and practice in between sessions. When you do find someone talking technospeak (see quote below) simply ask them to explain what they mean and show you what they are talking about. We all started somewhere and it is easy to forget the simple actions and take them for granted, such as how to use the spell checker and create folders. 5.6.2 Technospeak example Please replicate and forward a jpeg of the new building to the press office, they also need a copy of your active database of customer addresses compressed in a zip file. Thanks.
5.7 Maintaining peak performance
One of the major problems for even the most technically able is keeping abreast with the pace of technological change. This was highlighted as long ago as 1998 by Stan Davis and Christopher Meyer: Has the pace of change accelerated way beyond your comfort zone? . . . If so, you are just like everyone else . . . You're not imagining things. Davis and Meyer (1998) Despite a slowdown in the rate of technology spending in 2002/3, the velocity has not really slowed down. Indeed, it might be that the need for software producers to drive up earnings is why we are continually being bombarded with new versions of software and new devices. You only need to be inactive for a few months to find that the software interface has changed and your IT skills have atrophied. Never mind changing your password, where has that icon that you customized gone? The problems are not quite so acute in small organizations or for those who work on their own, as you are more in control of when you upgrade (or even change) the software. Nonetheless, the question still remains as to how can you sustain your level of IT fitness and stay abreast of new developments and innovations, which might benefit you. Not surprisingly it's really all about immersing yourself in what is happening within the world of information and communication technology and/or having a friend or colleague who will guide you and help keep you up to date.
Managing in the Email Office
5.7.1 Immerse yourself in the technologist's world Sir John Harvey Jones (when he was chairman of ICI) used to make a point of meeting his IT director every month for a discussion about current and emerging developments. These sessions were sacrosanct. This was in the early 1980s when the speed of technological change was far slower. The point being that he foresaw that even then, as chairman, he needed to be well briefed about technology and how it might impact the business. This is a belief he still holds: Top managers hate appearing to be idiots. Pride often means that they will not ask anyone to do something that they could not do. But today the sign of a good leader is someone who will ask and that includes asking about IT. You should really think around how you could run your business with limitless computing power. To do that you need access to someone who understands what IT can do . . . Those who understand technology often don't understand business and vice versa. Sir John Harvey Jones, April 2000, in an interview with Dr Seeley (part of which was published in Director, June 2000) Not all of you will be a chairman and have quite the same priorities, but to keep pace with innovations and developments in IT means you must be prepared to walk the talk. Go and talk to those in the know and read some of the IT supplements which come with the daily newspapers and business magazines. Some of the more informative ones are listed in Table 5.1.
Table 5.1 Sources of technology briefings Publication Financial Times Guardian Telegraph Times Economist Business Week Director Wall St Journal Silicon.com
Frequency Bimonthly Weekly Weekly Weekly Quarterly ad hoc Monthly Daily Daily
Source Web and print Web and print Web and print Web and print Web and print Web and print Web and print Web and print Web
Nonetheless.2 Keep a learning log There will be functions and features. You could also use your learning log to record tasks you think you could do more quickly but are not sure how to proceed. We could live off caviar if we were paid for every time we reminded a client how to use this feature. or read a technology-focused article the response is usually in the negative. A typical example is the 'out of office' auto reply. you are prepared to enter a car showroom to pick your model. where to find (within which menu) and any key steps you performed to execute the task. There is an argument which says if you buy a car you are not interested in learning about the engine. If you have an IT fitness coach maybe this could be one of your learning activities. One way to compensate for this is to keep a simple log of how you tackled the problem last time. You cannot expect to keep in step with today's information communications technology and email devices if you don't enter into the technologist's world in some way or another as outlined here. It can help make the experience more meaningful to have a personal translator who can translate the technical sales babble into business benefits.) The essential point is to keep a record of the function (or feature) you used. 73 . they are loaded with technology but they are also a wonderful way to see what else is available. Chances are you will then be frustrated that you cannot remember how to use them next time and slip back into old habits.7. which you come across and use infrequently. Make a permanent note of the menu where the function is located and how to use it. (Of course if you are a paperless person you can do all this electronically in Word or a similar application. When asked when was the last time they went either to a technology briefing. 5. All too often managers complain that they do not understand technology. Then refer to it during a training session with either your IT fitness coach or mentor. Maybe even print out the relevant help page and paste it into your learning log. The log can be either a dedicated notebook or just part of your daybook.Boosting your email IT fitness Have you ever thought of attending an IT trade show? Yes.
do not suffer any dramatic skills loss. This ten-point plan should help you reap a real and ongoing return on your investment in your IT fitness plan. Check your current mental approach to using IT. continue to develop their level of email IT fitness as appropriate.8 Summary This chapter has explored the techniques deployed by the committed users to maintain their optimum level of IT fitness and keep at the forefront of technological innovations.1 Ten tips to developing and maintaining IT fitness equilibrium Identify your current level of email IT fitness and the gaps. It should ensure that you keep within or even grow your optimum level of IT fitness be it bronze or gold. 10 Make sure you occasionally recalibrate your email IT fitness. Decide when and where you will do your learning. These tried and trusted keep fit exercises help them to ensure that they: maintain their profile as a good email citizen.8.7. 5. Locate the necessary training materials (and people). This is a ten-point summary plan to help you develop and maintain you goal level of email IT fitness.3 Have a booster session From time to time have an IT fitness makeover with an IT fitness coach. Reassess your level of email IT fitness and make sure you are still comfortable with all the key functions. Make sure you have set yourself SMART goals. maintain their ability to control the ratio of noise to information in their inbox. Identify what would be the best learning approach for you. Determine what level of email IT fitness you want to achieve. spot new and emerging technologies that might benefit them. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 74 .Managing in the Email Office 5. Keep a learning log as a reminder especially for the infrequent but nonetheless crucial tasks. 5. Block out time for your email IT fitness program.
1 Introduction You have reviewed your personal management processes (Step 1 of the Mesmo model). boosted your personal level of email IT fitness (Step 2). and saved yourself about 20 to 45 minutes per day dealing with your email. We all love gossip but gossip on the email line can be time consuming in more ways than one.6 Auditing your inbox How do I know which emails I really want to receive? How can I measure and reduce the level of noise in my inbox? How can I stop all the unwanted emails? 6. this is where you can gain a quantum return at the personal level. you still feel you are spending too long dealing with your inbox. It entails being ruthless about what information you really need to execute your job. However. But doing nothing is now the most popular and time-wasting option in business email: . What next? This is where it gets tough – Step 3 auditing your inbox. Saying no is always hard. In today's world of e-communications saying yes may be almost as difficult. Yet.
Using the QSPER process described below should help to reduce further the time you spend on email. high 76 . limit the damage caused by the less useful but still required emails. Both of these words are now in danger. determine which emails you should banish from your inbox.2 The QSPER process Auditing your inbox to identify what you really want to see is relatively easy.Managing in the Email Office There are two words that are particularly useful when dealing with business requests. Every day at work we all receive dozens of questions by e-mail and voicemail that need a reply. If you have a high noise. although it may take you a little time depending on the number you send and receive. managing director of an international software house This chapter provides you with a template to audit your inbox and in particular enables you to: identify the emails which are raising the level of noise. Over the years I have become good at knowing what I want to see. particularly the second one. Kellaway (2002) The questions are: How many of these did you really need to receive in the first place? How many do you need to action? How many are not really necessary. Bob. One is yes and the other is no. are just for background information and will remain untouched and eventually sink to the bottom of your inbox and into the recycle bin? How many were addressed directly to you? How many were cc'd? Those who have an inbox high in information. I try to lead by creating the role model. For example. unless you tell people thanks but no thanks. they will keep copying you in. low in noise and which contain the fewest emails have all done an audit of one form or another: It has taken us eighteen months to change the culture – it wasn't easy. 6. reduce the number of unwanted emails which creep into your inbox. They have been supplanted by a third response: nothing. The really hard part can be deciding what to eliminate. I tell people – don't send me that again. You've got to be blunt.
just in case you might need it. Figure 6. Even if you leave them unopened there is still a cost to you.1 and outlined below. Step iii Prioritize the value of each email to you. Step iv Eliminate the unwanted email from entering your inbox in future. There is also the time and cost of your time as they download into your inbox (regardless of whether you are working in an organization or on your own). Segment the content into those for action and those for information.1 The QSPER inbox audit process 77 . These steps are now described in more detail and some templates are provided to help you do your own QSPER audit. Indeed they may be losing you opportunities as they mask the ones you do need. The nub of the QSPER auditing process is to identify those emails which you really do not need and which add no value to how you perform. The QSPER inbox auditing methodology is a five-step sequence as shown in Figure 6. as there will come a point when you will need to delete them.Auditing your inbox information inbox the chances are that you are a hoarder and are loath to throw away anything. Step v Review noise to information levels and reaudit as required. Step i Step ii Quantify the volume of traffic through your inbox.
2.1 Step i – Quantify the volume of traffic First.1 for a typical week and for one day within the week.g. measure the actual volume of email you receive and send on a typical day. Try completing the email traffic template in Table 6. the ratio of received to sent is 3:1. e. You might want to monitor the traffic through your inbox over a few days and even over specific times during the day to spot any unusual trends. How does your ratio of sent to received compare with the norm? What patterns emerge with your inbox? What do you think is the cause of any spikes? What action can you take personally to smooth the spikes? Generally. It does make you wonder who is doing all the sending.2 David's email traffic through the week Similarly there is often a backlog on Monday from those who choose to work over the weekend. For most people this is mid-week as traffic tends to peak at the end of the week when everyone madly tries to tidy up their desk and shorten their 'to-do list' as shown in Figure 6. Bank HoliThe contours of my inbox days.2. as volumes will fluctuate and tend to fall off near holiday periods.Managing in the Email Office 6. Your ratio of sent to received email will also tell you something about the noise level of your 78 . Christmas. Figure 6.
00 17.3. which is direct to you or copied to you.2. This should quickly show you the source of the noise.00 17.Auditing your inbox Table 6. 6.00 to 11.2 Step ii – Segment the content Pick a typical day and now segment the incoming email according to whether it is for action or information: an example template is shown in Table 6.00 Received Sent inbox.00 11. i. next prioritize each item according to how valuable they are to you.2. Some typical scales are shown in Table 6.00 15.3 Step iii – Prioritize the value of each email Whichever grouping you choose.00 to 13.00 to 15. those which have no specific deadline attached 79 .1 Measuring the weekly email traffic flow Traffic through the week Direction Received Sent Ratio sent to received Monday Wednesday Friday Typical daily flow of traffic Time Before 9.00 to After Total 9. Alternatively you might opt for grouping them by address. Look for any patterns and possible easy solutions to gain a quick win in terms of reducing the overall traffic as discussed in Chapters 1 and 2 based on your preferred executive lifestyle. 6.00 13.2.e. that is for every email you receive you instantly bat one back. for example high noise/low information inboxes are often nearer 1:1.
Managing in the Email Office Table 6.2 Segmenting your inbox Category Action Information Total Number received % total number received Table 6.3 Prioritizing your inbox Subject Number for action 1 Key clients New CRM software project Personnel matters Budgets Competition Diary Meeting papers New York office General internal news and gossip Personal Miscellaneous Urgency of action/reading the information 1 = immediate 2 = during the day 3 = over the next few days 4 = no specific time 80 Number for information 4 1 2 3 4 2 3 .
The results of a typical QSPER audit are shown for David Jones.4 in the case history at the end of this chapter. Either.2 and in Figures 6.g. looking at the use of alternative media) you are now at the point of no return.g.4. Scales of importance might be high. low. you choose Table 6. deleted on receipt. would it have been quicker and easier to convey the information by phone. the operations director of a government agency. Regardless of how you choose to segment and prioritize your inbox and how deep you go (e.Auditing your inbox to them and are often only information. as you can quickly chart the results. from a supplier. if you operate some type of shared electronic filing space. medium. Other ways in which you can segment and prioritize the content of your inbox include by sender or by address (cc'd or direct to you). other media would be better.4 Appropriateness of email Number Appropriate Phone would have been more effective Meeting would have been more effective Other media would be better. e. intranet For attachments. Use of other media and attachments At this point you should also review the appropriateness of email as the media to use for the message. You might also want to assess whether any attachments could have been placed on one of these rather than sent to everyone. For example. conventional newspaper or internet news provider). If you are the type for whom a picture is worth a thousand words then use a spreadsheet for the audit. bulletin boards (for Notes users) or intranet. in Figure 6. You might either be on the cc list or they are an e-newsletter (e. Alternative ways of circulating attachments are discussed in Chapter 15. A suggested template for this is shown in Table 6. You may find it more helpful to convert the data into a percentage of the total number received for that day. original paper copy CD-ROM 81 % total inbox .g.3 and 6.
all of which are letters. a cover my backside culture. Encourage the use of shared information areas. The primary action to take is to return all this intrusive noisy email. perhaps it is all part of our need to make everyone loved? Yet those who use email extensively but have the least noise are very good at simply asking 'Why have I been sent this email?' This is the question the managing Five quick ways to remove director of an international the irrelevant emails services and logistics organiReturn to sender with a polite zation frequently put to his explanation of why you no longer need it. Inform the IT department about junk mail you receive. such as: people playing politics. 82 Many managers receive 'position' emails – ones from people who believe they can help . He now very rule. of high priority. Return to sender with a polite explanation of why you no longer need it Many find this hard to do. or you must decide how to embargo some if not all of the unwanted emails. you have changed roles but still receive emails relating to the old role.Managing in the Email Office to live with and accept the state of your inbox and attendant consequences. newsletters that have lost their appeal or relevance. 6.2.4 Step iv – Eliminate the unwanted email To most people nothing is more troublesome than the effort of thinking. peers and subordinates with Apply the email by exception great effect. projects in which you are no longer interested. James Bryce (1901) Studies in History and Jurisprudence The emails which you regard as non-essential may be creeping into your inbox and causing a noise for a variety of reasons as indicated in Chapter 1. rarely receives more than 20 Unsubscribe to unwanted newsemails a day.
IT director of a government agency Another source of intrusive email is when a person has changed jobs but others still believe that person is the one to deal with their request: I just had three emails asking me what quantity of tickets we should order. You know. regional general manager. rather than regular updates just to say everything is on schedule. If not just reply and put 'unsubscribe' in the subject line. This is especially useful when subordinates and peers keep sending you progress notes on projects. You absolutely must tell the sender who is now responsible for the job. Similarly. the tickets to label our bags of widgets. as it will save you much more than two minutes over the coming weeks. Tell them you trust them and really only want to be told of exceptions and impending problems. etc. Apply the email by exception rule Try applying the email by exception rule. But they still keep emailing me! George. This is how one manager deals with such requests: I am often sent emails for action because of my grade. Now I am the general manager this is not my responsibility so I passed them on to Fred the new operations manager. manufacturing company In cases of changing responsibilities it is not enough to forward the email. Unsubscribe to unwanted newsletters If you are on an inappropriate circulation list ask to be removed. Unsubscribe from those that do not add value. Otherwise mushroom management will persist and you have only yourself to blame if emails like this continue to invade your inbox. I send them back saying X is the person in the team who can really make that happen for you. and ask yourself which ones have contained any really useful juicy killer information over the last month. Andrew. Many e-newsletters and e-direct mail will somewhere have a link to click on if you wish to 'unsubscribe'. This may take a couple of minutes to instigate but you will be well rewarded.Auditing your inbox because they are the boss. 83 . take a long hard look at all those e-newsletters. Nine out of ten times it works and I don't need to get involved again.
Therefore most organizations will comply with your request. The use of shared areas is discussed in more detail in Part Three – The corporate perspective. Inform the IT department about junk mail you receive Most email management and anti-spam software works on the principle of knowing the name of the sender to block. Everyone says they are fed up but few take action. but new ones are always emerging. Again patience and persistence do work. you may find you need to reaudit your inbox.5 Step v – Review the noise to information level and reaudit Over time. Your IT department will have a list of the common and well-known names and source of junk mail. your role may change and hence both your 84 . For example. His motto is 'bin the junk mail but not before you have forwarded a copy to the IT department. Complacency rules when it comes to sending one set of information (be it a one line email or a set of attachments). He recommends that 'you don't subscribe to too many newsletters' as this is a seeding ground for new spam and junk mail. A problem can arise if the original recipient has left and you have taken over their inbox. If you do not tell your IT department how else will they know what else you want blocking at source? The VP marketing of one of the leading email management software houses continually scans his inbox for junk mail to see what is new and what has been missed by their software. 6. If they don't a follow-up email with a more stern warning about the Data Protection Act usually works wonders.' Encourage the use of shared information areas All too few organizations exploit the power of shared information areas such as discussion zones on internal websites.2. Maybe you have a persistent company in your specific market place from which you do not want to receive emails.Managing in the Email Office Companies are becoming much more protective of their brand and sensitive to being seen to spam. bulletin boards (for Notes users) and personal portals.
but they could not see exactly what was causing the build-up. was spending nearly all day dealing with his inbox. Operations Director.Auditing your inbox killer information needs and responsibilities will change. information about projects others thought David should be aware of. government agency When David took up his new post he was receiving an average of 100 emails a day. The questions now were which projects did all emails relate to? and how urgent was it that he read them (regardless of whether they were for action or information)? 85 .3 Case history – David. his principal PA. 6.3. final copies of documents David had already commented on. Was it too many cc'd emails. The urgent ones were dealt with as quickly as possible. She listed all the non-urgent ones and if David needed to see the full text he would ask her to run it off. David was spending every Saturday afternoon clearing the backlog of non-urgent emails.1 Spread per day David was receiving about 20 new emails every two hours (roughly one every six minutes). Jo. Both he and his PA just felt bogged down by it all.2 Ratio of action to information As shown in Figure 6. 6. etc. The remaining 65 per cent were sent to him for information. which built up during the week. Every time Jo went to make coffee the inbox looked like the stock market on a bad day – another tidal wave of red was making its way across the screen.3 this revealed that on average only 35 per cent required David to take action.3. be prepared to review your inbox. This is what an audit over a week revealed. His office would prioritize and move them to subfolders within his inbox. They knew something was wrong and far too many emails were flowing into his main inbox. E-newsletters that were once very informative might become less useful. If the level of noise starts to creep up. 6.
3 Content and urgency As shown in Figure 6.Managing in the Email Office Figure 6. a detailed audit for the Wednesday through 'David's Inbox' highlighted that while some of the 'for information' emails did require David to read them. by the end of the week at least 35 per cent had no deadline attached to them.4 Deadlines for David to read his emails 86 .3 David's inbox – the ratio of action to information 6.3. The audit by content revealed that on average 15 per cent related to papers sent out by his division and about which he needed to be aware but which he did not read as he had already signed off Figure 6.4.
His team were asked to put an appropriate title in the subject line (e. Ninety-eight per cent of the time her judgement was correct and the paper file of such emails lay untouched. 6. for example those relating to Project B and meetings. this was welcomed by the team. lower the level of noise.Auditing your inbox the draft. David then discussed the results of the audit with his team. make it quicker to spot the important emails. He was seen as the hub for all discussions about ongoing projects. This represented quite a change in management style especially for an organization steeped in a culture of bureaucracy. that too much noise was blocking up the main inbox. He was no longer to be copied in on every conversation his team had about projects in general. Taken together on a daily basis about 32 per cent of his inbox contained emails that he really did not need to see. which could then be picked up by the rule used to filter this type of email. The five key benefits the audit has started to deliver are to: lessen the time spent by both himself and his office handling his inbox. Project B or meetings). Emails about meetings (either setting the date or papers for future ones) occupied about 17 per cent of the daily traffic. keep David better informed about key issues. just in case David wanted to see them. reduce the total volume of email traffic across his division. He also encouraged them to talk to him more rather than send an email. 87 . It was clear that they copied him on email because he was the boss and this is how the division had always operated. David decided to change the culture and adopt the 'email by exception rule'.4 The solution The quick fix was to divert all the unwanted emails into subfolders.g. Not surprisingly this was the dross that Jo filtered out and printed off. The audit showed up in stark relief what everyone suspected. David is now also exploring the use of a shared area and a discussion zone on his personal website to improve the flow and management of the one-to-many type of emails (especially the conversational logs on which he was copied just because everyone felt he needed to know what was being discussed).3.
6. but inventing new ones. But if you are not prepared to confront change then you may need to learn to live with a busy inbox and lost opportunities. it has shown you some key steps to reduce unwanted email intruding into your inbox. Second. Mintzberg (1994) The final leap to rebalance the ratio of noise to information in your inbox will require a similar reassessment of your use of email to communicate with people to satisfy your and their appetite for information.Managing in the Email Office It was only once he had audited his inbox and personal information needs that he could start to change communications patterns and information flows to use email more effectively. 88 .4 Summary This chapter has shown you how you can audit your inbox to highlight and identify the real causes of the noise. As Mintzberg once said about creating strategy: Real strategic change requires not merely re-arranging the established categories.
at work. At home. and additional stress can .7 Managing stress in the email office Have emails added to your workload? Does your email inbox sometimes feel overwhelming? Do you ever feel out of control in the email office? 7. Mobile phones and the opportunity to download and read emails seem to be everywhere. there are of course 'downsides'. in the hotel or the high street or even while travelling. it is ever present. There seems to be no hiding place from the email office! 7. The sight of someone with a laptop tapping away furiously on a train or on a plane is now a sight many of us take for granted.1 Introduction Wherever we are today.2 How the email office causes stress For all the advantages that these breakthroughs in technology bring. In addition voicemail ensures we cannot miss any calls even if we have more than enough to do and would be glad not to have to return them. the email office is never far away.
e. If not managed effectively. Has your phone ever rung at a highly inconvenient time. etc. The demands of mobile phones and voicemail can also add to the pressure. A greater sense of urgency and shorter deadlines. the increase in technology in general. Emails may add to an individual's stress for the following reasons: They don't really know how to use their computer or particular software packages. unsuitable chair. on holiday. it can become a major contributor to workplace stress. For many the sheer volume of emails places an enormous demand on the working day.Managing in the Email Office be one of them. always appears in the top ten. Fear of viruses. 24 hour communication and the extended day. Eye strain. perhaps right in the middle of a conference.g. incorrect desk height. stress can be a killer. and more specifically emails. Badly managed. Emails have become another pressure on already hectic workloads. during business trips. Unnecessary or junk emails wasting your time. Receiving abrupt and upsetting messages sent by someone equally or even more stressed! Staying on in the office too long or working too late at home to clear the backlog of emails. or not managed at all. Managed effectively it can work in a positive way to enrich our lives and help us to perform more effectively. Muscle tension – caused perhaps by inappropriate equipment. Emails awaiting your return from time out of the office. The sheer volume of daily emails adding to a busy workload. or as you are rushing to catch a train? Do other people's phones annoy you – not only the sound of the ringing but also the type of conversation many people have on them? The electronic office can be a stressful place. 7.3 What is stress? Stress is a normal part of everyday life. When managers are asked what are the main workplace stressors. Being more contactable – at home. 90 .
The amount of pressure will determine whether we can cope or not: Enough pressure for our coping abilities and we can live a healthy and happy life.2 The unbalanced demands and coping strategy 91 . Too little pressure may also result in suffering from stress – the stress of boredom. managing the demands and pressures placed on us and. Figure 7.Managing stress in the email office Stress is the response by the body (mental and physical) to the demands and pressures placed on it. on the other. on the one hand. our coping strategies. Stress management is therefore an issue of.1 Demands are balanced to coping strategies Figure 7. Too much pressure for our coping abilities and we may suffer stress related illnesses. worthlessness and lack of self-esteem.
for their occurrence is still likely to be an indirect consequence of stress. apprehensive. anxious feeling of pointlessness loss of confidence less satisfaction in life demotivated reduced self-esteem Physical signs headaches indigestion and stomach ache palpitations – throbbing heart breathlessness nausea – feeling sick muscle twitches tiredness vague aches or pains skin irritation or rashes susceptibility to allergies excessive sweating clenched fists or jaw fainting frequent colds. By noticing how many of these items you are currently experiencing. For many the pressures of the email office can be the additional demand that turns positive pressure of an enjoyable job and balanced working life into negative stress. no enthusiasm under attack cynical. Even though some of the symptoms may have a clear physical cause.4. This presents another challenge when we try to manage stress in our lives and the lives of those around us.4 Symptoms of stress – the downward slope 7. 7. How often has an email first thing in the morning or last thing at night been the straw that broke the camel's back.Managing in the Email Office The point where positive pressure turns to negative stress will be different for each individual. As personal stress increases more of these symptoms are likely to become apparent. either continuously or from time to time. Emotional signs irritability more suspicious more gloomy. mental and behavioural symptoms of stress. flu or other infections recurrence of previous illnesses 92 . depressed more fussy feeling tense drained. count them nevertheless.1 Some early warning signs The following are lists of common physical. you can obtain an early warning of an increase in stress. It will also be different at various times in our lives. inappropriate humour alienated feeling nervous.
Managing stress in the email office Mental signs indecision memory failing loss of concentration. Use the following scale: 1 2 3 4 5 = = = = = Never Seldom Sometimes Frequently Nearly all the time 93 . easily distracted tunnel vision bad dreams or nightmares worrying muddled thinking making mistakes less intuitive less sensitive persistent negative thoughts impaired judgement more short-term thinking hasty decisions Behavioural signs unsociability restlessness loss of appetite or overeating loss of interest in sex. or overuse disturbed sleep or insomnia drinking more alcohol smoking more taking work home more too busy to relax not looking after oneself lying anti-social behaviour unable to unwind low productivity accident prone bad driving impaired speech voice tremor increased problems at home poor time management withdrawing from supporting relationships Below are some indications of stress (based on Hargreaves (1998)). To establish your general level of stress answer the questions below as honestly as you can.
Look again at the questions you scored the highest 46–60 This range of score means you suffer from stress and are likely to be experiencing some stress related illnesses 61–75 This range indicates a high level of stress. You will most likely be suffering from some stress related illness 94 .Managing in the Email Office Score 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 I tire quickly I am more nervous than others I have regular headaches I work under a great deal of tension I worry over money and business I sweat very easily even on cool days I notice my heart pounding and shortage of breath I have stomach troubles I have had periods in which I have lost sleep over worry I frequently find myself worrying over something I wish I could be as happy as others seem to be I feel that difficulties are piling up so high that I cannot overcome them I have at times worried over something that really did not matter I feel useless at times I am inclined to take things hard Total score 7. Some situations cause stress occasionally.2 What your score means 15–30 A low score means that you are a relaxed person and not likely to be suffering from stress 31–45 This range of score indicates a good level of control most of the time.4.
balancing the laptop on your knees. 7. or are anxious about viruses. 7. 95 .5.2 Constant interruptions It is not essential to have mobile phones on all the time.Managing stress in the email office 7. look at something close at hand and then change your focus by looking at something as far away as possible. 7. As for those voicemails – only answer the ones that are important.5 Tiredness The common cause for this can be those very late nights sitting in front of that screen sending messages or trying to read a mountain of messages that have been sent to you. First. and that it is easy and comfortable to use the keyboard. Those people who ring leaving useless or unnecessary messages will soon tire of doing so if silence is the response.4 Eyestrain Many of us spend far too long looking at computer screens. 7. that you are able to sit correctly.5 Summary 7.1 Anxiety Remember you are in charge! If you are unsure how to use the internet. Make sure you take regular breaks and do eye exercises from time to time.3 Muscle tension Ensure.5. or on a bed is not recommended. when you are using any type of computer.5. with sufficient support. It is no wonder our eyes feel the strain. People will ring back if they are that keen to speak to you.5. Using incorrect workstations.5. go to a class or ask an understanding computer buff to explain what you need to know – at your pace. To stop other people getting frustrated only use your phone when really necessary and keep your conversations brief. get one of the easy-tounderstand manuals. using it stretched out on the floor. To prevent your mobile ringing at an inappropriate time get into the habit of turning it off.
6 Irritability and frustration You may experience these as a result of receiving abrupt and upsetting messages. Retaliating does not usually help – if anything it can add to your problems. Do you feel like retaliating? Does the volume of emails.Managing in the Email Office 7. We feel irritated and frustrated when we perceive there are just too many demands on us or when we are upset by other people's actions. mobile calls and voicemail messages you receive frustrate you? Never forget there is only so much you can do.5. Being assertive and managing your time well can really help. 96 .
We send electronic birthday. memos or faxes. Emails have not only changed the way we communicate but also the way that we relate to people. Most office-based people now send more emails per day than letters. particularly young people.Part Two You and your team in the email office For many people email has become the most commonly used form of written communication in the office. it is also true for personal correspondence between friends and family. It is not difficult to spend the whole day in the office without having a meaningful face-to-face conversation. from invitations to letters of thanks and from a quick 'yes' or 'no' response to a major report. Emails can be quickly typed and sent with the press of a button – hopefully the correct button. Email has become a main way of communicating among team members. Many people entering business today may never have written a formal or business letter. Their main form of correspondence may only ever have been electronic. There are increasingly more cases of emails containing the most intimate details of an exciting weekend being sent out to the entire company database because the wrong button has been pressed! A well-crafted email can have the same positive impact as any other form of written . either business or social with a colleague. from meeting agendas to minutes. For many. get well and Christmas cards and we even use emails for the infamous 'Dear John' letter. We now use email for all forms of written communication – from job applications to letters of resignation. between supervisor and employee and between company and customer.
98 . for many. It has meant that we do not need to attend so many meetings yet has made it easier to stay in contact with the office when away on business trips or on holiday. This has had an impact on what the boss sees first hand. This part looks at gaining maximum benefit from email in relation to working with other people and the impact that your emails have on them. has forced many managers to fend for themselves. Now you spend time on the road dialling up your laptop. maybe you called her once a day to get your messages. It will look at: how to work effectively with your PA and establish a working relationship that will benefit you both. lose a reputation or client. a thing of the past. When you were on the road. Equally an email written in haste can easily offend or upset the recipient. The spread of voicemail in the early 1990s. With most managers now computer literate and able to type.Managing the Email Office communication. Mark. The number of PAs in Britain has dropped by 35 per cent since the beginning of the 1990s. The traditional manager/PA relationship has changed with many managers now being the direct recipient of emails rather than going via the PA. A further sharp fall in secretaries and PAs is expected when voice-operated software becomes more reliable and widely used: Your secretary used to be responsible for managing your typographical errors. The first part of this book looked at how you can gain control of the email office and make it work for you. both in terms of content and layout. the best way to communicate using email. followed by email and handheld computers. Emails know no boundaries and have therefore had a profound impact on the way people work within teams. Now outsiders get access to you through email. senior executive of a global bank Email has tied us to the office computer for longer working days but has also freed us up to be more flexible in our working patterns. many organizations are scrapping their typing pool. The friendly advice from the PA to the member of staff about how to reword a letter or memo is. She used to be able to screen your calls. It also has an impact on the amount of information people receive and have to read and respond to. Now you have to master spell-check. The morning ritual of going through the post with the PA is for many a thing of the past.
99 . Business travel will never be the same again! The following chapters contain various exercises that will help you assess how you can gain maximum benefit from the way you use email and work efficiently with the key members of your team.You and your team in the email office managing email on the move. By following the guidelines you will be able to ensure that you are using the most appropriate equipment and getting the best from it. What equipment do you need and what do you need it to do? the best ways to access your emails on the move.
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not so urgent and nice to know.1 Introduction In the old days.8 Two people. Your phone and correspondence would be diverted and filtered through your PA. The PA was seen as the gatekeeper in more ways than one. at least for those who handle their own email. It would wait in the in-tray until their secretary had date stamped and sorted it into the urgent. But of course email has the potential to change all that. In some cases the sender's missive might never even reach the intended recipient. and in some cases she even patrolled the physical access to your office. who can resist the temptation of opening an email sent direct to you with a subject line about something you are either interested in or responsible for? Maybe it's just to moan that the canteen food is . pre-email. one inbox: working with your PA Is it still best use of my time for me to handle my own inbox? How can my PA and I avoid dealing with the same e-mail twice? How can I ensure my PA sees all my emails even if I deal with them? 8. few managers would have dreamt of directly opening their own mail. After all.
it could be an interesting crumb of information about the competition. Or. for example who was signed into the visitors' book ahead of them. director of operations. effective ways to work with your PA. 8. James. Many CEOs and MDs have told us that by this means they receive interesting and often very valuable snippets of information which they might not otherwise have heard until it was too late to take action. as they would have conventional mail? If they handle their own email then what is the impact on the role of the PA? In this chapter we review: the boss–PA relationship. Of course you don't have to open the next one if you decide the sender is not saying anything of value. insurance company For many the dilemma is should they handle their own email or do they let their PA primarily deal with it. They are people working at the coalface of the business who spot something that they feel Grove needs to know. Dealing with one's own email is to some extent a double-edged sword. pros and cons of handling all your own email. On the other hand. Otherwise people think I can always email him if I can't get past the secretary. even if they don't want it.Managing the Email Office awful.2 Three options for working with your PA There are three main ways of involving your PA in the process of handling your email as shown in Figure 8. Andy Grove (1996) calls these senders his 'Cassandras of his business world'. Email encourages people at all levels to communicate with others who they wouldn't normally contact directly.1: 102 . On the one hand it opens this rich network of communications paths. which cut right across all conventional organizational boundaries. handling your own email can be time consuming and create an ever-open door syndrome as this executive commented: It enables you to get something in front of someone's nose. That's why my secretary filters my email. how to store old emails when you both access the inbox. the changing role of the PA.
Some of the leading captains of industry handle all their own email. 'Named driver' approach – it is a joint effort. Before moving on to how to work the inbox together here is a short exercise to help you review your existing relationship with your PA and see if there is any need to make improvements. 103 . make sure you always keep your PA in the loop. one inbox: working with your PA Figure 8. the ultimate success will depend on the quality of your underlying working relationship with each other. Of those who enjoy the bonus of having a PA handle their inbox is fairly evenly split across the three processes.Two people. while others adopt a chauffeured approach. no matter how extensively. 'Owner driver' – you primarily handle all your email. Whichever approach you take carries health warnings and before examining how best to make each way work there are two important caveats. Second. First.1 Who's driving the inbox 'Chauffeured' approach – your PA primarily handles your email. Third. there really are no absolute rights and wrongs – you must choose the way with which you are most comfortable and which adds the most value to your 'executive lifestyle'. if you do involve your PA.
1 2 3 4 5 7 1 2 3 4 5 8 1 2 3 4 5 I've never really thought about appraising or training my PA. and I do my best to achieve them. My PA does not always know what work is important for me. and I take time to train and develop his/her knowledge. My PA is a great help in preparing for and following up my meetings. I think my PA is only vaguely aware of my job. After training. and knows how to protect my time. who already deals effectively with my low priority work. 1 2 3 4 5 I'm not so sure that my PA knows much about our organization. 10 1 2 3 4 5 104 . its latest developments and plans. I always let my PA know how he/ she is doing. and by when. We could improve the way we organize our office and our desks. 9 1 2 3 4 5 The last thing I want to know from my PA is how he/she thinks I can do things better. It is fairly searching.Managing in the Email Office 8. why. but we've yet to define how – and I have yet to train him/her to take on more important tasks. but often stimulates major potential for improvement. There's a lot more my PA could do to help me prepare for and follow up my meetings. 2 1 2 3 4 5 3 1 2 3 4 5 4 I always sit down with my PA early in the day to communicate and plan. and are tolerant about our shortcomings. Our personal relationship could be better. of what I am trying to achieve. We get on well together. There is much more routine work that my PA could handle. and who are the major competition. 1 I am more than happy that my PA knows about our organization. He/she could improve our daily control by protecting my time. and who are the major competition. 1 2 3 4 5 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 We have developed a highly effective way of running our office and our workflow. my major activities and deadlines. My PA feels comfortable enough to point out my 'areas for improvement'. My PA knows what work is important for me. I can now delegate more important work to my PA.3 Working with your PA: self-assessment exercise This exercise highlights whether you are using your PA effectively. what I am trying to achieve. its latest developments and plans. I'm sure my PA knows what my job is. We appreciate the best in each other. I very rarely sit down to communicate and plan with my PA – especially early in the day.
and relieves the pressure on you. very few managers are trained how to use a PA. one inbox: working with your PA 8.4. A good PA is a tremendous help in guarding your diary from becoming overcommitted. It is also very much to their benefit – you will be turning important work around earlier. Involve your PA in your diary planning Brief your PA on your diary commitments and when you want to keep time free for yourself.4 Overall assessment 10 20 30 40 50 8.1 Interpretation 10–14 Excellent working relationship – a team 15–24 Very good utilization 25–35 Working relationship developing 36–45 Being used as a typist 46–50 Substantial PA underutilization occurring 8.2 Best practice Your PA is one of the most valuable and immediate resources you have. Here are some guidelines that may help develop the working relationship between you and your PA. gives them greater job satisfaction. Most PAs have been trained for their job and will have some. They are also often the one you use least effectively. However. if not many. skills. PAs represent an area of huge potential that is seldom realized. which is not too surprising. Their induction course might well have been a long time ago. Delegate higher priority work It enriches their job.Two people. 105 . Brief your PA on your business Take time to brief your PA regularly on anything that will make them feel part of a successful organization – rather than just a tiny cog in a huge machine.4.
failing to return telephone calls that they screened for you. according to which approach you decide to adopt: chauffeured. 2 for Sometimes and 1 for No and then add up your score.Managing in the Email Office Beware of 'bad manners' We can all be guilty of these occasionally – failing to let your PA know your whereabouts.e. or owner driver. leaving them to 'cover' for you. Statement The way my PA prioritizes my inbox is a very accurate reflection of my needs I always make sure my PA is kept in the picture We work within a clearly defined process for handling email We review regularly the processes we use to handle my inbox We are always trying to improve the protocols we use to manage the inbox Emails are only ever handled once by one of us (i. but it goes a long way. 106 . 8. Score 3 for Yes. you don't both open and reply to the same email) My score ____ Yes Sometimes No Interpretation of your score 18 to 15 points You are working well together 14 to 10 points There is probably some wasted time and effort and hence scope for improvement 9 to 6 points You are probably not handling the inbox very effectively and efficiently as a team and should consider how you can save each other time (and maybe some stress) Here are some ways you can improve how you work the inbox together. named drivers. etc. Thank you It costs little to say it.5 How effectively are you and your PA managing your inbox? Read the following statements and tick the box which most closely corresponds to your opinion of how you and your PA work together to manage your inbox.
Sandra will forward any emails. On very busy days Sandra will print out the emails and place them in paper files marked up in the same way. Alex uses the same process when he deals with his inbox when Sandra is not available: he moves emails to one of the above folders. agreeing a meeting. Here is how they work.Two people. which are directly for Alex. Emails.g. treasury function. She reads all Alex's emails and deals with those where she knows what's required. are then sorted into four folders: 'Very urgent' – must deal with today 'Urgent' – need to be dealt with over next two days 'Medium priority' – need to be aware of this 'FYI' – (for your information) When Alex is in the office he will look in the folders and deal with the contents and then move the email to one of three folders: Actioned Sandra to Action Print When he deals with an email himself and there is an action to follow up he copies in Sandra so she can keep track of it. and bad debt collection. Alex spends much of his time in meetings both on and off site.6. Where there is a follow-up action she creates a reminder in her calendar. which describes exactly who is responsible for which tasks. Sandra works directly from within Alex's inbox and her own. e. but by and large Sandra deals with his email. He only deals directly with his inbox outside normal office hours. bought ledger. has worked with him all that time. which relate to one of these functions to the relevant person. He has been in his current post for about seven years and Sandra. He has a silver level of IT fitness.6 The chauffered approach 8. one inbox: working with your PA 8. e.g. Alex has a very clear organization chart. his PA. When he sends a new email about which Sandra needs to be aware he will again copy her in. Sandra then checks these and files the emails in the appropriate folder when she has finished with them. He receives about 40 emails per day.1 Case history – Alex and Sandra Alex is the finance director of a medium-sized UK retail company. His staff know that when 107 .
7 Named drivers In this situation there is more direct active interaction by the boss. or from another office. She has been in this post for just under a year. Some managers prefer their PA to sort their email by project rather than priority. Sandra and Alex have spent quite some time refining how they handle Alex's inbox and telling the department how they work and what Alex likes to see and how. so be prepared to review the sorting process several times.7. they found they were often both handling the same email and Janet had great difficulty keeping track of what Rosemary had and had not actioned and sent. while in transit using remote access. This can sometimes take time to refine. which are printed off. The more you refine it the quicker it will be for you both and the more you minimize the chance of an important email going unread. Both have worked in the organization for over ten years but this is the first time they have worked together. the key is to make sure you both agree on what goes where. and from home (as she works from home one day a week). When someone contacts Sandra she will nearly always either know about or be able to locate the email to which the person is referring regardless of whether she or Alex sent it. depending on the available time. Janet deals with the inbox when Rosemary is either out or in meetings. She often sends emails before and after Janet leaves. Rosemary can then either dictate or send a reply. Now. for example between meetings. Janet was PA to the previous HR manager. 8. This process works well for them and Sandra is always kept in the loop. Initially. 108 . Whatever set of names you use. etc. 8.1 Case history – Rosemary and Janet Rosemary is the HR manager for a large public sector organization. When Janet is dealing with the inbox she will read and sort the email by project (Rosemary prefers this) except for very urgent ones.Managing in the Email Office replying they must only use the 'Reply' button and not 'Reply All'. they have a similar process for managing the email as Alex and Sandra. Rosemary deals with her own email whenever she is in her office and not either in a meeting or writing a report. otherwise he and Sandra end up with two copies.
as they tend to keep even deletable items for a week. This way she can read the emails en route and deal with them immediately. However. Although it takes Rosemary an extra few seconds. For those which Janet needs to action. even though the email might seem urgent as a response was needed quickly. However. Janet will often print off emails if Rosemary is exceptionally busy with wall-to-wall meetings or about to travel. she leaves Janet to action the deleting process. The only downside of this approach is the size of the screen when the email is long and handling attachments is still tricky. Sometimes when Rosemary is very busy she will just scan her inbox quickly but not actually deal with it. Rosemary does not carry a laptop as most of her travel is within the UK and between offices. Again. just in case they are needed. she is just experimenting with a palmtop. They also have a 'delete' folder into which Rosemary will move items for deletion. They chose a set labelled by key project names and one called 'the boss'. She can either dictate a reply in transit or log-in on arrival and send her own reply. That way Janet will see them as new emails and deal with them accordingly. Rosemary will usually 'edit' the incoming email with her suggestions. As they had not worked together before and Rosemary was new to the post it took them about three iterations to find the right pattern of labels for the folders for incoming email. which require action from either one of them or someone else. An 'order of urgency'. as Sandra and Alex used. which Janet can synchronize and give her as she leaves the office. When the office is really busy Janet will print a list of incoming emails for that day and together they will check the listing just 109 . On these occasions she resets any she has opened back to 'unread'. it means Janet can use her time more effectively and again limits the scope for disasters and misunderstandings. like Alex she copies it to Janet. one inbox: working with your PA Incoming mail which Rosemary deals with is again moved into a folder by Rosemary after she has read it (like those folders which Alex and Sandy use). She tries to take the time to use another colour for her comments as this makes it so much easier for Janet. did not work because on any given day the actual priority might be the project.Two people. When Rosemary sends an email about which Janet needs to be aware. They both use the calendar to help keep track of emails.
He takes a handheld device wherever he goes and is known for the speed with which he will reply to an email (never more than three hours). He often receives upwards of 70 emails a day. Pat. He deals with all his own email except those relating to diary matters.) Again this process of moving mail once one party has dealt with it to an appropriate folder ensures that by and large an email is only handled once and nothing vital is lost. Barry immediately forwards all such emails to her and copies in the sender. (This happened to Rosemary once when an email from a Minister was somehow overlooked. You might even have a high noise/high information inbox. Many take a calmer and less 110 . It does present a problem sometimes. This is how he has always worked and is quite happy to continue in this vein. deals with his diary. you will be a gold user and suffering some degree of email addiction. It must be stressed at this juncture that not all owner drivers 'rev' their inbox in the fast lane. Owner drivers of the inbox can range from managers in large international organizations who receive up to 150 emails a day to managing directors of their own companies who receive about 30 emails a day. The thought of someone else dealing with your email is beyond your wildest imagination. than colleagues who delegate. 8.8. Nonetheless they survive. as Pat cannot always deal with queries which relate to email conversations where Barry has not copied her in on the original. if not more so. his PA.Managing in the Email Office to make sure nothing has slipped through the cracks. Typically. and Rosemary was careful to feed back to Janet when emails were wrongly sorted. and Barry feels he is just as efficient.8 Owner drivers You are master of your own inbox. 8. Rosemary and Janet worked hard at finding just the right names for the folders.1 Case history – Barry Barry is the European operations director for an international technology company. You probably stay connected even when on holiday through some means or another (and most usually through to a handheld device). Janet too would chip in if she couldn't find an email Rosemary had sent or handled.
but email addicts needs to be careful in case everyone thinks they must be like you.1 Different ways of driving the inbox Criteria Approach – advantages and disadvantages Chauffeured Managing the level of noise Maybe hard as you may not know how much noise you really receive. Make sure your PA does not feel excluded and a loss of power as the gatekeeper. Owner driver You are in total control and can quickly see the noise level increasing. Silver to gold. Make sure you are not spending too much time on email. 111 . frenetic limousine approach. Actions always speak louder than words so may be harder to establish best practice. Named drivers Easier as you will see the level of noise. They leave their PAs to sift and deal with the urgent emails when they are either on leave or out for more than half a day. Just make sure you don't increase the noise level so that it obscures the real information. Well placed to establish the role model. but your PA may get fed up of acting as the email postman. Developing a network of Cassandras May be hard. as people know you don't read your own emails and are not sure if you see them all.Two people. Bronze is minimum. Easy as people know that by and large their email will reach your eyes. They effectively drive their inbox in the middle lane and stay off-line when on leave. one inbox: working with your PA Table 8. Silver is minimum. Required level of email IT fitness Good email citizenship Use of your and your PA's time If you are busy this may be a good use of your time. Best placed to establish best practice and set the role model for both your own team and the organization. Striking a balance means you both use your time well providing there is no duplication of effort. Other email-centric Cassandras will welcome you with open arms into their network.
Managing in the Email Office As we said at the beginning no one approach is definitively right or wrong.1 Your inbox is over the limit How many times have you had an email message like this one from your IT department. Indeed you are probably one of the first to wonder why on earth the IT department are asking for a new server. the most common of which is a CD-ROM). 8. your PA can no longer log-in from her PC and access any of the 112 . Now here is the rub when it comes to working with your PA. It is about what works for you. Ah. please clear your inbox. most IT departments are constantly berating their users to clear their inboxes as they have exceeded the limit. you ask your PA to 'tell the IT department to increase the limit'. or archive the old emails (either onto another area of your PC or another media.9 Two people. 8. Worse still you cannot send an email because you are so over the limit! Server storage space costs money. these still take up space and count towards your personal allocation of space on the server. but you are busy. What you have to do is either: move the emails (and indeed folders) to your 'personal' folders. Table 8. You have exceeded you storage limit. Consequently. That is. and anyway doesn't the IT department realize there is more to life than worrying about overcrowded inboxes? So. It is not enough simply to file your emails in folders.1 gives a summary of the pros and cons of each of these options for driving your inbox. one set of archives One of the main problems about working with either your PA or even another member of your team is storing and accessing the old emails. A few days later the same messages comes back.9. once you either move emails to personal folders or 'archive' them they no longer become shared. better or worse. In Microsoft Outlook. which actually reside on the hard disk of you PC.
This is a book about the process of working with your inbox.10 Summary This chapter has provided advice and guidelines on how best to work with your PA when dealing with email. you are not home and the CD is in the office). Store them on a CD You can both access them and providing you have the CD (e. which are either in your personal folders or have been archived on your PC. Obviously. There are ways around this as summarized in Table 8. When is it the best option? When you are chauffeured and your PA is the principal driver of your inbox. so for more detail about the technical aspects of archiving (and the pros and cons of this as a technique) you should consult either one of the technical manuals listed in the Bibliography or your IT department. Personal folders are what the name implies and reside on the PC of the person who owns the inbox. i. Very good for storing really old emails to which you rarely need to refer. The protocol and procedure for granting permission to your PA to access your email will vary from organization to organization 113 . providing you both have access to each other's PCs. you. When you are an owner driver and you are the principal driver of your inbox. emails.g. one inbox: working with your PA Table 8.e. Most of the guidelines can also be applied when working as part of a small team and you need to share and access the email tidal wave with another member of the team. The main point to note here is that once you have moved emails from your inbox it is no longer quite so easy to have shared access. Same as above but in reverse. it does not matter on whose PC the old emails are stored or in what way (as personal folders or archives). 8.Two people.2 Storing old emails Method Move them to your PA's personal folders Move them to your personal folders Pros and cons They can only be accessed from your PA's PC.2.
deal. 7 Ensure emails are only handled once by one person. 10 Remember.Managing in the Email Office and this is a matter on which you will need to seek help and advice from your IT department. 2 Agree on a folder structure that is meaningful to you both. 114 . 5 Make sure you keep to the agreed processes. 4 Decide on whose PC it is best to store the old emails. The essence of this chapter is the management processes and principles of how two people can effectively and efficiently manage one inbox. 8 Respect each other's way of working and provide each other with feedback about how it is going. 9 Keep your PA in the loop regardless of how extensively you involve him/her in dealing with your emails. delete and delegate still rules.1 Ten ways to save time managing your emails with your PA 1 Decide who will deal with what and when and then agree on which approach to adopt. 3 Be prepared to review and rework both the folder names and how you work together. 8. 6 Always mark as unread any emails you have skimmed but not properly dealt with.10. The key points are summarized below.
1 Introduction Many of us could not imagine business without email. if not impossible. 9. Desk rage is the new office epidemic and this can be sparked by the daily avalanche of emails. In addition. Email has made communication faster and more inclusive as more people can be involved in decision making. For many people too many inappropriate and badly written emails are the curse of the .9 Communicating in the email office Do you sometimes use email inappropriately? Do some people annoy you because of the way they use email? Do you wish some people would just talk to you rather than always send emails? Does your organization have an email policy? Recent research issued by a major internet service provider reveals that most people under the age of 25 have never written a formal letter and are signing business emails 'love and kisses'. Like all good things. email is also subject to abuse and misuse. For most of us. our jobs would be much more difficult. it can also be tangible proof and an auditable record – a 'papertrail' for many aspects of business.
It might be appropriate to go back afterwards and confirm the discussion so you have a formal record in writing. when complex issues are being delegated these are better dealt with in a meeting. As email replaces more formal methods of communicating several key issues need to be addressed as organizations develop a strategy for managing email traffic. Jean. global IT consultancy While the use of email has become the preferred method of communicating for so many aspects of business life there are certain issues for which it is not the most appropriate method. benefits. This may include conversations about salary. I think when talking to people about how they have done in their job it is really.Managing in the Email Office modern office. objectives or performance. Introducing guidelines for writing effective and appropriate emails. These issues include: When is it not appropriate to communicate by email? What are the key elements that need to be included in an email policy? How to implement and enforce an email policy. Similarly. especially if the news is not so good. 9. business development manager. Matters to do with someone's personal relationship with the business are best done face to face. The result of this is that many organizations are now examining how they and their employees can gain maximum benefit from email and address the more negative aspects of this business revolution. This will particularly be the case when you want people to do something that they probably don't want to do: 116 . really important to do it face to face. I would never use e-mail for that. It may also be that a quick phone call or chat rather than a series of emails going backwards and forwards could deal with the issues.2 When is it not appropriate to communicate by email? Never for performance appraisal. This may be because the subject matter is of a more personal or delicate nature and therefore more suited to a face-to-face discussion. whether good or bad. certainly in the initial stages.
Communicating in the email office
In our company a very common way of persuading or influencing people to do something is to call people to a meeting and make a presentation. You can then build your argument and see if everyone agrees. You can check that you are carrying people with you on the way. Peter, project manager, IT software company Email is also not the best form of communication when the issue relates to something of a delicate nature because it will be important to pick up reactions from the other person's body language and other non-verbal signals.
9.3 Case study
This case study looks at the appropriateness of email, videoconferencing and face-to-face communication when discussing delicate situations. 9.3.1 Paul, head of research – multinational company I would never send an email where I needed to have a much better sense of what the other person was thinking or where there were sensitivities involved. People can make catastrophic social errors in email just through the syntax of the style they use. So where you need to have discussion or need to see the whites of someone's eyes there is no substitute for physical contact. In these situations virtual meetings [videoconferencing] doesn't work either. There is more to communication than simple sight and sound. Human beings actually get physical feedback. I do a lot of conference speaking. I did one yesterday and got up at 4 am to do a video presentation to our office in Sydney. It's not the same thing, you can see the audience but it's not the same as standing with the audience. You actually don't get the feedback, it's the same as using a telephone. If you are physically with them they tell you at a subconscious level what they can hear, whereas without being physically there you don't get that. The same is true of conversations. You tend to get a dumbingdown of the trivializations of conversation. It becomes less emotionally rich than being in the same room as the other participants. You see it also in web-based discussion groups. Here you get very rapid entrainment, so the very first two or three people in the discussion set the norm for the group. Because you can't see the other people involved and aren't visibly part of the group, you don't know whether that is the norm or not and you go along with it.
Managing in the Email Office
The other day I was in a discussion group and I was getting angry with one person and there was no point in trying to carry on. But then a whole bunch of people came in and said why stop as we have been finding the discussion interesting. But my gut feeling was that it had gone on too long and no one else was taking part. It was just two of us passing stuff backwards and forwards, but actually the group was enjoying it. Now if that had been in a physical group you would have seen that but you don't see it like that in a virtual email discussion. This is a summary of the type of messages for which email is and is not appropriate:
Nature of message Annual appraisal Confirm appraisal action points Performance feedback Delegating complex task Update company policy Meeting agenda Thank you letters Delicate decision requiring buy-in Knowledge sharing or fact finding Arranging meetings Networking to keep in touch
Email No Yes No No Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes
9.4 What are the key elements to be included in an email policy?
A clear email policy will help prevent time wasting, protect the security of your systems and data and minimize the risk of legal problems. An email policy should include guidelines on the following. 9.4.1 Permitted use of the company email system This will indicate what employees can use the email system for. It may state that employees can only use the company email system for business purposes. In reality, this is unlikely to
Communicating in the email office
happen and most organizations recognize that employees will use the system for personal emails as well. In reality it is very difficult to stop employees receiving personal emails and allowing some personal use of email may improve employees' morale, and even efficiency. However the policy may limit personal use. It might prohibit: Excessive personal use of email. For example, transmitting large attachments or joining busy mailing lists. Inappropriate or illegal content. Offensive jokes can be a particular problem area. Engaging in illegal activities. For example, using email to harass someone or deliberately sending a virus. Encrypting personal email and attachments. Running a personal business while at work. It may be possible to give employees separate personal email addresses. Email can then be filtered into separate business and personal folders.
9.4.2 The content of emails Many organizations have developed guidelines in their policy that cover the style and tone that should be used in company email. For most organizations this is usually somewhere between the informality of a telephone conversation and the formality of a letter: Adopt a similar style as your contacts. A formal style may appear laboured and tedious to people who are used to quick, friendly emails. Some sectors and some nationalities have their own standards. For example, a law firm might send more formal messages than a new media company. Short emails can appear brusque. Typing in capitals is the email equivalent of shouting, and can be considered rude. Use a more formal letter style for formal documents or when approaching someone for the first time. Set up your software's signature feature to add letterhead details and any disclaimer to your messages automatically. (See Chapter 4 for tips and hints on how to make best use of your software to save time.)
Managing in the Email Office
Specify what content is prohibited in company emails. This should include: sexist, racist or otherwise offensive material; defamatory material; content that is protected by copyright; links to inappropriate material.
9.4.3 Good practice for sending emails Employees should use their own, password-protected accounts to send emails and passwords should be strictly controlled. Encourage the use of email rather than phone calls for communications you wish to keep a record of. Encourage employees to think whether email is automatically the best form for internal communications. It might be quicker to speak to someone on the telephone or to walk to their desk or office. Establish standards for outgoing messages Set out what typeface, type size and colour should be used. Consider putting a limit on the size of any attachments. Many internet service providers place restrictions on attachment size (e.g. 5 Mb). Have rules for handling confidential information The email policy may ban certain types of information from being sent by email. For example, lists of customers and information about new products. It might specify that some information can only be sent using encrypted email.
9.4.4 Explain the potential contractual significance of emails to employees An email can be as contractually binding as any other form of communication. You may choose not to use email for any contractually significant communications, and insist that all such documents are sent by letter. Consider including a disclaimer on emails. For example, an extremely simple disclaimer might state:
Communicating in the email office This email is confidential, and is intended for the use of the named recipient only. If you have received this message in error, please inform us immediately, and then delete it. Unless it specifically states otherwise, this email does not form part of a contract.
9.4.5 Good practice when receiving email A company email policy will set out who should read incoming emails Generally, employees should read only their own emails (using their own passwords to access the system). Establish how you will handle emails sent to a general address you might have (e.g. firstname.lastname@example.com). Assign responsibility for dealing with such emails and set up your technology so that only the relevant people can read them. The policy should also cover how incoming emails are handled when employees are absent (e.g. on holiday). A simple option is to use an auto-responder to send a reply saying how long the employee will be absent, and giving an alternative contact. The policy should set out your security procedures for dealing with viruses This will particularly show the procedure employees should follow for dealing with attachments. Some organizations set a response time It might stipulate that all incoming emails should be replied to, or at least acknowledged, within 24 hours. If you have a permanent connection to the internet, and contacts who are used to using email, you may find that a faster response time is more appropriate. Software is now available that can help filter and prioritize emails. (See Chapter 4 for the personal aspects and Chapter 15 for corporate solutions.) The policy should also explain how unwelcome emails should be dealt with For example: Ask employees to tell friends not to send them inappropriate emails.
122 . If you fail to do so. you should make employees aware of this.6 Monitoring email There are legal restrictions on how you can monitor employees' use of email. Preventing abuse of your telecommunications system. although this remains a grey area. Making sure employees are complying both with the law and with your internal policies. and for what purposes. 9. It is not usually a good idea to respond to spam. This should also include a clause on email monitoring in your employment contracts.g. If you wish to make interceptions for other purposes (e. 9. even just to ask to be taken off a mailing list. Tell employees how email traffic is monitored If you use monitoring software to produce a log of sent and received emails.4.5 Implementing the organization's email policy 9. you will need the consent of both the sender and the recipient. Checking emails when employees are on leave. A response confirms that the email has been sent to a live address.Managing in the Email Office Delete junk emails (spam). The policy should inform employees how you will monitor emails. marketing).1 Before implementing the policy consider taking expert advice Although many aspects of your email policy will follow standard guidelines. you will need to get consent if you want to perform checks. including: Establishing the specific content of transactions and other important business communications. Explain that you reserve the right to read individual emails You may inspect individual emails for 'specific business purposes'.5. it may be worth consulting a solicitor or other advisor.
9. Emails are like any other form of written communication in that they convey a message and can become part of a permanent record.e. Make sure managers familiarize themselves with the contents of the policy.3 Put in place any software that will help implement the policy Ask IT experts about automated solutions that can help you reduce potential problems. irritated or upset.2 Make the policy available to everyone Ask employees to sign a copy to confirm they have read it. This might include: Monitoring software to provide a record of email traffic.6 Writing a good email Like other forms of written communication email says many things about the sender and the organization. These are discussed in more detail in Chapter 15. Using virus-checking and other security software.4 Provide any training that is needed Employees may need training in effective use of email software. the reader.5. It is one thing to have a policy but another thing to enforce it. It is important to take care when writing emails that they convey the correct message in terms of content and the 123 .5. make sure that it is properly implemented as discussed in Chapter 16. Provide a contact name for employees who have any questions. i. A policy that sits in a drawer or on a notice board is useless.Communicating in the email office 9.5. Having gone to the trouble of writing a policy. Refer to the policy in your employment contracts. Emails are seen as a quicker and more casual form of communication than letters or reports and the writer will often take short-cuts in both style and layout. Using auto-responder software to reply to emails when employees are absent. 9. This can result in the clarity of the message being diluted and the recipient. Filtering software to help employees prioritize emails. 9. becoming confused.
not the writer's. If somebody is receiving 50 plus emails a day they need to be able to gain an instant feeling of what each message is.1 Report style layout Figure 9.2 Guidelines on layout Keep addressees to a minimum Avoid the temptation to copy the world in on your email.2).2 Headline layout 9.Managing in the Email Office impression it gives of you and your organization.6.1 and 9. People get annoyed at receiving unimportant or irrelevant emails. If 124 . Email should reflect the second style (Figure 9. It is therefore important in the layout to make it easy for the reader to gain a quick understanding of what the email is saying. Figure 9.1 Layout As with all forms of communication it is important to write the email from the reader's point of view. Here are some general guidelines on both layout and style.2) with the headline being the subject heading. If it is a longer letter or report.6. the key messages should be contained in the main email and the full letter or report supplied as an attachment. 9. Most written communications reflect one of two layouts (see Figures 9.
check before you send! The use of different font and colours can be distracting You want your email to be clear and easy to read so keep it simple. 'Hi'. Recipients of emails. e. Choose the appropriate greeting and use the person's name For some people emails equal speed and thus short-cuts. 'Budget 2003' could mean a number of things. 'Allocation of Budget 2003' or 'Reduction in Budget 2003' makes it clear to the recipient what the email is about and may help to grab their attention. The use of capitals in the main text of an email is the equivalent of shouting at somebody Do not use them unless you would normally shout at the person if you were speaking face to face! 125 . Remember. 'Dear' and 'Hello' are the most common greetings and 'Kind regards' or 'Best wishes' the most common sign-offs. Some people don't bother to start their emails with any greeting or finish with an appropriate sign-off.Communicating in the email office you regularly copy people in on unimportant emails they are less likely to read the all-important one when you do send it. Remember that each email you send asks for someone's time. Most people don't understand what you mean.g. Make the subject heading meaningful Make sure it tells the recipient what the email is really about. 'Love and kisses' is probably never appropriate in the workplace. Avoid using emoticons An emoticon is an electronic symbol of emotions. If in doubt use the more traditional 'Dear' and 'Yours sincerely' or if you want to be slightly less formal 'Dear' and 'Regards'. This can appear sloppy and rude especially in the business environment. particularly in the working environment do become annoyed by emails that are overfamiliar or include spelling and grammatical errors.
Communication can now be timely – though we are all dependent on network capacity and performance.1 Email etiquette and protocols The growth in the use of emails in the organization has brought with it some considerable advantages.7 Case study of an email policy taken from a public sector organization This shows an example of a relatively simple but effective email policy. which has led to some adverse comments from recipients. 9. either on the off-chance that they might be interested. 9. There is also considerably less paper passing around between departments in the form of memoranda. or because the sender feels that it would be a good idea for the recipient to know about a particular issue.7. downsides to this development. 126 . There is an increasing load on the network and on individuals' screens. Email communication can also on occasions be somewhat curt.Managing in the Email Office Figure 9. however. There are also. suggesting that more care needs to be taken over this form of communication.3 Writing the perfect email Keep emails short If they are equivalent to more than a sheet of A4 paper then use attachments. comprising messages that are sent to colleagues. People easily get bored or distracted when reading long emails.
We have also taken the opportunity to give some guidance on the use of the organization's email addresses for private use. Use the subject field to be as specific as you can to assist the recipient to identify the issue being discussed quickly. do not request a confirmation of delivery and reading. However. Avoid including a full address for internal emails – particularly burdensome if it also includes a full international address. 127 . for those who receive many emails each day some reference to the original issue is important. telephone number and personal homily.Communicating in the email office We feel therefore. Generally. since this adds to the network traffic in an unnecessary way. Try to ensure that emails are copied only to those people who have an immediate need to receive the information contained in the communication. Avoid long and detailed emails which will require excessive scrolling to read on-screen. The following guidelines are therefore set out to try to avoid some of the worse pitfalls of email communication: Remember that emails are part of the permanent record and you should take as much care over their content as any other written form of communication. that it is appropriate to set out some general principles to cover the use of email within the organization. Short paragraphs are very helpful to readers. Additional copies both waste colleagues' time and contribute to network overload. Unless it is absolutely necessary. so erasing all trace of the original message can be counterproductive. anything above one side of A4 should probably be communicated in another format – probably by an attachment. Scrolling endless addresses is frustrating and not necessary. Set out the email on the screen so that it is easily legible and conforms to reasonable standards of graphic presentation. Use address groups whenever possible. Return only that part of the original message that needs to be sent back – it's much easier for the reader if unnecessary material is edited from the return message. Guidelines Email is an easy form of communication but it is important that within the organization we try to keep some form of overall control if only to ensure that important messages are read in a timely fashion and irrelevant material does not impinge on an individual's workload.
3 Produce protocols and guidelines for emails as with any other form of written communication. 5 Think before you press! Is email the best medium for this particular communication and is it going to make the impression you want. for example to the press or as part of a private legal case where the use of the work email address could lead the recipient to attribute a personal view to this organization. 2 Write the email from the reader's point of view and understanding.8 Summary This chapter has looked at emails as a modern form of communication and the challenges that communicating in emails presents both the individual and the organization. and sticks to. We expect that: 1 such emails are kept short. 9. the policy. 4 Ensure everybody in the organization is aware of. As a relatively new form of written communication we need to create guidelines for ensuring that we use emails both appropriately and effectively.Managing in the Email Office Personal emails We recognize that many people receive and respond to personal emails through their work address. 3 work addresses are not used to communicate personal opinions or statements. 128 . 2 work addresses are not used for sending on 'chain emails'. Five ways to ensure email communication is appropriate and effective: 1 Think of emails as any other form of written communication. The key points are summarized below.
I think the so-called data-rich may well turn out to be the losers: sad screen drones.10 Email on the move: a necessity or an option? Do I really need access to my email all the time? What are the benefits of being able to access my email when I am on the move? What are the drawbacks of accessing my email in transit? 10. Without Walls: J'Accuse-Tecnonerds. 19 March 1996 . In my world the privileged may well be the unplugged.1 Introduction This world offers a pretty sad. Channel 4. painfully inadequate experience. Janet Street-Porter. I can't help feeling that access to this stuff isn't the big advantage they all think it is. plugging away with their mod cons and instant online access into an empty space because it happens down the phone line. thin.
For many. be it a drink. It is a chance to catch up on how they and their part of the business are doing and to sow the seed for some future work! (How much extra work is often generated by those casual corridor conversations and informal discussions?) And to think I nearly sacrificed quality time at one of my key clients for the sake of reading a few emails. which are driven by technological excellence but often fulfil no real business need. which is being driven by a pincer movement of your colleagues and the technology industry? Have you started to feel like a leper because you don't have one of those smart devices that enable you to have your regular fix of email? One day I (the author of this particular chapter) was travelling to a client organization with whom I would spend the day. for example the European operation director of a global organization probably needs email on-tap. a favourite food such as a marmite sandwich for breakfast. 'Drat. Others. I realized that I would have about an hour and a half free between meetings. anytime is the norm. not being able to access their email at all times represents just such a nightmare. There are those of you for whom instant access to your email is critical to the job and role you perform. The organization's office is remote from any shops and from my own office. anyplace. many of us have a choice: we can decide whether or not we deal with our email on the move. Likewise. a fund manager may need to know about important changes in the market.' Then the rational part of my brain took over.' I thought. find themselves falling prey to the 24 × 7 × 365 culture and an ethos that suggests that being able to deal with email anywhere. The information technology and communications industry is notorious for producing smart gadgets. and a salesman and engineer who by the nature of their job are mobile and need to access their email on the move.Managing in the Email Office Like everything to which one becomes addicted. However. Any 'downtime' has to be spent on their site. the newspaper or a round of golf. Do you find yourself becoming sucked into the genre for email ontap. 'if only I could access my email it would save having to set aside an hour this evening to deal with it. Remember the Sinclair C5 or the Apple Newton? Market pressure may make us 130 . we start to fret and worry when we cannot have our regular fix. while genuinely not bothered. What was I thinking about? Downtime is an opportunity to network and talk to the other directors and members of the organization.
as discussed in previous chapters. say. that is in transit between. The contents are designed to help those focusing on their own needs and those responsible for setting the corporate policy. a way of communicating that complements your preferred management style and behaviour patterns. While there are some interesting new devices that make it possible to access your email wherever you are (24 × 7 × 365 if necessary). keeping on top of the inbox. different offices or meetings (rather than the need to access them from another fixed place such as home). You are not 'sad' or odd if you only access your email when appropriate to your needs – you are a balanced individual who 'has a life'. you don't need to have your finger in your inbox at all times. no backlog when you return to the office after being away for any length of time (even a day in meetings). being more responsive to the needs of others. anytime are: staying in touch.2. 131 . The focus of both these chapters is about accessing your email when you are truly on the move.1 Benefits The principal advantages of instant access to your email anywhere. 10.2 The case for email on the move So what is the case for and against dealing with your email on the move? 10. In this chapter we will explore: reasons why you would want to access your email on the move. don't let yourself be lured into believing it is compulsory. being able to micro-manage (if needs be). The choice of device to access your email is covered in the next chapter. staying in control. advantages and disadvantages of always having access to your inbox.Email on the move: a necessity or an option? feel that it is not optional whether we have one or not.
Let the office pick it up for you and only forward it to you if there really is a crisis. never quite switching off from the office especially if you are one of those who dips in and out of their email when on leave. no. means that we never have a proper break and learn to relax: Accessing your email on holiday really is a no. Accessing your email on the move raises security risks. We all need respite away from the distractions of doing business.e. You will do less listening to the family and it will be just like being back at work. not role-to-role.g.2. no. many of us feel that we really should be accessing our email even when we are on leave which.2 Disadvantages Against this immediacy and feeling of staying in touch the major disadvantages of handling your inbox on the move are: another activity eating into time you might use for other tasks. as Cary Cooper points out. Often. If you open your email it will put you into a different frame of mind. Today. the need to carry extra clutter (i. These issues are discussed in the next chapter. the security risk.Managing in the Email Office 10. These include the basic problem of losing or having your remote access device stolen. University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology 132 . If there is one the chances are you will need other papers you don't have and be tempted to fly back home. devices and sometimes cables). Cary Cooper. We need quality time with our families and partners without worrying about work and letting it spill over into that time. Not opening your email when on leave sends a loud message that you are not a workaholic. and a richer relationship starts to develop as you get to know each other better. e. especially if there is bad news. to the more serious problem of creating potentially weak links in your corporate computer network security systems. thinking and reading. when I tell people I am going offline they then start talking to me person-to-person. So here is an indirect benefit of being off-line from time to time to deal with the life part of the work–life balance. BUPA Professor of Organizational Psychology and Health.
Email on the move: a necessity or an option?
Those who do access their email would say that this is far better than returning to a full inbox and needing to spend the first few hours if not days catching up. But think back to the days of paper mail? How many of you had your paper in-tray forwarded to you on holiday? In any case, if you are starting to prune back your inbox and decrease the level of noise, as outlined earlier, then there should be far fewer to deal with after a break!
10.3 Do you need to access your email on the move?
This is a top question asked by many executives for whom remote access is a choice. It is also a major issue for those who may choose not to access their own email but who need to make decisions about how their business unit operates. The flow chart in Figure 10.1 is designed to help you make a decision about your own needs and, as appropriate, start thinking about a policy for your team.
Figure 10.1 Do you need email on the move?
Managing in the Email Office
10.3.1 Scenario 1 – no real need to access your email on the move This is the situation where you really do have a choice about whether or not you decide to access your email when you are away from the office and certainly on the move. The crunch is really the volume of 'urgent' emails that you receive, and whether or not you have someone who manages your inbox in your absence. By 'urgent' we mean 'action' type emails you must respond to, otherwise something will go amiss in the business (a client will be upset, a wrong decision made, etc.). This is opposed to the ones that the sender may perceive as urgent, but in reality can wait for a response and may even just be creating noise in your inbox. Typically you are primarily based in one location. When you are away from your office, either in meetings or at another office you have ready access to your emails by logging-in to a terminal at another location. You may or may not have a secretary, PA or colleague who will deal with your inbox in your absence. If you do and you have a very good working relationship, you may be perfectly happy to delegate this responsibility to them. If you decide to deal with your inbox at home you will probably have a PC (laptop or desktop) through which you have to dial up access to the main server. 10.3.2 Scenario 2 – a real need to access your email on the move This is the situation where you are probably spending a high proportion of your time out of your office perhaps in meetings within either your own organization or other organizations. The only way to keep on top of your email is to deal with it remotely, whether in a hotel or physically on the move. Crucially, a high proportion of the email you receive does require a quick, often immediate response, if your part of the business is to function effectively with instant responses. Typically you might be head of a global business unit, operations director or a consultant. Now your main question is what type of device should you use, and this is explored in detail after the case histories.
10.4 Case histories
These three case histories highlight the different ways people work and why for some the choice is not to bother with lugging around any mobile email technology.
Email on the move: a necessity or an option?
10.4.1 Case history – Christine, marketing director, engineering company Christine is out about two days a week, and has developed a very good working relationship with Sarah her PA, who handles her email in her absence. While Christine receives about 40 emails per day, few need an instant response. When they do Sarah phones her to discuss them and then either Sarah responds or more usually Christine responds by phone. She accesses her inbox from home either in the evening or at weekends when there really is a need. This is a Scenario 1 situation. Accessing her email on the move would probably not add any significant extra value for Christine in terms of how she runs her part of the business and manages herself. 10.4.2 Case history – John, chief operating officer, telecommunications company John commutes one hour each way from home to office and back. He is a gold user and part of his business is looking for new ways that his company can exploit mobile telecommunications. He does not have a PA and few of his emails need an instant response. But he just enjoys using technology and chooses to deal with his inbox while he commutes. This too is an example of Scenario 1, but John has made the choice to deal with his inbox while on the move. He feels it adds value for him – otherwise he would be faced with spending an hour each night clearing his inbox at home. 10.4.3 Case history – Julie, European HR director, global food manufacturer Many of Julie's emails need a quick response from her, sometimes a straight yes to attend a meeting, and often a holding response while she works out how to solve a problem. Her PA deals with her email but Julie likes to see it all at the end of the day Julie needs email on tap wherever she is and needs to be able to deal with it on the move between meetings and while in transit. This is the Scenario 2 situation. Julie has no choice – her job demands that she is always on call and in touch with the organization.
Managing in the Email Office
10.5 Summary – what's best for me?
How else can I spend my time? How do I currently use my time in transit? How important is it that I continue to do these tasks (e.g. reading, meetings, checking papers, thinking, maybe even just relaxing)? When else will there be time for me to do those tasks?
Are you contemplating dealing with your email on the move as you travel between meetings and clients? The key is to be clear that doing so either adds value to your preferred way of working or the work you are doing. If you choose to board the 'on the move' email gravy train just ask yourself the boxed questions.
So if you still want to access your email on the move, what are the options? Chapter 11 provides an overview of the different options available to you.
Ways to access your email on the move
How easy is it to handle my email when I am in transit? What are the problems about mobile email access? What is the best way for me?
11.1 Introduction
For those who either need or choose to access their email on the move there is a bewildering choice as to which device to use – from handheld to conventional laptop to dedicated 'always-on' pager type devices. Then you have to choose the right form of communications to suit your way of working, for example wireless, a phone linked to a PC and so on. The dilemma for most of us is what device to choose. Do we opt for a device primarily for email or one piece of equipment that will act as both a phone and an email carrier – a convergent device? The search for a convergent device that can handle both voice and data communications with equal effectiveness still has the air of the search for the Holy Grail. New equipment has been and continues to be launched as a never-ending stream of choice. We, the users, are both the beneficiaries and the
There are usually over five items a week. from conventional keyboard input to speech recognition. Take a look at any newspaper over a week and just monitor the news items relating to remote email access. All the players. are vying for market share and trying to develop the one 'absolute must have! gadget'. be they hardware. This chapter contains an overview and comparison of the: different ways of accessing email remotely (devices and communications protocols).2 Range of devices The devices for handling your email on the move fall into four broad categories: Smart phones Handheld computers Laptops Dedicated devices 138 . As always there is a trade-off between functionality (i. Lastly. Intimately linked to what device you choose is the question of what communications protocol (method of access) you should use. That is: Functionality is directly proportional to size and cost – and inversely proportional to ease of use! You also have a choice about how you interact with your email. there is a grid to help you choose which options might be best for you. The mobile communications industry is probably the fastest and most exciting part of the whole PC and communications technology market place. 11. communications manufacturers or suppliers. from conventional modems to Wi-Fi. advantages and disadvantages of the various methods for accessing email on the move. range of functions the device can perform) and size. software.e. covering everything from new devices to ever faster and cheaper access times.Managing in the Email Office unwitting prey of the PC and the telecommunications manufacturers. The merit and suitability of any option depends entirely on the purpose for which you need them. which is likely to remain constant for at least the foreseeable future.
who have been one of the leaders in this sector of the market. be they phones or handheld PCs. Communicator Nokia's trade name to describe their smart phone.1 Terminology Just a word on terminology: the information and communications technology (ICT) industry has been. New words are invented to describe old phenomena in the hope of selling new technology. the phrase being coined after Palm. However. be convergent). This term was coined in the late 1980s by Apple and Psion to describe their early ventures into this market place. and electronic diary. Palmtop The same as a handheld.Ways to access your email on the move 11. Handheld A small palm-sized PC-based PDA which may handle either data only or data and voice (i. Personal digital assistant (PDA) This term is used here generically to describe those devices. A mobile device that is capable of handling data and voice is often called a personal digital assistant (PDA). For the purpose of this chapter we will use the terms 'handheld' to refer to small palm-sized PC-based 139 . All these terms really have much the same connotation. which can handle and help you manage a combination of data-based information such as email.2.e. address books. Just as some of us refer to a vacuum cleaner as either a Hoover or a Dyson (after two of the leading manufactures of these goods) so the names of these personal digital assistant devices are often used interchangeably. Smart phones A mobile phone with PIM (Personal Information Manager) capabilities such as an electronic diary. there are now several terms that are used to describe different types of PDA-like devices. and will probably continue to be. and contact management. a shining example of the 'emperor's new clothes' syndrome.
2. Some tend to be about twice as heavy as a conventional dedicated mobile phone (e.2.Managing in the Email Office devices and 'smart phone' to refer to those devices which are mobile phone based. Ericsson. these look and feel like conventional mobile phones but may have added capability to handle email and provide other functionality such as an electronic diary. word processing and spreadsheet capability. note pad. Some offer additional functionality such as: access to Microsoft-based applications and files such as spreadsheets. electronic diary. and the operating system on which they are based. 11. documents and presentations.g. All these PDA devices offer a certain basic level of functionality. contact database. these essentially come in four flavours according to their ability to be used as a phone. but others with a small screen are simply very functional normal mobile phones.1. Nokia Communicator). 140 .3 Handhelds Currently. 11. Samsung. Motorola and Kyocera. to-do lists. Manufacturers in this space include Nokia with its Communicator range of phones. to-do list. games. internet access. Compaq iPAQ) and those which are multipurpose as supplied (convergent) and can therefore also be used as a mobile phone out of the box (Handspring Treo and XDA from O2). In making a choice you trade off physical size (particularly the screen) for user convenience. There are those which are single purpose PC look-alike devices without integrated phone capability (e. Sony. The following sections provide an overview of the main differences between the different types of devices. which includes some or all of the following: email management. contact management.g. as summarized in Figure 11.2 Smart phones As their name suggests.
Ways to access your email on the move Figure 11. This lets you dial up (as you would with a mobile phone) and send and receive new email. where the phone acts both as modem and access link to the cellular network) or wait until you reach your office and resynchronize the handheld with your main PC and send them that way. if your handheld does not have or can't achieve this integrated wireless capability you can either connect by linking the PDA to your mobile phone (via cable or infrared. You can synchronize at any point in time and hence deal with your inbox and other mail folders through both your PC or handheld. you either need one which has built in wireless (GSM or GPRS today) connectivity (such as the XDA or Handspring Treo) or an add-on phone/modem (such as the wireless Nokia Card Phone 2 which fits the iPAQ (with a replicator sleeve)).1 Handheld PCs – variations on a theme All work in the same way in terms of enabling you to synchronize the contents of your inbox. but note for now that some phones and PDAs can use this short-distance radio technology instead of cable or infrared.) at that point. (We'll talk about Bluetooth later. electronic diary and contacts database from your main PC to and from your handheld. However. In essence synchronization gives you a common snapshot of your inbox (and electronic diary. That is you can read existing emails and compose replies and new ones while on the move.) 141 . Alternatively. etc. in order to send and receive email on the move.
Just realize that none of these operating systems actually bears any relation to the code that supports PCs. and even calendar.1. and contact information. through the provision of a cut-down version of Windows and Office called Pocket PC. Again.4 Windows CE.Managing in the Email Office 11. Palm OS from 3COM who developed the Palm Pilot family of handhelds. but not usually specific files you may want to carry with you. although they generally have a hands-free earplug appliance that also doubles as a microphone (like the handsfree earplug that you can attach to a conventional mobile phone) and sometimes a speaker. and Epoc which is well known on the Psion series of PDAs and is also used by some phone manufacturers. simple spreadsheets and even limited presentations. These operating systems afford much the same functionality. Speed and convenience of synchronization vary but generally the Palm is reckoned to be the most bulletproof. what the manufacturer has done under the covers to make it work will be very different for each brand. with Pocket PC offering a more familiar user interface. is that those based on Windows Pocket PC offer an environment more familiar to Windows users. Just because a device's screen looks like other offerings from a functionality perspective means nothing in terms of code maturity. Palm OS or EPOC? To perplex users even further there are several basic operating systems used to power handhelds. Smartphones will 'sync' your inbox. There are several subtle differentiators between smart phones and handheld devices as summarized in Table 11. For documents. There is no separate handset. as you would imagine. Again those handhelds that are convergent are heavier and often cumbersome: and although it can be done. the operating hardware of the handhelds is very different and all the manufacturers' code bases for handhelds are specialized to that family.2. Indeed 142 . For smart phones the choice is between Windows CE or Epoc from the Symbian consortium. Perhaps the most significant difference is the extent of the ability to synchronize the handheld or phone to the contents of your main PC (be it a laptop or desktop machine). The main difference. it is not very convenient to access data from the PC part while on the phone as the one device does everything. including Microsoft's Windows CE (Consumer Electronics). you generally need a handheld. or the Palm OS suite of applications.
landscape shape. Full laptop size screen with the best resolution and the easiest to read in all conditions. but you may not be with your main able to access all your PC email folders. but weight depends on model. Network access Depends on model. Laptop Yes. Limited and less than most handhelds. portrait shape.g. Multiple.2 kg.1 Comparison of handhelds. Same as handheld. smart phones and laptops Factor Handheld PC Smart phone Limited. can use multiple methods and carriers. Battery life Longer. Can add peripherals (e. Limited. some can be hard to read in bright light. colour is biggest consumer! Lighter than handhelds. Very limited. but easy to read. may be limited to one access method. Ways of inputting data Flexible. like SMS. Functionality Expandability Depends on manufacturer. Synchronize Yes. can be limited. keyboard) and often extra memory and software. may not be able to receive them. Some can do landscape. speech Limited mainly handwriting or keyboard.Ways to access your email on the move Table 11. 143 . depends on purpose and extent to which you you use it. Often limited to phone network provider/carrier. Weight Heavier than handheld or smart phone. Multiple. often not as clarity models have excellent screen resolution. but the lightest is only 1. Full functionality. top Small. Handling attachments Varies. Generally lighter than a laptop. Limited. may not be able to attach larger one. but can attach larger size keyboard. A little larger than handhelds. Full. keyboard. Not an issue. Screen size and Small. and have full access to all email folders through your network mail server. Size of keyboard Smaller. Unlimited.
voice activation.3 Handling your emails As indicated in the introduction and in Table 11. the users. even outdoors. The pace at which this sector of the ICT industry is changing means factors such as battery life.Managing in the Email Office with the right software you can review and run a presentation through a handheld. I can rehearse the words and timing. 144 . although I cannot edit the presentation.1 Keyboard Keyboard interaction can be through a: built-in 'soft' keyboard which you tap with a stylus. Bear in mind that bright colour screens are great. 11. Tony.5 Laptops As laptops become ever smaller in the form of a 'notebook' PC these are still the preferred option for many mainly because they offer the full functionality of a PC. full size keyboard. 11. handwriting recognition. The lightest notebooks now weigh about 1.2. director of operations.1.2 kg and some are less than 2. there are a variety of ways by which you can interact with your emails and these include: keyboard. government agency Clearly the functionality and specification will depend on both the manufacturer and model. some have miniature add-on keyboards. which you can attach to the device (these usually fold up for convenience and mobility).5 cm thick.3. small built-in keypad which you work with either finger or thumbs (key feature of Blackberry and the Treo with keyboard option). screen resolution and size can only improve for the benefit of us. 'Graffiti'. As one ardent user commented: This is a bonus because when I am on the train. 11. but eat batteries.
3.3 Handwriting recognition Some of the newer handheld PC devices can recognize your handwriting. or using a specialist device such as the Sony Memory Stick solid-state recorder: One of the major advantages of this approach is that one can dictate directly oneself. managing consultant. 11. Phil. While this can be slower and more prone to errors it is an alternative for those who do not feel comfortable with a keyboard or 'Graffiti'. You enter text through symbols using a stylus. and really it is about finding a way that suits when and how you prefer to work.Ways to access your email on the move 11. another office) or via your mobile phone (using its 'soft' modem). Microsoft's Pocket PC 2002 has recognized this and now offers a facility like this as one of its four screen input options. international consultancy practice The choice is largely yours.4 Connectivity Having chosen your device how do you connect with the outside world to send and receive emails? First and foremost there is the traditional and now conventional way of accessing your email via a modem through either a landline at the place to which you have travelled (e. without having to go through the laborious typing process from start to finish. Interestingly. It is actually easier and quicker to learn and use than it sounds.4 Voice activation This can be achieved either directly through the device. and hand the memory stick over to a personal assistant who can correct documents/top and tail etc.3.g.2 'Graffiti' This is a trade mark of the 'Palm'-based handheld PC devices. 11. For those wanting to handle their email on the move here are four main options: GSM via a mobile GPRS Wi-Fi 3G 145 . a hotel.3. 11. if it has the capability.
unlike GSM which is connection oriented. requiring a permanently reserved connection for each session. Although both GPRS and GSM are reliant on good reception and hence prone to falling over.4 Kbps) and variable quality of the signal from your network provider.1 GSM You link your device to your server via dial-up through a mobile phone device. running over the same cellular network that GSM employs. it is much less annoying with GPRS because if you are in the middle of downloading a large email and it fails. A very local form of local area networking (LAN) like Bluetooth (but better) it enables you to connect cable-free through a Wi-Fi network server.2 GPRS General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) is becoming increasingly popular. router or peer-to-peer network (assuming you have a Wi-Fi network card or built-in functionality in your PC). being packet based it is a 'connectionless' technology. from either WAP or otherwise adapted sites.g. The main downside is low speed (9. GPRS enables much more productivity on trains – we have all experienced the tunnel effect! 11. coffee shops and professional membership clubs such as the Institute of Directors). which is by and large robust and less prone to falling over especially due to poor reception as is encountered with GPRS and GSM. Many places are now linked up for Wi-Fi (e. 11.6–14. of which there are several.4. You can buy a GPRS enabled card to use in your laptop (or handheld if it is not GPRS enabled) and then connect to your chosen service provider. Wi-Fi networks are becoming increasingly common in organizations 146 . If you lose the connection you have to start over again. In essence you piggy-back on to the server for fast connectivity to your desired services.3 Wi-Fi This is relatively new and fast becoming very popular. GPRS is sometimes called 2. stations. Most new PDA devices (handhelds and smart phones) are GPRS enabled.5G in terms of speed and richness of text and images which you can download from the internet.Managing in the Email Office 11. Technically. It is a wireless protocol.4. it will automatically re-establish the transmission where it left off. It enables you to send data communications over your mobile phone network at a faster speed than GSM (generally about five times faster).4.
) Warchalking Wi-Fi has generated a unique security problem. Warchalker's 'hobo-language' Symbol Two back-to-back semicircles A circle W Meaning an open node a closed node a wireless equivalent protocol 147 . and of course you must stay in range of the Wi-Fi connection point. faster than the original 1. Wi-Fi will and should continue to offer fast access to data dominant devices such as handheld PDAs and tablet PCs on a local basis. Be sure to use the optional 128-bit encryption – passers-by can access your wireless protocol if you don't. They draw chalk marks on buildings and pavements to denote buildings with Wi-Fi nodes. Microwave ovens can still cause interference.6 Mbps and much faster than Bluetooth. The practice is based on a similar one used by American tramps during the American depression to indicate where they had been lucky to find shelter or food. Also known as 802. While 3G may be designed to be the fastest way to access data through cellular national and international services (e. This has given rise to ardent mobile users initiating a 'warchalking' code of practice. You may even find chalk marks on the street outside your home or office thoughtfully provided by those in the know for others to cash in on your unprotected network! (A practice known as 'warchalking – see below.11b wireless Ethernet. smart phones and convergent multipurpose handhelds). With a Wi-Fi enabled device it is possible to access someone else's network. Wi-Fi now works at 11 Mbps. linking through the server for other services such as the internet. Warchalkers have even developed their own 'hobo-language' to denote the type of access you can expect.g.Ways to access your email on the move and at home.
For example you can synchronize your PDA with your main PC and hence collect your emails when walking around your office (if you really want to!). 11. It will enable you to access your email and a whole range of other multimedia information much faster (e. handhelds.4. the 148 . we may see a similar battle between the telcos and warchalkers as we see between ramblers and landowners. Similarly you could access a network in a building which is Bluetooth enabled. Thus it offers yet another mobile way of accessing your emails. In some ways it is in direct competition to Wi-Fi and it remains to be seen which becomes the de facto standard. Indeed.Managing in the Email Office Although. 11. It will enable you to connect your mobile phone to your PC device providing both are 'Bluetooth enabled'. Increasingly both handheld and smart phones are being released which are already bluetooth enabled. If you work for an organization.g.5 Bluetooth Bluetooth is a protocol that allows you to make a wireless connection from your PC device to many other items of PC equipment such as printers. phones. For those who work for themselves and are just venturing into this arena.4. the main telecom and internet service providers are trying to outlaw the practice there is little doubt that it will persist. at the time of writing the current MMS (Multimedia Message Service) facility in some smart phones is not supported by some network operators. With 3G.4 3G This is the much-heralded next generation for mobile phone connectivity. For example.4. such multimedia (image and voice) messaging will be fast and easy. 11. hands-free sets and LAN networks. Co-operating neighbours have even utilized this opportunity to share cable operator costs through a domestic Wi-Fi router in one of the houses.org).6 Round-up The speed of connectivity and richness of data afforded by these different methods are summarized in Figure 11. video and music). especially since the warchalkers have now formalized themselves into a group with their own website (www.warchalking. the method you choose will be dictated by the corporate information systems (IS strategy). full internet services.2.
but of course with the much richer facilities of email.Ways to access your email on the move Figure 11. You do not need to dial up or find a Wi-Fi point. Blackberry is very much state of the art as Brian Sutton. cost and your existing hardware policy and infrastructure. 11.2 Comparison of network protocols choice will depend on what you really need. The keyboard is designed to be used with your two thumbs as you 149 . You don't dial anyone to keep in touch. Blackberry just delivers your email to your Blackberry pager and there it sits ready for when you are ready to deal with it. In a way it's like SMS messaging (which it also provides) in terms of always being connected.g. None gives you instant access to new email in the same way as you would get if you were in your office connected to a network (e. comments: 'this is the vision of the future'. It provides a truly wireless instant email service (working through O2's GPRS network).4. you just send and receive and GPRS packet management does the rest. Some questions to help you decide are to be found at the end of this chapter. through Microsoft Exchange or Lotus Notes). With all these methods of connectivity you must first make a connection through your chosen network protocol.7 Blackberry Blackberry is a small PDA type device that is 'always on' through its connectionless packet-based GPRS protocol. For truly instant remote access that is 'always on' you need a dedicated device such as Blackberry. It can notify you of new mail by either bleeping or vibrating just like a pager. director of IS for 'learndirect'. The device is not much bigger than a pack of cards.
For example. This is because the service is provided through an attached Blackberry server and for this you need deep pockets. Another advantage is that if you want to forward an email to someone. whatever kind of file it is. this is the kind of future we are looking at. providing high(er) speed email services remotely to their staff. no waiting to find a connection to send and receive emails. which include: being more productive in terms of being able to respond more quickly. I like to log-on on Sundays to check my email. 150 . With Blackberry it takes me five to ten seconds and I am up to speed. programme director of a major telecommunications organization Like most such mobile devices accessing attachments is not straightforward and you often need to do a bit of jiggery-pokery to deceive Blackberry. It has an electronic calendar. Blackberry is an enterprise solution aimed at the large corporates who use Microsoft Exchange. With a laptop that might take five to ten minutes and I would then get sucked into doing other things. improved work–life balance. Blackberry offer an email address to which you can send an email with an attachment and you receive it back – normally within a minute – with the attachment in the email body.Managing in the Email Office hold it in your fingers. (The Blackberry pager currently costs about £450 per user. Users of Blackberry all cite advantages. which is also always synchronized with your office diary and the usual other PIM facilities. It has given me back my Sundays.) But for any organization wanting their own GPRS services. you must have them sent either within the body of the email or to another device/person who can access attachments. which has been described by many as the 'must have' gadget. a 20-user licence about £2500 and about £40 per month for the airtime. Rob. So what is the catch? Why is everyone who wants instant access to email not using Blackberry. the attachment need never come to your Blackberry – it goes straight from server to server. absolutely up-to-date calendar. For a 20-user system you could be looking at a capital outlay of £11 500 plus running costs of £780 per month.
GoToMyPC. Sierra AirCard These essentially require a wireless modem.Novatel. Some will solve existing problems such as speed of access and the functionality versus size dichotomy. and subscribe to an appropriate mobile data provider like Vodaphone. Already there is much talk about the end of the PC as we know it.com). GoToMyPC For this you merely download the GoToMyPC software (from www. Using GoToMyPC meant I could easily do this without having to wait for someone (my wife in my case) to access the files for me. Sam. founder and principal consultant of a small IT consultancy practice 11.4. This then enables you to access your personal host machine from anywhere in the world through the internet.com) and Novatel (www. Suppliers include Sierra (www.9 On the horizon Keeping pace with the latest developments and buying a state of the art device is like chasing after the end of the rainbow.) It also enables you have your emails forwarded to any worldwide ISP account.4. I just took control of the PC as if I was in the office. There are undoubtedly many developments on or just over the horizon. which comprises a smart card and antennae to your laptop.sierra. (If you are using Microsoft Exchange you can do something similar. In essence this is the small organization's solution to Blackberry as it offers 'always on' access to your email. 151 .com) and install it on your main office PC which contains your master email program and files and then subscribe to the GoToMyPC service. but GoToMyPC is a simpler option which has proved popular among smaller businesses: On a recent trip to a client in the USA I needed to access some old emails and other files but I had decided not to take my PC.8 Other options Last but by no means least there are two other options for those who want access to their whole email system while away from the office but do not wish to carry a laptop: a wireless modem like the Sierra AirCard and GoToMyPC.Ways to access your email on the move 11.
5 Security All mobile devices carry a security warning (like the health warning on a cigarette packet). memory and disc capacity). bank account numbers). These will look and feel like a pad of paper and be capable of enabling you to access your email on the move via a range of protocols from modems to Wi-Fi. However. which will sell for just £70 and come with Bluetooth and GPRS. Moreover. there is no doubt that the price of these PDA type devices will drop and their functionality will increase (in a pattern like Moore's law for processor speeds. in an effort to generate more sales and create market share. In an attempt to control how they are used. Most IT departments are becoming more security conscious and are starting to implement a PDA security policy which includes guidelines about: what data can and cannot be accessed. In addition some PDA operating platforms seem more prone to harbouring viruses than others although no doubt all the manufacturers will eventually tighten up this area. many IT departments had no real security polices for PDAs. some companies also demand that synchronization must be direct with the company server rather than through the cradle that comes with the PDA. the first 'Tablet' PCs have just been launched. which models are acceptable. Interestingly. You will be able to deal with them using both conventional handwriting and a keyboard. and perhaps because PDAs were first seen as very much personal and not part of the standard corporate computer pack. 11.g. loss of critical personal data (e.Managing in the Email Office As we write. that is slowly changing to the extent that some organizations will only allow you to use the standard issue of PDA. access by intruders to the corporate network. Apart from the cost and inconvenience of losing your PDA other hidden costs include: loss of valuable (often confidential) corporate information. In September 2002 Palm announced a new model (the Zire). 152 . not least because such objects from laptops to smart phones are highly desirable: the smaller and more 'state of the art' the more desirable.
6 In reality – case histories Certainly mobile access can be a minefield which the unwary would be wise to avoid unaided by an IT professional. Here are two case histories that show different ways of using all the available technology to its best.5. This is really just a very brief overview of some of the issues and solutions to protecting both the PDA and its contents. unless you know exactly what you want. hopefully this has given you enough to start a conversation about formulating the PDA security policy. chief technology officer. He spends most of his time in the office very often in meetings. 11. telecommunications company Simon is a gold level user and is a self-confessed 'email junkie'. Apart from the obvious tips and hints such as not leaving devices lying around. 2 Abide by the company's PDA security policy (and if one doesn't exist. 5 Install anti-virus (and possibly firewall) software. 4 Never plug your device into an unknown machine. 11. initiate one). here are five tips to help you protect yourself and your company's data assets from being stolen and save yourself all the stress that goes with this kind of theft. 11. and having anti-virus and firewall software installed. If you handle highly sensitive emails you should consider (or at least find out if the company demands that you use) encryption.Ways to access your email on the move level of security. at least if the device is stolen you may be able to protect the data. Your IT department should have more information. such as using encryption for emails. 3 Always password protect access to the software on your device (just as you should for a PC).1 What can you do to limit the security risk? Five easy ways to protect your PDA 1 Never leave it lying around (however safe you think it might be). If they don't. He 153 . In this way.6. which should be observed.1 Case history – Simon. He has a one-hour commute to work each way each day.
there is a tendency for me to get involved with too much (when I read my emails) so I try to distance myself from emails that are not my responsibility. so recently I have tried an 'XDA' handheld for the rare occasions when I need to handle those. Take today. He travels extensively and rarely spends more than a day a week totally in the office: Lots of the email I get needs an immediate response. which he then connects over a conventional landline when he arrives at his destination: I live by email. A laptop is my preferred equipment. I currently use a Blackberry device because it lets me be responsive and adaptive. They are very much here and now devices and less intrusive than a laptop.6. You can't download attachments easily or access your whole inbox filing system for old emails. which I can then connect through my GPRS network at home. I will also work on a client proposal if there is time. government agency Tony is a responsible email citizen and operates at the gold level of IT fitness. I have over 100 emails which I will work my way through on the train tonight and file as I deal with them. First I look at the email on my Blackberry. i. everything. Dealing with my email on the move is a great way to save time. e. He has tried several small handheld devices but prefers a laptop.2 Case history – Tony.e. work on a Word/Excel file. I used to send them via a mobile phone. I do occasionally use a handheld if I only want to deal with the really urgent ones and reply to them. But the screen is too small and the functionality limited. 11.Managing in the Email Office has chosen to deal with his email when he travels between home and work. I don't like to let it mount up. But I like to get things done. But when you start to get half of Dixon's out of your brief case people start to stare at you. that is all the subfolders and attachments. then decide if I need 154 . Yes.g. The Blackberry is an immediate device. but it is much more flexible because it has a full qwerty keyboard and I can use it as a phone if I need to. But it is not so good for attachments. I like to deal with my email expeditiously. To be truly productive I need to access my whole email inbox. Anyway. operations director. Otherwise if I just rely on the phone we all waste time playing phone ping-pong. like sending SMS messages. Everything is archived on my PC.
While we do not all need to have multiple devices. the USA still requires the third GSM frequency (1900 MHz) and so the triband phone or landline is still needed there to use browser mail via an ISP. However. Which device(s) you choose to access your email on the move really depends on your work styles and personal preferences as 'one size does not fit all'. for example to provide a professional user with Wireless LAN access to email on the Notebook PC for use in hotel rooms and GPRS access for on the train.Ways to access your email on the move the attachment. They might also be provided with a wireless PDA for nonintrusive information access during customer meetings and monitoring of their inbox for important messages between meetings when booting up a PC is prohibitively inconvenient. And you do need to be careful about what you delete as you can find yourself losing emails when you go to synchronize the handheld with your main PC (especially on POP3 protocol used by some older devices). IBM Insight Report 'Corporate Wireless Adoption in Europe'. . But working like this suits me. These things are not always as easy to connect as the suppliers would have you believe so it does help to have a technical background. It's my preferred way of working as it doesn't intrude on other people's way of working. we are at the early stages in the evolution of the corporate wireless data marketplace . Both Tony and Simon are really gold plus users and both have probably tried every different type of device on the market. Indeed we are very likely to want to use different devices for different situations – a point highlighted in a recent report from QNB Intelligence 'Corporate Wireless Adoption in Europe': Right now. for example. QNB Intelligence 155 . Thanks to emerging GPRS agreements with overseas PTTs. Access from their pocketable WAP phone might be reserved for those 'off duty' times when they don't want to carry lots of gadgets but need to monitor their messages because an important deal is going on. Usually for Word documents I send it to Blackberry's website and have it returned in the body of the mail. It is perfectly legitimate. what these case histories show is just how different devices suit different people. partly because they are interested in technology and partly because their jobs involve delivering services over the internet. . both devices work in some European countries like Spain.
that the latest fastest gizmo on some people's list of 'must have today' will be cast in sepia and heading for the technology graveyard by tomorrow. 11. To help you identify what are the most important functions and features for you. We have provided tables comparing each option (devices and communications protocols) as they stand now.3 Trends in corporate wireless adoption.1 What's best for me? Consider each item in the 'My mobile email checklist' opposite.Managing in the Email Office Figure 11.7 Summary These are just some of the many devices and ways in which you can now access your email on the move. 2002) 11. Importance Essential Very useful Useful Nice to have Not bothered No perceived need 156 Weighting 6 5 4 3 2 1 . Which one you choose will depend on many factors and as Adam Oliver of BT said 'we are all individuals and to some extent it is what suits your personality'. For example. give each one a weighting out of six using the following scale. Another option is a checklist of questions to ask yourself to highlight your needs and then use to benchmark the available options against. (From 'Corporate Wireless Adoption in Europe'. rank the relative importance. The market is moving so fast.7. QNB Intelligence.
If as is likely you are left with more than one possible candidate. e. which meets your needs and helps you sift your way through the plethora of equipment on offer. Word files a full keyboard other methods of inputting data. e. last but by no means least ask yourself: Which device feels most comfortable for me? Which device suits me.Ways to access your email on the move My mobile email list Selection criteria Do I need to be able to access: my full inbox files structure (i. all my email files) attachments other Office applications. my work style and (most importantly) my image? 157 Importance . voice and handwriting the internet in full international coverage extra memory add-on peripherals Wi-Fi Bluetooth a built-in camera Is weight a factor? Do I need to comply with my organization's preferred platform (operating system) and device? This will help you build up a specification for a device.g.g.e.
Availability should include not just the main device but also any essential add-ons. director of IS for 'learndirect'. As a real road warrior and heavy user of email on the move this is not just a 'nice to have' but an 'essential' for someone like him. 'I am still waiting after two months for the spare chargers for my XDA'.Managing in the Email Office By now you should have a very short list of acceptable options and the final choice may just come down to cost and availability. commented Brian Sutton. 158 .
. you may have reduced the time you spend on email by up to 40 per cent. it's a business risk. The average time we spend dealing with our inboxes is between one and two hours. Is there scope to save more time? Or is it a fact of life that as the volume of email increases so you will need to spend even longer working your inbox? It only takes one click . Microsoft and government agencies. Morgan Stanley. but with email every word is recorded for reuse at a tribunal. Clearly. Each week there are reports of some organization or another being sued for the inappropriate use of email. just like they used to joke around the coffee machine. this will vary according to how dependent our job is on email. 14 September 2000 There is no question that email is here to stay and has permeated nearly every organizational process from welcoming new employees to responding to a client enquiry. Employees meanwhile complain bitterly about the time they have to spend on their inbox and the way their employers are scrutinizing their inbox. . They were only having fun they retort.Part Three The corporate perspective Security – it's not an IT problem. Credit Suisse. With email it only takes a millisecond to destroy a brand image or precious relationship. Merrill Lynch. Computer Weekly. . Examples to date include Norwich Union. Directors seethe at the way their employees have irresponsibly used email and damaged their organizations' brand image. First Boston. as we have seen. If you have worked your way diligently through Parts One and Two of this book.
A recent survey by the American ePolicy Institute revealed that while 81 per cent of companies had a policy in place for internet and email use. Establishing email best practice should involve HR.Managing in the Email Office Who is really being irresponsible? A survey of HR directors in May 2002 by Mesmo Consultancy revealed that only 38 per cent thought their organization had an email code of best practice. and only 15 per cent of these directors thought anyone knew anything about it. Does your organization have an email policy. promoted and enforced? An email policy may tell you the purpose for which you can and cannot use email. We distinguish between email policy and email best practice: An explicit email policy (often called the 'netiquette' policy) is about how and the purposes for which email should and should not be used. only 51 per cent asked for any formal acknowledgement from employees that they had read the policy and only 24 per cent had taken any measure to train employees in how to comply with it. what does the policy contain? Who is responsible for it? Often it is left to the HR department. But how many of you include handling email in your business training. marketing and corporate communications (but specifically whoever is responsible for the company's communications policy including its image and reputation management). for after all this is a people issue isn't it? Sometimes it is the IT department. but does it tell you anything about how to manage your inbox and behave towards other email users. 160 . let alone include it in induction training? Even in organizations that have decided to implement a policy the picture is somewhat hazy. email is often the first point of contact between it and its potential customers in the outside world. Not so long ago a common element of any corporate management and development course included training on how to write letters and answer the phone. which is publicly available. for after all isn't email something to do with technology? What organizations seem to overlook is that today. IT. This is because it is 'buried' among lots of other policies usually only brought to employees' attention when they join the company or if they face disciplinary action. For example.
In addition to the visible waste (e. 161 . time) and distress. In a 2001 survey IDC found that 83 per cent of European businesses had a formal email security policy. The cost of email misuse – some facts and figures Meta Group estimates that between 2 and 10 per cent of all inbound corporate email can be classified as spam and that volume is expected to grow to 10–20 per cent during the next five years. protecting against spam and virus attacks. The American Management Association estimated that in 2001 up to 43 per cent of American companies scanned their employees' emails. Chevron (the US petrol company) paid £1. A European Commission study predicts that junk mail (and spam) is inflicting a cost of about 10 billion euros on business internet users (in wasted time and network resources). Total worldwide costs were estimated at $8. complying with government legislation such as the Data Protection Act. Norwich Union paid £450 000 plus costs to a competitor as a result of circulating rumours about the competitor. there are a number of reasons why you would and should manage how email is used across the organization. These include: reducing time spent reading irrelevant emails generated by spam. One American airline estimated it cost $312 000 in 'technical effort' alone to recover backup files and restore servers after being hit by the 'I love you' virus. Fake email cost a computer company an estimated $2 billion in damage to reputation and lost productivity.g.75 billion. conserving network resources. losing key corporate data.5 billion to an employee who was sexually harassed by email. One 5 Mb attachment file of jokes or pornography needs the same bandwidth as 160 normal text-based emails. the Human Rights Act and the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act. risking legal action for libellous content.The corporate perspective A code of acceptable behaviours – we call the 'good email citizen's charter' – is a code of best practice that covers how to manage yourself and how to behave towards others.
) Board's lack of awareness increases IT security risks. Computer Weekly. and these are things which are hard to achieve. The average three to four minute MP3 music track is around 3 to 5 Mb while a single movie clip in MPEG format would start at around 20 to 30 Mb.g. The easy option is to keep doing what we do. Just imagine if you have 100 employees downloading such files during a 12-month period? Whether you permit personal use of email is only part of the jigsaw.Managing in the Email Office The good news is that Giga Consulting estimate that anti-spam and content management technology will evolve rapidly over the next 18 months. need for more storage space. . . But isn't leadership about setting the role model and a good example? 162 . . . This is not new. Counting the corporate cost of personal email If the average hourly salary is S In a week it costs you S × 5 Assuming a 42 hour working week. slower network response times. Just taking an average hourly salary of a clerical person at say £13 could be costing you up to £2700 per person. that is S × 5 × 42 = W Total cost for the organization (of N employees) = N × W Have you ever stopped to count the cost of personal use of email by employees in your organization? Studies estimate users spend about one hour a week dealing with their own personal non-business related email. Once you have decided what to do. 6 November 1997 Perhaps it has been ignored because tackling these issues will often require a change in behaviour and sometimes culture. 19 February 1991 – (. e. as early as 1991 headlines were appearing which read: Regular dose of prevention – Financial Times. how do you ensure that employees comply with the policy and best practice guidelines? By and large the top management team (the board of directors) have inexorably failed to apply their attention and thought to how email should really be used as a vehicle for corporate communications and knowledge sharing. now they [computer viruses] are becoming a real problem for businesses . etc. and that does not include the network resources to carry and store such personal emails. If they are downloading large files (say music and video) you could be looking at significantly higher costs both visible and hidden.
this has been for the better. However. with the rapid increase in spam and the competitive nature of the business world. the way information is shared and the decision-making process. requires that the people. This is particularly true of communications patterns. To do this requires email management technology too. but that is often more by luck than chance. email has by default and lack of management changed the way the organization operates. Managing the use of email across the organization (no matter how large) is no exception. However. 163 . not by reinforcing what they already know. In some cases. Clearswift ES.The corporate perspective Leaders create futures by emphasizing what the company's people must learn. protecting yourself against virus and spam attacks and managing how content flows in and out of the organization are imperative. technology and processes work in harmony as shown in Figure ii (page xvi). the dramatic savings come from the board taking charge and engendering a responsible email culture throughout the organization. To use any form of technology. as we will see. MetaSight and SurfControl. Once you have a policy and a set of best practice guidelines a major problem is how to control and manage these and ensure that employees comply with them. from a logistics system to the payroll to gain a business benefit. such as Brightmail. In many organizations. Figure ii Managing the corporate email For some organizations it may be sufficient just to have them in place. All these are software packages capable (to different degrees) of fighting spam and managing content. Rosabeth Moss Kanter (1992) We have seen in Parts One and Two how at a personal and team level you can save significant time dealing with your email.
the gender gap – differences in the way men and women use email. i.) The tools and techniques described in this part of the book are appropriate to both large and small organizations and both the public and private sector. An email good citizen's charter is laid out in Chapter 17. ways to create email best practice behaviour. After all. depend for their survival on their brand image and how well they use their assets. how you can use email to support and drive the culture you want rather than let email drive the culture. businesses. whether you are a multinational or a sole trader organization. It will provide you with advice and some techniques to try to ensure that email is used more effectively as a corporate management resource and help you save time. The contents are aimed at those already responsible for the corporate use of emails. and those who want to have an impact on the way their organization uses email in the future. (For those needing to write a netiquette style email policy.Managing in the Email Office This part of the book deals with: what your inbox says about your organization in terms of management information cultures. technology to help you manage the content and use of email. They will deliver the same pro-rata return on your investment in time. the detailed legal requirements. This means you and me and the information we communicate internally and externally.e. 164 . you will need to refer to one of the other published books on this topic such as that by Flynn. the impact of email on decision making and how to use email to improve the decision-making process. no matter how large or small. 2000. the email good citizen's charter.
they determine the criteria for leadership and thus who will and who will not be a leader. No . in that leaders first create cultures when they create groups and organizations. division. e. Depending on the size and diversity of your organization as a whole that might be the culture of the whole organization or your subunit. Edgar Schein (1992) Not only is your inbox a fingerprint of how you manage. Once cultures exist. but it is also a reflection of the broader organizational culture in which you operate.g.1 Introduction Culture and leadership are two sides of the same coin. team.12 Organizational fingerprints in the inbox Does the culture of the organization influence how we use email? Does the way we use email change the culture of the organization? What does the ratio of noise to information say about the organization? 12.
better or worse. For example. 166 . the values of the organization. For the purpose of this book a useful framework. Within these there are subcultures such as the information and technology cultures. Organizational culture is about the way people behave. within a public sector organization there is normally one culture. The former is absolutely within your power to control (if you so wish). much has been scribed about culture. The level of noise and information in your inbox will reflect both your own management style and the culture of your organization. whether you are in either a service or a policy unit. What is meant by culture has been the subject of almost as many papers and books as what we mean by leadership. especially in respect of the: management structure.Managing in the Email Office organization ever has just one culture. the way email is used and the organizational culture are two sides of the same coin. although in some the overall corporate culture pervades wherever you go. information culture. In this chapter we review: how the organizational culture can influence the information to noise ratio and what the information to noise ratio says about the organizational culture. Your control over the latter will depend on where you stand within the organization and whether you may be able to influence or change it. 12. and one which many can relate to. business process for getting tasks done. technology culture. In the context of email.2 Words about culture As indicated. is that of Charles Handy. process. Handy (1976) posits that there are four main cultures. Whereas in a large technology organization there may be multiple cultures depending on whether you are in sales or engineering. This is not the place to debate which definition is right or wrong. The culture will influence the use and the use will influence the culture. because all have some element of realism. the style of management. Ways to change how email is used at the organizational level are discussed in Chapter 16.
with no more 'cover my backside' escapades. Role culture (often also called bureaucracy) is typified by formal organizational charts and individual logical orderly hierarchical reporting lines. not to mention all the attachments. People often have multiple reporting lines. Typical examples are public sector organizations. the standard reply is 'it comes 167 . Person culture is the least common as it puts the person rather than the organization first. Typical examples are technology companies. Resources and people are arranged around a key person so as to draw out their talent.3 The picture of the organization painted by use of email Go into any organization these days and quite probably somewhere you will see a statement about that organization's values. 'we value your custom'. when we ask them how they deal with this. one-to-many circular emails. charities. media companies.Organizational fingerprints in the inbox Club culture (often also called the power culture) is like a spider's web where the key figure sits at the centre surrounded by ever-widening circles of advisors and intimates. Typical examples are professional organizations such as lawyers. You know the sort of thing – 'we pride ourselves on offering you excellent service'. Task culture is best represented as a matrix (or net). banks and utilities. 12. consultancies. and how they value their human and intellectual capital and so on. The box in the organizational chart defines what you do and survives long after the occupant moves on. manufacturers. a closer look at people's email inboxes shows them full of cc'd and bcc'd email. architects. Typical examples are the way the Prime Minister Mr Blair runs Number 10. media and doctors. People and resources are organized according to projects and can be moved around much more quickly than within a role or even club culture to respond to changing needs. The nearer you are to the centre the greater your influence and power. Directors and managers will often proudly tell us about how their organization functions and how they have changed the culture from being hierarchical to a more open and empowered place to work. Having reduced the noise from near neighbours and those they work closely with. family run businesses and start-up companies. and much of this is regarded by the recipient as 'not useful'. Yet.
It is an old fashioned paternalistic organization trying to modernize itself.Managing in the Email Office from head office and I cannot take my name off the global circulation list'. This is a classical task culture at the business unit level set within an overarching 'role culture'. It is just merging three main offices and moving to a new purpose-built modern state of the art premises. and although employees have a certain degree of autonomy there is a strong underlying hierarchical structure. Long service is a signature of this organization. 12. 168 . This is the mean flow of incoming email through the average inbox. Major business decisions are made by one of the two senior management committees. giving the impression of a flat management structure. To illustrate these differences we will use three organizations that we have studied in depth. In the UK.1 Organization A – low information/low noise Organization A is an international player in the construction industry and has grown from a series of takeovers of smaller like-minded companies. Head office is located in an old building with a mix of traditional offices for the most senior staff and open plan offices for everyone else. In organization A the maximum was about 40. the 2200 employees are spread across 250 sites.3. Organization and sector Average emails received per day 22 43 82 Ratio of noise to information A – Construction B – Government C – Technology Low information/low noise High noise/low information High noise/high information In organization C it is not unusual for someone to receive up to 150 emails per day.
Now people just drop an email or two rather than making time for face-to-face contact. I can read something quicker on a piece of paper than off the screen. They tend to treat email like internal paper mail.2 Organization A – finance director on the use of email We are struggling in this business because the common understanding of when to use email is not as far developed. Like an operating theatre. We use email to drive the decision-making process by delivering information through email but it hasn't necessarily speeded up the process.3. I am a firm believer that you have to have regular. arrange meetings or respond quickly to simple questions.Organizational fingerprints in the inbox 12. When you are getting emails which have 20 attachments and it takes two and a half hours to print it – we are using email outside its initial design. one-toone. My approach (like others in the organization) to email is to do it early in the morning. One would hope that one would do short emails that give you bits and pieces of information. the inbox is read once in the morning and all the email dealt with in one go. The style of emails is 169 . We also use it to delegate authority. People are very focused on their objectives and taking the business forward and will use whatever means. There is a slight culture of email being more of an irritant than of use because people use it for the wrong reasons and therefore it's almost counterproductive. especially with columns and numbers. The problem is that you tend to end up working in a sterile environment. then the fax and now we have added email to it. Email was introduced about seven years ago and then only the very senior managers had access to it. eye contact to ensure that they (employees) understand the common objective of the business. you can see masks not people that say the absolute minimum to each other. We have a pretty flat structure. Initially we had the telephone. which helps. It's a medium intended for sharing information. It's a way of showing an interest in the individual. We tend to use it for things that we never intended to use it for. In this organization email is used but is not necessarily part of the culture. about one hour before the official working day starts. To a certain extent we are misusing/abusing email.
People work on individual projects (usually only one at a time). 12. 170 .3. as one expects. relaxed and friendly atmosphere This is a task culture at the project level within a classical organizational role (bureaucracy) culture. In technology terms this organization until recently has been a laggard. Overall the low maturity of use and organizational culture tends towards a low noise and low information profile. It is relatively new. This is deliberate as you are not expected to work for more than two years in this organization. It is located in an old listed building and is very cramped and short of space: with coffee areas and corridors doubling for make-shift meeting rooms. being formed from members of the parent and other government agencies. the company have only recently become entirely dependant on their use of IT to do their business. Bad spelling and grammar are not accepted in a play-off against time. There is high staff turnover as people come and go as projects are completed and new ones begin. Spur of the moment (internal) emails are considered 'to be not thought out' and 'condemned'.Managing in the Email Office still fairly formal. Although they use technology and have a very forwardlooking IT department. By and large people work in traditional silos through. Within the last six months they have launched an email best policy and netiquette policy.3 Organization B – high noise/low information Organization B is a specialist unit within a major government department. The small group of core permanent staff all work hard at developing and maintaining an informal. It develops cross-cutting policies to meet the government's current agenda. it still does not have a global intranet. a traditional vertical hierarchical management structure which ultimately reports to a Minister(s). Email is currently being used as an efficiency tool to automate processes but not to change and transform the way they do business. Although its email system is 'Notes' based it does use the 'Bulletin Boards' function to post some one-to-many type notices and information. except 'support staff' and 'researchers' who may provide a service to the whole organization.
4 Organization B – team leader on the use of email Ours is a very co-operative culture. So it allows us to be much more subtle about the way we do business. Email provides more choice for communication. What you don't do around here is have standup rows with people but you can do an awful lot by what you say in a message. You can only really do that with people where you've had personal contact. When we're clearing a report the responses all come by email but we know what they are as we'd make sure we'd phone around their private offices and weren't going to get any nasty surprises.3. it's got to be. It also gives you much more control over your work as you just see everything that comes in – it's not filtered through a secretary. The use of cc and bcc makes work a lot easier. You can't send emails to people cold and simply say I want 'x' bit of information because you probably won't get it or you'll get it wrong. Face-to-face meetings are still crucial. It's a good way of gathering information. The amount of very formal business we do by email is very limited. but email is integral to everything we do. Email has almost replaced written papers as a form of communication in the sense that we used to write and photocopy papers and now we send them as email attachments. You might have emails ricocheting backwards and forwards between us and Number Ten. It's a culture where words are very carefully weighed for nuances because that's how you put messages across. whereas before everything you did was filtered through the private secretary. You have to think very hard about who you copy and the way you copy because you might want to send a blind copy or two or three copies of the same thing to different people with different messages. In terms of paper conservation and time and energy it's a major improvement. once you've got a relationship going. Were the email system to be off for a couple of days then our ability to work would be very seriously impaired because we now depend on 171 . You can deliberately tailor the style of your email to put across the sort of impression that you want. which we sometimes use.Organizational fingerprints in the inbox 12. It's integral to everything we do now. The Ministers have private email addresses. We work sufficiently closely with many colleagues that I would expect to send them informal emails even though it's about formal business. We use it to send all sorts of things from personal notes to key policy papers. in a way that you couldn't with a formal minute.
In terms of maturity of use Organization B is a little more mature than A.5 Organization C – high noise/high information moving to low noise/high information Organization C is a leading global technology company. Email is well established and everyone is very comfortable with it. videoconferencing. they have also made some. To some extent this is also damage limitation through a 'cover my backside' operation with lots of cc'd and bcc'd email which pushes up the noise level. It is a very ethical company. Here email is used as the main form of communication.). I check my emails about two or three times a day. It has a task culture with people having multiple reporting lines. we do the best business with people when we do it for years and years. it has been used to transform how they work. which is in keeping with a government agency run on traditional role reporting culture.Managing in the Email Office it so heavily. email is partly also being used to micro manage and 'hover over people'. Although there is delegation downwards and a task culture within the unit. hardware and consultancy. 172 . providing computer software. I sort of whip through them and deal with them very quickly so I don't waste time. Email is used for politics with a small p and reflects to some extent a push information culture where information is pushed out to everyone who might have an interest in it. 12.3. to implement codes of best practice. Where it's down for three or four hours you can work around it. overall papers rarely go out without going right up the silo/hierarchy. then we have long-term relationships. albeit very limited attempts. although at a very senior level the tone is changed accordingly.' Within service divisions (where our study was based) employees spend a lot of time talking to people (in meetings. etc. It is in the words of one interviewee 'a company that generally wants to do the right business for its customers. Previously information was sent by paper-based internal mail. on the phone. By and large internal emails are casual. Over the past year we tried an email free day to encourage people to talk more.
6 Organization C – head of a business division on the use of email Like others. everyday until I go to bed at the end of the day. Email has been a fantastically important tool for them to communicate. In Organization C we completely rely on electronic communication. especially business like ours. This is a change from an old culture where individual excellence always counted and was rewarded. Moreover. There has also been a move away from decisions based on seniority towards decisions based on knowledge and expertise. People send messages that say 'you said you wanted to do this but here's why I think it isn't a very good idea'. There is a culture in C where you get twitchy unless you replicate your email every few hours. I use email all the time. there were patterns of more serial projects being worked on. You are expected to check your email every half an hour or so. Now we work on lots and lots of different things at the same time. I don't think we could do that without a sophisticated email system.3. Organization C is in a high tech modern building in a modern industrial complex built within the last decade. We might open a dialogue in email regarding a customer 173 . I don't think we could do business in our company without email. Another is to value knowledge and professional expertise. my system is on all day. people don't have to have offices to perform their work from. We have different types of electronic communications between people. Often people work individually: people within a team might not necessarily be on the same site and will not meet face to face for years. the speed with which we run our business.Organizational fingerprints in the inbox The organization is passionate about its core values. now email is becoming a non-simultaneous communications mechanism and it's becoming a one-to-one communication. Email is quite good for that. We work in a very volatile and dynamic environment. none of this would be possible without email. which is entirely e-business. We have email. the complexity of the business we are in. 12. is that we have to be able to change our minds. Its overarching one is 'the passion for business' which emphasizes accountability and working as a team. I think millions are sent every day. Fourteen years ago when I joined we had email even then. It's our main form of communication. A feature of business today. The speed with which we make decisions.
Recently my hard disk failed. I might call you and say 'hi are you there' and you come back 'yes' and we start having a conversation about work or an entirely work unrelated one. they just give you a new one and then try and mend it. Chat rooms are informal communities and are becoming more prevalent. People are trusted and there is a very open culture in which opinions can be surfaced for the good of the business rather than personal gains. Now the technology just means we have more choices about how we do it and I probably do it more effectively. Here is an organization at the leading (some might even say 'bleeding') edge of technology. The corporate culture of valuing expertise and knowledge comes through in the communities of interest. it is so important to us that they don't try and mend it [the PC]. 174 . Having to might be to do with not being quite competent in your job or having too much to do. However. There is a long hours culture and email just makes this easier to work within as much can be done from home. If the system is down it's like losing your right arm. that's not very helpful or productive for holding a discussion if there's a group of us. The information culture is of pull rather than push. It's absolutely unbelievable and awful. You have to be careful to differentiate between those who choose to work long hours and did so before email and those who have to. but I wasn't without email for long because in C. Now we are moving to a chat room style environment and 'same time messaging'. Same time messaging is like instant messaging: we are both on-line.Managing in the Email Office account we are both working on and talk about it. They are very much a task culture at the operational level and one has the impression of a busy organization. We might be on a conference call and using same time for an urgent situation to find a solution to a problem. I heard that we have an estimated 85 000 informal communities and 60 formal ones. It's not something that's been mandated [having informal communities] there's no legislation. People we talk to who only check their email every couple of days have become difficult to deal with because you have an expectation about response which isn't matched. no particular dictates. We used to have what we call 'team rooms' where we post documents for everyone to comment on or read. The technology has been made available for people to make a choice and they are beginning to make one.
B is still primarily using email for efficiency gains rather than reinventing and transforming how they work. People rarely take email home in Organization A (except when they are working from home) in contrast to C where home and late at night are often the only time people really get to deal with all the non-urgent email. The formulation and degree to which it was embodied in the organization varied as you might expect with maturity of use. overall culture in Handy type terms. When anyone joins. information culture. 12. the organization makes sure you can align the systems to your needs and know what to use when and the capability of each system. email is used as an additional form of communication rather than the principal one in contrast to Organizations B and C.Organizational fingerprints in the inbox Certainly user's inboxes are in the high information side of the noise to information matrix.4 Comparisons These case histories show how the content of your inbox can also reflect the wider organizational culture and in particular the: ways of working. One of the reasons why many inboxes are full of noise and especially the one-to-many emails (the to 'all addressee's' in the 175 . and this reflects the higher volume of email in these two organizations. Like Organization A. in contrast to Organization C. They are mature users of email and have started to explore other ways of using electronic communications. In all probability they are on the cusp of the high/low noise intersection. There is no formal email training as it is assumed that you can use the system. The question is whether they are high or low noise. In each organization there was some form of email best practice and netiquette. Being able to refine and segment their use of email means they are beginning to be able to reduce the volume of noise and create an even stronger pull information culture. users can go and seek out what they need rather than have it constantly thrown at them. In Organization A. That is. Although in Organization B email is much more integrated into how they work and their overall work processes. technology culture.
Managing in the Email Office global address book) is because organizations still see email as the only form of electronic communication. these case histories show how the culture of the organization can influence the use of email and vice versa. However. personal portals and instant messaging.1 Organization cultures and the noise to information matrix 176 . At the moment though email is being used a bit like an all-purpose hammer to crack all types of nuts. There is also an element of market sector expectations and influence peeking Figure 12. Push information cultures typically create lots of noise as we have witnessed in the case histories and especially Organization B. such as chat rooms. This very much creates a proactive rather than reactive work culture. as the organization's use of email matures as we saw in Organization C. Use of more appropriate and targeted forms of electronic communications would help many organizations reduce the volume of noise in their users' inboxes. However. other ways of communicating electronically are emerging for both one-to-many and even one-to-one. Email enables you to push out information to everyone regardless of whether or not they need or want it. No organization has a pure culture and most have subcultures according to the nature of the work being done by that subunit and within there will be various shades of grey.
as the top management teams in organizations start to take a more active role in managing how email is used. e. You might wonder why there is no one case history organization in the low noise/high information quadrant. and learn to differentiate their use of different forms of electronic communication. at this point in the history of email. No doubt.Organizational fingerprints in the inbox through as you would expect. However. more will find themselves moving their users towards inboxes which have a low noise and high information content. for the reasons discussed. Below are eight questions to ask yourself about what you think your organization's use of email says about your organization (or division) and hence how you could reduce the volume of noise and increase the information content without increasing the overall email traffic. Figure 12.g.1 summarizes typical organizations you might expect to find in the different quadrants of the noise to information matrix. 1 How much cc'd and bcc'd information was in your inbox last week and what does it say about your organization? 2 How many people log-in either from home outside normal working hours and/or when on leave? What does this say about your organization's culture? 3 What other forms of electronic communication does your organization use? 4 Does your organization send lots of 'all addressee' emails? 5 Does your organization use electronic communications to support other ways of working. Based on this and our own work. Ways to change corporate email behaviour are discussed in Chapter 16. 12. they were hard to find. working from home? 6 If your email system went down for more than one hour could your organization continue to operate? 7 Is the way your organization uses email compatible with your organization's espoused values about openness? 8 Does the style of emails in your organization reflect the assumed culture of your organization? 177 . This of course should be the goal for every organization regardless of size and sector. Porter and Millar (1985) showed that different industries rely to differing extents on information and hence information technology to both produce and deliver their services.5 Summary Just as your inbox says a great deal about how you manage at the individual level so it speaks volumes about your organization's culture.
Nonetheless.13 The email gender gap Do men manage their email better than women? Are women using email more effectively than men? Who is more likely to be addicted to email. However. Networking has long been regarded as a strong male characteristic with the extreme and ultimate form being the all-male club. men or women? 13. women score when it comes to networking for social outcomes (e. perhaps of more interest is the effect email is having. being more able (often through necessity) to switch off when home and focus solely on the 'life' part of the equation. more abrupt and less emotional.1 Introduction Management literature is full of studies about the differences between the way men and women both manage and communicate. Given the dominant role email now plays as a communications medium it would not be surprising to see differences emerge in the way men and woman use it. if any. Typically such research has revealed differences in style and in particular a tendency for men to be more task focused.g. on the difference . finding the babysitter) and providing emotional support. Women meanwhile are often regarded as possessing better interpersonal skills and being more effective at managing the work–life balance.
as others have found they are also prone to exaggerating the size of their inbox (Britain's First Email Diary 2001.1 The email gap There are eight main differences that we have observed in the way men and women use email and also in their whole attitude towards email: Size of the inbox Noise to information Speed of response Tone of the content Deletion Use and misuse Level of email IT fitness Desire to stay connected Size of the inbox and noise to information ratio For many men and some women.The email gender gap between the way men and women manage. Never mind the noise to information ratio just look at the total volume is the cry from some. men often have a higher noise to information ratio and tend to be more like Joe – 'the email junkie' or Justin – 'just on line' (see Chapter 2). MSN Hotmail). You will also find a benchmarking exercise and tips on how to temper your emails if you want the best response from the opposite sex.2. Although. Consequently. The new macho thing to moan (or should we say boast) about is how many emails you receive a day. 13. Is email subversive and broadening the gender gap? Or can we use it to help narrow the gap? Does email play to either the strengths or weaknesses of either gender? In this chapter we review some of the trends and patterns we have found and how these relate to other studies and the implications for the culture of the organization.2 The differences 13. Men in particular compete on volume and if someone is getting a hundred emails a day then the perception is that they must be really important. the size of their inbox has become yet another status symbol. 179 .
Men tend to be more succinct and very precise particularly when they are writing to women. men are more prone to doing this than women and 180 . This has significantly reduced the time email takes up. Women tend to be more conversational in style. more detailed emails. international finance organization Deleting the unwanted email Men are observed to be better and quicker at deleting unwanted mail. Men too are far more inclined to delete all their unread emails when they return from leave. They delete on receipt and regret their haste later. A good manager stays in touch and manages the connections. They seem less keen on using the phone and find email an easier medium. When I send an email. which touches on other people's sensitivities. Email can be the bane of our lives but in our frenetic lives it is often the only way. There is a tendency for men to respond faster to an email. Men are less inclined to use greetings or to ask social questions about the family or your weekend in an email. marketing director. While both sexes randomly cherry-pick the crop of the day's new mail. which is often at the expense of any thought for the recipient. Hilary. They might even put it in the draft box and mull it over before it's sent: The basis of relationships is connections which means communications. Whereas most women will systematically and logically deal with each and every email. However. vice president. Whereas women tend to hoard messages in their inbox just in case they will be needed. writing longer. Women are far more likely to take an extra few minutes to compose the content with the recipient in mind.Managing in the Email Office Speed of response and tone of content Email seems to encourage a reckless approach to driving the inbox. Deborah. as part of my own email time-management I am now trying to be 'less polite' and more 'male' in my replies. I spend time composing it. international telecommunications company An emerging trend is for senior women to adopt a more terse 'male' style for their emails but this can backfire as it can be perceived as cold or authoritarian coming from a women: Men like to get straight to the point in as few words as possible.
but by the same token most of our bronze users are also men! As indicated men are more inclined to want to stay connected and try out all the latest gizmos to do so. Bank of England. When it comes to politics. not to mention the Daily Telegraph and the Football Association! Needless to say the originator of the email was been suspended from work. But they had no time for confidentiality and promptly circulated it to other friends. All the gold users we know are men. Bloomberg and HSBC. Use and misuse There are also some subtle nuances about the way men and women use email. men are more inclined to use email. That is not to say that women do not also access their emails on the move – indeed many do so. They will use email to arrange to socialize sending a curt 'see you in the pub' one liner. although these seem to be appreciated by both sexes as underpinned by this comment from a colleague: 'I always read all my messages when I come back from leave otherwise I might miss a good joke' (Julie. More recently. Level of email IT fitness and desire to stay connected Men generally have a higher level of IT fitness. the case of Claire Swire who successfully sued her boyfriend for sending an email about their relationship. A chain mail then ensued and in no time the original missive had done the round at several wellrespected banking institutions including Barclays. a banker from Credit Lyonnais sent an email describing how he performed with his girlfriend to five friends. women are more likely to make sure each and every email has a response. While women are always thought of as gossips. Similarly when auditing inboxes it is often the men who send the jokes. For example. In keeping with how they deal with the vacation pile. it's men who are more likely to use email to gossip about their love life. Despite the tendency for more men than women to stay connected (and access their email on the move) email is very unlikely to replace the drink in either the pub or wine bar. Men use email in preference to the phone. It is just that men are more 181 . Women on the other hand are far more inclined to use email to catch up with friends and family.The email gender gap again will leave the unread mail to atrophy at the bottom of the inbox. a conference organizer).
'continuity' might be a better description. and use of. email is mainly a reflection of these underlying behavioural attributes.1. other studies have found similar differences (such as Mallon and Oppenheim 2002 and Panteli 2002).3 hours for females). Indeed the 2002 survey revealed that men spend about 30 per cent more time on the internet than women (8. By and large the differences in attitudes to. 182 . Research by MSN Hotmail found that men are more likely to flirt by email than women. if that is even the right word. So you could argue that to some extent both sexes are guilty of abusing the office email system! It is well known that in general men are more likely to log onto the internet than women (Russell and Drew 2001 and Russell and Stafford 2002). suggest.uk found that while 30 per cent of men will use email to flirt only 15 per cent of women will flirt by email. Perhaps unsurprisingly. While this is not the place to argue the true extent of these variations. (This is based on a review of the recent literature by Vinkenburg et al. Indeed.uk found that over 30 per cent of women use email at work to plan their social life. 2000. However.3 What does this tell us? Some of the more widely accepted differences between the way men and women manage are summarized in Table 13. are often moderated by circumstances such as the organizational culture and context.Managing in the Email Office likely to choose to stay connected.co. most executive women are silver or high bronze users Summary These variations are based on our observations of over 175 men and women with whom we have worked and specific research into gender differences and the use of email by Mesmo Consultancy. Or will it? Are there some lessons we can learn about how to save ourselves time and use email to communicate more effectively? 13. all is most likely to change with the push to make technology and especially IT more appealing to women.) Clearly.co.3 hours per week compared to 5. such differences. it does provide a framework from which to review the differences in how men and women use email and the possible explanations. Nonetheless. edesign. Indeed as Vinkenburg et al. Conversely edesign.
the desire to stay connected reflects the fact that women are far better at making the work–life equation balance – often through necessity. First. Men have been brainwashed into thinking that touch 183 .1 Gender differences in management styles and behaviour Women – the likelihood Less More More More More Less Less More Less Less Less More More Less Attribute/Characteristic Risk taking Relationship focused Communal Interpersonal Supportive Image conscious Autocratic Participative Directive Self-confident Career networking Social networking Emotional support networking Political Men – the likelihood More Less Less Less Less More More Less More More More Less Less More For example. as typing can be perceived as a 'woman's skill or work'. the propensity for men to be more status conscious and wanting always to have the latest 'toys for the boys'. Women have a tendency to feel less self-confident and this too is echoed in the more detailed self-justifying content rather than using a confident one line response. The short terse male type emails probably also reflect poor keyboard skills. The trend towards a higher level of IT fitness among men reflects several interrelated factors.The email gender gap Table 13. Second. the underlying trend for technology to appeal more to men than women. When they are home they are more likely to be able to switch off and focus all their attention to the home front. The need to have overt status symbols also accounts in part for the new trend towards perceiving the size of the inbox as directly proportional to importance and hence a trend towards a greater noise to information ratio. Women are generally regarded as possessing greater interpersonal skills and higher emotional intelligence and this is clearly reflected in the style of their emails.
Again following the stereotype. Which means that you are forced to add to the email mountain by sending the whole thing again.1 The macho email index – a self-assessment exercise Look at the statements below. men tend to be inherently lazier than women. but only recently have joined the career networking party. as an increasing number of male executives are now actively developing their keyboard skills and learning to touch type! A recent survey of what was on 25 top executives New Year's wish lists revealed that for at least 25 per cent being a faster typist was one item. Women have long since valued networking for providing social and emotional support. in 'Men shoot from the hip.4. It is therefore not surprising that women use email for keeping in touch with friends and family. This encourages shorter messages. and circle the number you feel most accurately equates to how you handle your inbox. While this may save time for the sender it is not without its downsides: Men abbreviate in emails too much and. 12 August 2002 Politicking has always been synonymous with corporate life and climbing the greasy pole of the corporate hierarchy. being skim-readers. As one might expect. human resources director. may fail to read to the end of their messages. 184 . Lastly. The Guardian. Again there is also an element of the life side of the work–life balance creeping in here. abbreviations and the quicker scanning and deletion approach. Women agonise'. Securitas. 13.4 How macho are you about email? How macho are you when it comes to email? Are your emails from Mars or Venus? 13. men are also more inclined to use email for politics. Virginia Matthews. email as a networking tool. But this is changing. many business courses now include learning touch typing as a training module.Managing in the Email Office typing is for girls and many are reluctant to use more than one hand let alone all the fingers. In addition. Ruth Bishop.
g. phone) I rarely talk about how many emails I receive and send 185 10 I often talk about how many emails I receive and send 1 2 3 4 5 . e. I rarely use any other medium (e. etc.g. just in case 4 I nearly always start and sign off my emails in the same way. Tx for thanks Once I've written an email I always send it 1 2 3 4 5 I take time to make sure my emails are well constructed and are clearly presented I rarely use text message style shorthand 2 1 2 3 4 5 3 1 2 3 4 5 Sometimes I write an email but after reflection either do not send it or modify the contents I usually adjust the salutation and sign off according to the person to whom I am writing I try to read all my emails systematically even if I don't think they are important to me I tend to keep the majority of my emails. I frequently use text message style shorthand. I try to deal with all of them 8 1 2 3 4 5 9 1 2 3 4 5 Although I use email.The email gender gap 1 I prefer just to get across the point and not worry about style and grammar. regardless of who is the recipient Mostly. phone) 1 2 3 4 5 7 1 2 3 4 5 There are almost no unread emails in my inbox No matter how many emails there are when I have been away from the office.g. I try to use other ways of communicating my message whenever possible (e. I scan my inbox very quickly and just read the ones I think are important 1 2 3 4 5 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 I am very good at deleting emails which I feel I do not require There are quite a lot of unread emails in my inbox When I return to the office after being absent (on work or leave) I often just delete the whole inbox without reading it Email is the default communications medium for me.
but be missing important information by not being a little more empathetic towards your recipient and the needs of others 20–29 A macho air You still exude an air of arrogance in the way you handle your email. As such if offers women an unparalleled opportunity to have their say and network with the boys. which dominates many organizations. You might be quick at handling your inbox. Conversely. email is in danger of widening the gap between the sexes and alienating women even further.Managing in the Email Office Total your score for the boxes you have ticked and enter your score below. You might be too thoughtful for your own good 13. email knows no organizational or hierarchical boundaries. If women feel they really should make their emails more macho then this will just reinforce the male culture. Email is already a thin communications medium devoid of any emotions. 10 20 30 40 50 Emails from Mars Adaptable Emails from Venus 13. Left to its own.5 How can we work together even better? To some extent email works against many of the female values which we all value within our organizations. Maybe it is just the pace of life which stops you being more thoughtful and tuned into the needs of others 30–39 Androgynous You are able to balance your own needs to those with whom you work and play to the strengths and weaknesses of both sexes 40–50 The Venus approach You may be erring too far on the side of female caution and emotional intelligence at the expense of your personal time constraints and the demands of your own job.2 Interpreting your score 10–19 The Mars approach Very macho.4. We can learn from the Venus approach to email to add a little feeling without being too chatty and effusive. 186 .
to play to the other person's strengths and the many opportunities offered by email. For men Add some feelings Use less text messaging shorthand Think before you hit the send key Use a variety of salutations and sign-offs Stop gossiping on-line about your love life For women Shorten your emails Hit the delete key more often Worry less about the recipient and more about the task in hand Use a variety of salutations and sign-offs Start using email for career networking 187 .6 Summary Here are five tips on how to adapt your style of dealing with email to bridge the gender gap.The email gender gap 13.
1 Introduction Email is now an integral part of all aspects of organizational life and has become essential for day-to-day functioning. However. With email you can send as much . In addition. its use in the decision-making process presents many challenges and needs careful management. the use of email seems to facilitate decision making in many positive ways. The main benefit of using email in decision making is that it allows communication to be made more easily and quickly between colleagues wherever they are in the global business world.14 Decision making in the email office How does your organization make decisions? Do you use email as part of the decision-making process? Does the use of email improve decision making in your organization? 14. In general. it enables us to send large amounts of supporting information to aid a particular decision that otherwise would have had to be sent by courier or fax taking hours or days rather than seconds.
network availability. Whatever the process successful organizations 'outdecide' their competition in at least three different ways: 189 . (Although. the size of the file does not become a major factor in the impediment of its transmission. It enables you to gather the information you need and will also allow you to tell people about the decision that has been made in a timely.) Good communication is essential when making a decision. effective and appropriate manner.Decision making in the email office information as needed.2 Corporate decision making Herbert A. etc. In some organizations the decision-making process is very formal. This ensures that the decision can be acted on as soon as possible.) Email has become a very important addition to the choices we have of how and when we communicate during and following the decision-making process. face-toface personal or group meeting and so on. This effectively compresses the data and because of the speed of transferring data. decision making is far less formal and may simply be reactive considerations to ongoing operational issues. This means a more informed and possibly fairer decision can be made with potentially less risk. we must decide when it is appropriate to use a personal phone call. 14. (For example. it allows more people's opinions to be taken into account regarding the points of the decision. a teleconference. Simon (US Social Scientist) defines a decision as: A moment in an ongoing process of evaluating alternatives for meeting an objective at which expectations about a particular course of action impel the decision maker to select the course of action most likely to result in attaining the objective. simply by sending files or jpegs (pictures or diagrams) as attachments. intranet notice. In particular. Email is now an intrinsic part of the whole process in most organizations. This may include: Formal diagnostic processes Feasibility studies Consultation processes Committee meetings Trials and testing of options For some. transmission of large data files can be slowed by modem speed. personal or group email.
Specifically. Several common characteristics emerge from the many models developed over the years. email enables more information Figure 14. The gathering of information (i.1 Six stage decisionmaking model.Managing in the Email Office They make faster decisions They make better decisions They implement decisions more regularly In addition. When assessing the impact that emails have had on decisions. the determination and evaluation of options and understanding the problem) is greatly affected by email. Email can play a part in all six stages.1 recognizes six stages from which all decisions are made. they almost certainly use email as an integral part of their decision-making process. 190 . a simple model is needed to represent the decision-making process.e. The model shown in Figure 14.
In this case email would have no effect. As in other areas of business. This in turn will lead to increased effectiveness where adaptive and innovative solutions are required.Decision making in the email office to be exchanged quicker and more easily between parties and decisions communicated much more speedily. In decision making this can be due to the fact that people can abuse email by copying too many people onto an email – resulting in people receiving irrelevant emails or emails that they do not need to receive.3 The impact of email on decision making Having identified the decision-making process and where email can play a part it is worth looking at the impact that email has had on organizations and decision making. This can slow down the whole process. email has increased efficiency. Using email as opposed to another communication method takes less time and an immediate response can be gained. Many of the decisions that we have to take each day are made using email. For routine decisions the effect of email has been to increase efficiency without any loss in effectiveness. Arranging diary dates by email can be far more time consuming than a simple phone call. Generally it seems that for very simple routine decisions where there are no concerns about form and content. The greater availability of information can be both an actual increase in the volume of relevant information received and also an increase in the 191 . but there are still some routine decisions where email is not the appropriate communication method. This is especially true if it only involves one other person. They require only a brief yes or no response and email has made this process quicker. email can also have a negative impact. Any increase in efficiency will of course be dependent on the situation and the nature of the decision to be made. Saying 'yes' to a request is easy by email but if it is 'no' it may be more polite to make a phone call or visit the person if they are nearby. 14. Using email in the decision-making process will lead to a greater availability of information.
Much of the additional information we receive now is as a result of being included in various emailing lists and news wires. which can often lead to misunderstandings. people expect things to be done straight away which often results in rushed decisions. Using email as part of decision making is likely to cause more information to be circulated and this in turn can lead to more meetings. The efficiency of email as a communication method in decision making is reduced when recipients receive a large volume of irrelevant information. 192 . 14.1 Increased accessibility of senior management In addition to the sheer volume of emails received. Email allows people outside of the work group to provide input to a decision process and also allows more people to be better informed during the process. Email appears to be less effective for decisions of a more personal or emotional nature. When using email. gestures and other communication tools are lost.3. As we discussed in Chapter 8 much of this unnecessary information used to be filtered out by secretaries and PAs when it was in paper form. Like many aspects regarding the increased use of email. the downside to the almost instant communication of email is that some decisions are being made too hastily without due consideration of all the facts and options.2 The use of email can speed up decision making While this is undoubtedly true. Email has removed many hierarchical barriers and made it easier to respond to the most pressing issue first regardless of who sent it.3. Also more information does not necessarily mean better information.Managing in the Email Office accessibility of those people who take part in the decision making. Clearly this can create information overload and slow down the decision making. this can be both positive and negative. 14. It is estimated that around 10–25 per cent of email received on a regular basis is irrelevant. senior management has become more accessible by the use of email. This is because vital information such as the tone of voice. As inboxes are now generally managed personally this has led to a decrease in the amount of secretarial filtering of information.
) Decisions can be made more easily and therefore be better monitored as a result of using email.Decision making in the email office 14. However. However. In the electronic office. Email is a graduation between the two and so can be easily tailored to put across the right impression. (It goes without saying that you should back up onto CD or floppy disk all your email and PC data regularly. email is the best way to communicate decisions. Email can be the best way to communicate decisions of a timesensitive or complex nature. communication was either by phone or often in a more formal written format. This is particularly the case when managing remote teams or when the manager is out of the office for considerable amounts of time.3 Email can allow decisions to be communicated more easily A decision has not been made until it has been communicated to the relevant people and email can be the most speedy and effective way of doing this.3. While this is true for most decision making. it is perhaps less so when dealing with subjects of a more personal or sensitive nature. Email would not be the most appropriate form of communication to inform successful or unsuccessful job applicants of your decision. it follows that the final decision should be communicated by electronic means. this is changing and many companies now strive to be more 'paperless' and have a policy of keeping e-records in line with much that is happening in the field of e-government. Once a decision is in the implementation phase the use of email as part of the monitoring process enables problems to be dealt with before they escalate and do significant damage. Email provides managers with a speedy and effective way of staying informed of their current projects. It is not a personal enough method and in situations like this a paper letter can be better for record-keeping purposes. 193 . in case you lose all your electronic records. when it is important to say exactly the same thing to all people at the same time. if your company does not have an e-policy of this nature it is still safer to print off decisions or records received by email and file them manually as you would have done in the past. as paper documents are increasingly less likely to be read. Before email. For example. If email is used in the first place to arrive at the decision.
implementing and monitoring decisions. Additionally email cannot easily be used for anything requiring a group debate.4 Summary Emails will never completely replace face-to-face contact in decision making. Email can speed up this process and allow more people to be involved. When it comes to decision making the most successful people are the ones who know what they don't know and will go to the right people to help them make the right decision. face-to-face contact is still necessary when decisions are being made. The inbox analysis in the previous chapter revealed that many emails are concerned with arranging or following up meetings and telephone calls. 194 . communicating. Many of the people we spoke with said that they would often follow up an email with a phone call in order to generate a discussion or to check the email had been received and understood.Managing in the Email Office 14. Emails are of enormous help in making. If a number of people are involved in the decision it is often better to meet at the beginning. This helps build relationships. Therefore. which can be of value further down the line especially if difficulties arise. but sometimes it is better to actually meet or talk on the telephone with the people concerned.
In other cases more support is needed in terms of how the content of emails is managed. and so on? Similarly. how can you help employees counter the increasing number of unsolicited junk mail (spam) and virus attacks? This is where anti-spam.15 Technology to manage corporate email traffic How can technology help my organization manage the flow of emails? What are the issues associated with email management software? What are the benefits of using email management software? 15. there is still the question of how to ensure that users comply with the policy. Better content management is not just about limiting the risks.1 Introduction Once you have defined your email policy (netiquette) and charter for best practice. It can be a business enabler creating . How do you really ensure that defamatory emails are not circulated internally or externally. anti-virus and content management software can be invaluable. that confidential information is not leaked. For many a sound training and development programme may be sufficient.
Managing the Email Office opportunities to work smarter and be more responsive to customers. It is also important to understand that email security is not just about not letting in or out emails and content which might harm the organization.2. How can you ensure that only the person it is intended for sees the email? How can you be sure that no one tampers with the content of an email? How can you reassure external partners that your systems are secure? There are a number of levels and ways in which technology can help you control what information goes in and out through email and how to secure that information while in transit.1. and the benefits to be obtained from using email management software. Security systems to transmit email securely (e.1 Anti-virus software This is the most established of the management tools and it would be fair to say that most IT departments have imple196 . The merits of each company cannot be debated in this chapter. the issues associated with formally controlling how email is used. encryption systems). In essence there are four broad types of technology: Anti-virus software to combat virus attacks such as the 'I love you'. This chapter contains a brief overview of the different types of email management software and systems. the purpose of this chapter is to create awareness of the potential solutions and opportunities created by such software systems. Filtering software (or content management software as it is sometimes called) – which manages the flow of emails internally and outside the organization in terms of both inbound and outbound email. You may need to email highly confidential information. Anti-spam software – designed to block unwanted attacks from outside. Rather.g. There are a number of suppliers as shown by the data in Figure 15.2 Email management technology This area of email management is still in its infancy and as such it is hard to draw clear-cut definitions and position the various players in particular markets. 15. 15. Melissa and Bugbear.
it's boring and maybe feels a bit geeky to be updating your anti-virus software. Yes. 15.2 Anti-spam software This will filter email based on key words in order to prevent unwanted email from entering the organization and particularly in the form of unsolicited junk mail or 'spam' as it is so often called. which is spiced ham (and was first produced in 1937 by Homel Food Corp. However.Technology to manage corporate email traffic Figure 15. 197 . The two theories are that it is named after the ubiquitous canned meat of the same name. Always be vigilant about not opening unexpected or unusual attachments and fastidious about updating your software. viruses do not acknowledge any organizational boundaries: they make no distinction between how you are employed or what your position is in the organization! We know of several colleagues who have been attacked by some of the recent viruses such as Bugbear. It is not quite clear why junk mail is called spam. The other related theory is that the term spam is based on the Monty Python sketch about a restaurant where spam (the meat) was served with everything regardless of whether or not you ordered it. Plenty of wellestablished software and systems exist for both corporate and individual users.1 Global email content security market (Source: IDC.). The only point worth reiterating is the need for those who work on their own (as self-employed or sole traders) to make sure you keep up to date with all the latest updates. July 2002) mented some form of anti-virus software.2.
Managing the Email Office
As such, spam is the unsolicited junk mail, rather than the stuff that comes to you as result of an interaction between you and the sender, e.g. you attended a conference and now receive emails of no interest to you – junk mail. Incoming email can be intercepted based on a number of criteria such as email address types, phrases, type of attachments, and number of people in the address line. Some examples are show below. Criteria Subject line words and phrases Example Sex, Viagra, relaxation Nothing to lose Make money fast Lose weight Save a friend From designated providers such as Hotmail and Yahoo, one with specific formats and especially numerals, e.g. email@example.com MPEG, exe
Email address type
Attachment types
This is the absolute minimum level of filtering software you should have in place. Increasingly organizations are implementing some form of anti-spamming software, either on their own server or as part of the ISP services they purchase. Typical players in this part of the market include Brightmail, Clearswift, Tumbleweed and SurfControl. These companies will have a proprietary list of known 'spammers' that they regularly update and use to round up and trap the usual suspects. Savings made by anti-spam software will depend on the volume you receive and typically range from 5 to 20 minutes per employee per day! Such software is not cheap and is generally designed for 'enterprise' use (by corporates). For the self-employed, there are a number of less expensive software packages and services designed for the small office and home user such as SpamKiller from McAfee and Spamex from Spamex. The former works on the filtering basis, while Spamex hides your real email address and creates a 'disposable one'.
Technology to manage corporate email traffic
But what about protecting the emails that leave your organization and contain either potentially harmful information such as confidential data or data that could be regarded as libellous, e.g. about a person or client? Also how do you control the flow of sensitive information within the organization, e.g. who has access to personnel data, sales forecasts, etc.?
15.2.3 Filtering (content management) software The next level up is the ability to control the content of emails that flow across both the internal and external boundaries of your organization. Filtering software (content management software) is based on the same principles as anti-spam software. Emails both for internal and external purposes are scanned for key words and stopped before they either leave the organization or in the case of internal use reach an inappropriate person. The ability to scan outgoing email and the degree of accuracy (number of false positives) is primarily what distinguishes the key providers. For example, the more advanced solutions allow you to filter at many different levels of granularity, for example individually by person, by group, by division or by the organization as a whole. Similarly there is some way and degree of sophistication by which the content is filtered. At the crudest level it is on word association alone, for example all emails with the words salary and grade are not allowed to be sent to users outside the personnel department. At a more advanced level some software works on word association and context, so the words salary and grade when separated by say six words can be let through the filter. SurfControl use adaptive reasoning and artificial intelligence to train the software. It reads documents in order to build up a list of sensitive words that can then be used to filter emails. At the highest and most sophisticated end of content management is the ability to manage automatically incoming email. For example, emails requesting help or information can be redirected at source rather than left sitting in someone's inbox until they can deal with it. This is moving into the realms of e-marketing. In this respect, content management can enable you to work more smartly with your clients, prospects and even partners, and thus create new business opportunities.
Managing the Email Office
15.2.4 Filtering software with a training component One unusual and somewhat unique product (currently) is MetaSight from Morphix. This enables an organization not only to monitor breaches in the email policy, but to also make a 'training intervention'. Suppose using 'Reply All' is considered an unacceptable email behaviour and you want to stop this. MetaSight will monitor who is using 'Reply All' and then send a message about how they should behave. The change in behaviour after such an intervention can be quite dramatic as shown in Figure 15.2.
Figure 15.2 Changes in user's behaviour after training. (Source: MetaSight. © 2002 The Morphix Company Ltd. Used with permission)
One aspect of behaviour 'use of subject line prefixes' to comply with company standards was tracked across part of an organization with 2000 users. The first intervention (a personalized message with feedback statistics and education) was made in early October (week 40) and the per cent of good users increased. After the initial increase and as bad practice crept back in, a second reinforcement intervention was sent in early February the next year (week 6). A much larger change was now observed. 'We are after all dealing with people who forget, and a greater change effect can be achieved in the reinforcement intervention, and indeed interventions become more effective over time', commented Mark Newman, Managing Director of Morphix. MetaSight affords a neat way to tie in codes of best practice with content management designed to improve productivity.
Technology to manage corporate email traffic
15.2.5 Security systems Most email policies caution against sending sensitive and confidential information by email and especially over the internet, e.g. personnel data, marketing plans, new business strategies and product specifications. However, many is the time that you will need to transmit such data by email. The concerns then are: privacy – the email is only seen by the intended recipient; data integrity – has anyone tampered with the content (and attachments); authenticity – how does the recipient know the email is from the named sender; proof of receipt – how does the sender know the recipient has received the email. For this you need to use some form of email security technology such as encryption software. This is a relatively mature, albeit underused, form of email management. However, there are several good sources of information on the available options (for example, the National Computer Centre). The main reason for underutilization is that few directors realize how much valuable information seeps out of their organization every day and leaves the organization open to potentially damaging risks.
15.3 Issues
These types of software make extra demands on the processing power needed to run your email system. The other major issue that needs consideration relates to intrusion into people's privacy. Checking the content and patrolling how people use email can be regarded as an intrusion of privacy. Employees are entitled to be protected by the Data Protection Act and this has to be balanced against the need to operate the business. More often than not legislation has favoured the employee. This is a complex and controversial area as witnessed by the recent furore over the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Act. You should seek specialist legal advice. At the very least, you must make it clear to employees what you are doing, and why, and gain their consent. This can be through a clause in their contract and screen that comes up each time they log-in. That said, by and large employees take a positive attitude and are thankful to have at least some of the spam removed.
Managing in the Email Office
The key to successfully introducing such software lies in educating users about what and why you are doing it and further underlines the need for a proper email netiquette policy: You have to communicate what is acceptable to employees, so that they can manage themselves. If you do tell them filtering is in place and explain what it means, most people don't mind. Steve Purdam, chief executive of SurfControl This is a contentious matter, and the current issues associated with the legal, regulatory and compliance aspects are well covered in other books (e.g. Flynn, 2000). Many of the national newspapers carry regular commentaries on email monitoring, not least as the EU laws change.
15.4 Benefits
The benefits to be gained from using technology to manage the flow of emails inbound and outbound will obviously depend on the problems you are trying to solve and the opportunities you want to create. Misuse of email and any consequential staff dismissal carries high costs. These include not just the visible ones of legal and dismissal proceedings but also replacement costs, damages to staff morale and customers' perceptions. A recent survey by Websense found that over 72 per cent of companies have had to deal with internet misuse. Steve Purdam of SurfControl believes that 'disciplinary cases of Internet and email abuse now outnumber dishonesty, violence and health and safety issues put together'. In many cases talking to the offender can solve the problem. Nonetheless, anything that can limit the risk and damage liability must surely be seen as helpful, even if it requires delicate handling. Some of the benefits that users have realized include: improved productivity, i.e. by reducing time spent on nonwork related email activities; increased available bandwidth; reduced risk of litigation; protection of company assets in the form of sensitive and confidential information; enhanced customer relationships by improving processes for handling incoming customer enquiries;
There is a legal responsibility to protect our employees from that type of abuse and we are very active in this area. It is a case of covering all our options. Some of the costs associated with failing to manage that risk are: legal costs. Bob Cunningham. We have a group who identify all the risks which comprises representatives from Human Resources and our Information Protection department.4. the time and effort to recover systems [that have crashed through overload] and reduced storage availability. replacement of staff. think of a number and double it. We are not here to be big brother and catch people out. Now we are calculating a potential 30 per cent saving over previous estimates. productivity losses. for which they planned. China and Bermuda. to alert us to breaches in the company email policy and also to comply with employee legislation. The company operates internationally with offices in Europe. Current daily volume of email is 40 000 with 25 000 internal and 15 000 external. Before it was a little 'touchy-feely'. They are my customers. Standard Life implemented Clearswift's ES ClearEdge content management software. 203 . India. In 2001 they identified that a system was needed to monitor email. Canada.1 Case history – Standard Life Standard Life Assurance Company is Europe's largest mutual life assuror and is only one of six life assurance groups to have a Triple 'A' rating from Standard & Poor's and Moody's the international ratings agencies. senior project manager in IS Operational Services at Standard Life's Edinburgh head office: We had been well aware of the opportunities and risks posed by email throughout the enterprise for sometime and were also keen to protect our employees from spam and abusive email from outside. enhanced employee relationships. there have been some other unplanned benefits: We are now able to very accurately plan and predict machine requirements such as storage and bandwidth. 15. If you are not seen to take enough action you are liable for legal action. In addition to significantly reducing the spam and associated risk.Technology to manage corporate email traffic better network resource planning.
by type.g.5. 15. it's part of our culture. As circumstances change you may need to revisit the policy and how you use the software. etc. What advice does Bob offer to others embarking on this route? You must have the policy in place first. by department. and then ask yourself what is the risk and what is at risk if the policy is breached. we believe in developing our staff.1 Email content risk checklist 1 Has your organization been the victim of a malicious attack from either spam or a virus? 2 Has your organization been involved in any form of legal action through misuse of email? 3 When was the last time anyone assessed the risks from email abuse of any sort (from circulating offensive emails internally to transmitting confidential information outside the organization)? 4 Does your organization have an explicit email policy and code of best practice? 5 When did you last read anything about your company's email policy and best practice? 6 When was the last time you received any training about the email policy and code of best practice? 7 Who owns the policy and code of best practice? 8 Does your company have the ability to manage email content that is consistent with the policy? 9 To what level and in what depth can your organization generate email usage reports (e. Tools like this can only complement the policy and best practice guidelines. 15. by person. Our employees represent the company and we must ensure they communicate appropriately. That means giving them the right tools at the right time and making sure they are used appropriately through training. This [ES ClearEdge] is not a major tool but it is an important one – it helps make sure that messages going out are professional.Managing in the Email Office Also.)? 204 .5 Is your organization at risk? Do you know if your organization has the facility to manage the flow of inbound and outbound emails? Here is a checklist of questions to help you think about what might be appropriate.
This chapter provided an overview of the technology available to help you and your organization enforce the policy and code of best practice.Technology to manage corporate email traffic 10 How flexible is that software to meet different individual users' and groups of users' needs? 15. The need to protect corporate data assets is much more important with the increase in mobile computing and users accessing emails on the move. Although not yet widely utilized. says. educate the users and enforce your policy. the technology is now available to support you. will become increasingly pressing. chief marketing officer at Clearswift. However. 205 . the need to filter incoming email. The next chapter is about the process of establishing the policy. as a minimum. At present such abuse is still mainly confined to the desktop environment and has yet to reach the mobile phone environment. best practice behaviour and educating the users.6 Summary With the volume of spam predicted to increase by up to 23 per cent. this will change dramatically in the next year or so. to use email effectively to communicate and manage information you must establish the policy. with the implementation of 3G phones capable of downloading content spamming the mobile user cannot be far away. especially content management. Whatever policy and code of best practice you decide to implement. As Paul Rutherford.
1 Introduction Real strategic change requires not merely re-arranging the established categories.16 Ways of creating email best practice How easy is it to change the way people use email? Is there a recipe to follow that will guarantee success? What have other organizations achieved? 16. involve top management. and subsequently manage. crystallize the exact behaviour you wanted to develop. you would identify the problems. Our point is that this is a longterm process that requires sustained effort. and so on. but inventing new ones. . provide a training programme. set goals. Maybe you want to become more customer focused or to improve the quality of the goods and services your company provides. How would you start to plan for. Mintzberg (1994) Suppose you decide you want to change the overall behaviour of the organization. identify the best methodology to achieve these outcomes. such a change? Of course.
However. So why should changing the way we use email be any different? Although. which embodies some form of values about how we should behave and manage our email or even how this links to the corporate values and brand image of the company. you may have been faced with an instruction that your data storage limit was being reduced. Such formal policies are often called 'netiquette'. This will be to save the company significant storage costs and it might reduce the need to increase the size of its server(s) and lessen other IT costs. although the intensity and duration of these peaks and troughs would vary according to trauma of the event. some of which represent a potentially dismissible offence. each of us also has some dominant traits. far. If you were to plot how you felt. one of those lifewrenching experiences such as moving house. Think about some of the changes you have experienced. For example. Most organizations have an email policy that relates to the more mechanistic and formal aspects of using email. 207 . requires us to work at adopting the desired new behaviour. In the absence of any such team or corporate behavioural guidance.Ways of creating email best practice All change. most of us have developed some deeply ingrained habits such as defaulting to email when a face-to-face meeting or phone call might be better. from large to small. and insignificant to significant. we all have complex personalities. no matter how small or large. far fewer organizations have any guidelines akin to a best practice charter. divorce or the death of a loved one to the more mundane but still unsettling experiences of moving offices or even desks. you would find that you experienced the same emotional ups and downs. 'Justin – just on-line' and or 'Ronnie – the reliable email citizen' (see Chapter 2). depending on our email personality. This is why you should bother. If everyone in the company reduced the size of their inbox and freed up some space on the server it could have a very positive effect on the bottom line. All of these areas can impact seriously on the company's profitability and most probably whether or not you will get a bonus. And now someone (or 'they') have decided we should use email differently? For example. your pocket and your productivity. They can lead us to act like 'Pat – the pen'. meaning you must delete or archive material otherwise it will all be deleted. such as circulating pornographic material. 'Joe – the email junkie'. which have become our signature behaviour and this is reflected in the way we use email.
bearing in mind that to some extent the way email is used is a reflection of the corporate culture. The steps of the email best practice change management framework are now discussed in more detail. 16. This chapter contains: the email best practice change management framework to help you manage any changes effectively. who is best placed to manage such a programme.Managing in the Email Office There are a number of activities you can adopt to support your email best practice campaign such as email-free days and good housekeeping events. 16. underpinning these is a need for a properly planned change management programme that is supported from the top and which clearly demonstrates 'what's in it' for everyone at every level of the organization. specific activities to induce changes in email behaviour. Managing enduring change does not happen overnight and just launching a set of email best practice guidelines or having an email-free Friday is no guarantee that either anyone will buy into the change or that it will be enduring. they are essentially about deciding: what can reasonably be achieved by changing how you use email. Based on the key principles for managing any form of change. how can these changes be achieved. what results would be expected and how can they be measured. this 208 . examples of what other organizations have done to inculcate some best practice. However.1.1 Action point 1 – Identify the problem and solution As revealed in Chapter 12. It might make a transient difference for a day or so but after that it will be back to play as usual.2 Heading for email best practice The key steps to changing the email culture are summarized in the email best practice change management framework shown in Figure 16. lessons to be learnt from the experiences of other companies.2.
There are two key ways to identify the common problems people are experiencing with email in your organization. These 209 .1 Organizational email best practice – change management framework initially is not as simplistic as it might sound. You will need either to take some steps to deal with that aspect of the culture or accept that while you can reduce some of the volume of cc'd email there will always be an undercurrent of cc'd mail which is a vestige of the underlying corporate culture. For example.Ways of creating email best practice Figure 16. The ten most common things that wreak havoc on the use of email for corporate communications are shown in Table 16. the superficial problem might be the overuse of the 'Reply All' function. Consider a culture that has heavy overtones of 'cover my backside'. One of the major problems is that email is often the wallpaper which covers much deeper fissions in the organization.1.
Overuse of 'Reply All' 2 Too many 'All Employees' emails 3. interviews and questionnaires either to all or a representative sample of employees. to improve our decision making. phone 6. You could of course. Fancy signatures and backgrounds which obscure real purpose of email and take longer to download 9. etc. to strengthen our brand image. but modified to pick up organizational patterns. be it either reacting to a known problem or being proactive and creating new opportunities.1 Top ten causes of email rage 1. Of course this assumes you want only to maintain the status quo as far as management processes are concerned. e. This is the foundation for your email best practice policy and will enable you to plan an appropriate change management programme.g. to share more information. Inadequate housekeeping – users taking up valuable storage space on main server 8. So how can we capitalize on that opportunity? What are the most common sources of email rage in your organization? The key is to decide what you want to achieve as an organization through the effective use of email. For example. Too much reliance on email when another medium would be better. Overuse of 'cc'd' email 4. Attachments – too many and too big 10. An inbox audit similar to that described in Chapter 6. to work differently (maybe more flexibly). No clear indication of purpose of email 7. to interface with our customers more effectively. step back and say email creates an opportunity. focus groups. e. Poor grammar and layout 5.g.Managing in the Email Office Table 16. Mismatch between the sender's and recipient's priorities and timescales methods will also help highlight which problems are causing stress and lowering productivity: Conventional survey techniques. 210 .
Chapter 17 contains the 'Nine Ps of Email Best Practice' charter. This is based on the top ten most common sins of the email user. It has been adopted by many organizations either as it stands or adapted to meet their needs as identified from Step 1. 211 . This is an important but often overlooked ingredient to success. Ownership Intimately linked to content is ownership of the policy that is both functional ownership (i. There are three functions that generally have an interest in email best practice.2.e. protecting privacy) Corporate communications (marketing) Human resources Wherever possible try to involve a member from each department and one or two employees (preferably one of the worst offenders and one who personifies best practice). Gaining overall buy-in is dealt with in more detail later. are you really in a position to develop the email behaviour and management policy (or as we call it the email citizen's charter).2 Action point 2 – Develop email best practice guidelines Three key aspects you need to consider when developing your email best practice policy are: Content Ownership Format Content Only when you have agreed what your organization's goals are.g.Ways of creating email best practice 16. by which department) and gaining user ownership. Function IT/IS Interest Reducing demands on helpdesk and freeing up server space Brand image and managing internal communications Training issues and personnel related matters (e.
a Notes Bulletin Board).2.Managing in the Email Office Format You need to consider what format you will use for publishing the charter. pages on the intranet. levels of email IT fitness. 16. e. formal and informal surveys. inbox audits. Yet again.3 Action point 3 – Establish success criteria metrics One of the critical factors for engaging people in any form of change management is to establish the goals and milestones. etc. Some metrics that have been used include monitoring email behaviours before and after an email best practice event: volumes of email traffic. yellow and red card and set of guidance notes (see the Diageo case history on p. paper. which will tell everyone how well they are performing and how successful the activity has been. e. handout. this cornerstone of effective training and development practice is often cast to the wind when it comes to email best practice. attitudes and perceptions about email. In part this may reflect the difficulty of obtaining hard data such as volumes of email traffic. time spent dealing with email.g. how many times the 'Reply All' button was used or how many times an email is received with no subject matter.? Most organizations use a multiple set of media and generally a combination of mouse mats. numbers of a certain type of email which relate to goals. 212 . 216). The most engaging and ingenious email charter package seen to date by the authors is designed as a football referee's pack complete with whistle. Ways of obtaining some of this data against which the organization as a whole and individual users can benchmark themselves are: specialist software such as 'MetaSight' (see Chapter 15). For example. instances of poor practice. a mouse mat. interviews.g. cc'd. posters. paper-based booklets and their intranet (or equivalent. a booklet.
the phone and thinking about the real need for the proposed email Cleaning up inboxes and freeing up server and disc space Same as email-free days Promoting the new policy/charter and developing users' skills Boosting users' email IT fitness (often run as one-to-one coaching sessions) Re-enforce the message and promote success stories Inbox housekeeping time Email rationing Email best practice seminars and workshops Email IT fitness drop-in clinics Articles in in-house newsletters and intranets Who will be your messenger? Last but by no means least. phased across different locations/business units.4 Action point 4 – Plan the launch and supporting activities To create a real enduring change. The most successful campaigns are led from the top.2. 213 . you must decide how to communicate your message – top-down through some sort of cascade communications programme. and so on. simultaneously to every employee.Ways of creating email best practice The data is generally there for the asking. you will need not just an initial launch plan but also a programme of ongoing related activities. Typical activities that have achieved successful outcomes are: Activity Email-free time Purpose and usefulness Making users conscious of using other media. None needs to be onerous or resource intense. as we found in Chapters 6 and 13. e. Some are more inclined to talk about it than others! 16.g. as indicated.
We needed a way to signal a change in culture to more face-to-face interventions to resolve issues. get agreement and promise of action'. We encourage trust. Camelot The Camelot experience also highlights the need to build in rewards for best behaviour (or in their case bad behaviour). Liverpool implemented 'email free Wednes214 . PA to chief executive. At Liverpool Council the volume of email had doubled during the six months January to July 2002. Andrew Harrison. and since the new licence agreement there has been more of that and far less 'cover my backside' driven activity. This is highlighted in the following case histories and comments. This he felt was often better done over the phone where the importance of the issue could also be conveyed more effectively.2. Activities like email-free days are excellent for encouraging users to use more face-to-face communications and to get them to think about the value of sending an email as these quotes illustrate: Email feeds off itself and has generated far more traffic than paper. Otherwise do it. I have seen a ten to fifteen per cent reduction in the volume of email as a whole and people talking more. Chief Executive David Henshaw was fed up with the way people used email to pass the buck. The money all went to the Comic Relief Charity fund. Two years on.5 Action point 5 – Implement and monitor the programme The key is to pick activities that will help you achieve your and your organization's (or divisional culture's) goals.Managing in the Email Office 16. It worked and still makes people think that you don't need everything in black and white. Some frustrated people took it literally [the email free day] and we needed to educate them that it [the email free day] was about thinking twice before you send an email. marketing director. We do still use email on a Friday but everyone is just much more conscious and only sends what is really important. If possible don't do it. we have had a massive change of staff and so we are thinking about doing it again. We have far too much email. So email free Fridays fitted with this. Nestl´ Rowntree e We wanted to change the way people work together and get them to talk more and move about the business from floor to floor. We have casual Fridays to re-enforce the concept of a more open free to talk culture. I am convinced that if people only sent the really important stuff the email would be self-regulating. David wanted people to 'take control. Hilary Smith. But if you received an email you felt was inappropriate you fined the sender 20p.
'It gives me a chance to plan my day and clear other work which has built up'.Ways of creating email best practice days'. the email free Wednesday is managed with a light touch rather than policed. It has been running for three months and has had a very positive reception. Case history – Government agency – making email work for you week This organization chose to have an intense week of email best practice. This was tied into their work–life balance initiatives. Day Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Activity and message Seminar – 'Making email work for you' Email-free day – 'email is not the only way to communicate' Email drop-in surgeries – boost your email IT fitness Email standards day – send back any emails that don't meet the standards High impact email training sessions – writing effective messages Friday Good housekeeping day – clear up your inbox and desktop 215 . Affectionately know as a 'Henshawism'. Based on this. They already had some best practice guidelines but these were not being very well used. levels of management and different levels of experience with email. It was backed by a poster campaign and a daily message on the organization's intranet designed to promote the theme for the day. This was what they arranged. A series of focus groups were held to establish what the problems were and what would help. Other organizations have tried a multi-pronged approach with several activities at once. a small team was established to plan some events that would appeal to users right across the organization. and email was cited as one of the factors tipping the work–life balance towards the work end. says Paul Johnson. at all locations. Head of the Press Office.
a more 'funky' environment which is more open and creative (two buildings were merged into one with hotdesking). Only by constant re-evaluation can you hope to ensure the changes you want meet the business needs. overall the week was very successful with comments like these: I found the drop-in centres very helpful. plus I also gained plenty of exercise commuting between buildings! 16.2. everywhere'. everyday. Add to that staff turnover and it is easy to see how needs will change quite rapidly. they gave me useful tips on remote working. The 'No email' day was great. How did we do? What should we do differently next time? What unfinished business is there? How can we continue the momentum? Email is still a relatively immature management tool. 16. like 'couldn't operate without email' and 'had to work late the previous night to get all my emails out'. It forced me to communicate with people face to face. 16.3. However. Three main projects underpinned this initiative: new IT systems to provide better telecommunications and support home working. 216 .Managing in the Email Office Yes. and a focus on enabling employees to think about what they could get out of the new ways of working. In 2002. The evaluation process too is likely to highlight new opportunities to modify processes and potential ways to use new forms of technology (such as personal portals) and to increase further still the effectiveness of email.3 Lessons from other organizations These two case histories highlight some other ways in which two organizations have implemented best practice.1 Case history – Diageo plc Diageo has positioned itself as 'the leading premium drinks business celebrating life. they launched a company-wide 'new ways of working' programme to change behaviours to match their image as a premium drinks supplier.6 Action point 6 – Evaluate and review This is always the hard part of any project large or small – the days of reckoning. there were some negative comments about the email-free day.
Reaction has all been positive and having worked with London first now we are going to push it out globally. You were free to blow the whistle and issue a warning to anyone whom you felt had used email inappropriately 'to help improve how we [Diageo] use email'. Charlotte Willcox. 16. they adopted the cascade approach using their 'Function Head' as leader to set the role model. too few had clear titles and too many 'to all employees'. Any other 'all employees' have to be cleared through my department. Charlotte involved the HR and IS departments and the director in charge of the 'new ways of working' project led the exercise. This took the form of a football referee's pack complete with whistle and red and yellow warning cards for email misbehaviour. director of communications. People now know if they want an urgent reply they should ring or see me.Ways of creating email best practice Effective use of email is crucial but was perceived as poorly used – including too much cc'd mail.2 Case history – Intel In 1995 Intel launched its 'Your Time' programme to manage email overload. and then desk dropped a pack to every member of staff. and the number of 'reply to all' emails is down. We hardly ever use 'to all employees' except for the annual results. I bin things without opening them. inappropriate use. The best practice handbook e-mail A Tactical Guide which comes with the pack has nine principles each with tips on how to achieve them and an appropriate sketch football pitch tactic to deal with being offside. Don't rely on email. I personally have become much more ruthless. said: Message titling is now much more exact. I am saving about an hour a day dealing with my emails. Issued to coincide with the World Cup.3. Their IT department had found that some 217 . A prize (a case of drink) was awarded to the person who received the worst 'foul by email' – this was an email which had 14 old documents attached to it. Their Corporate Communications Division decided to 'hide' the 'all employees' mailing list and launch an email best practice campaign.
It was initially rolled out to the Israel site. It has since been deployed worldwide to over 80 000 employees. they put weekly updates on websites instead of using email). the following eight tips are offered as the keys to 218 . email product services owner. Intel 'Your Time' is now part of Intel's induction programme. It makes a difference to individuals.Managing in the Email Office employees were receiving up to 300 emails a day. They would have to delve beyond simple exhortations and into actual group behaviour in order to identify causes and define process changes that would eliminate them. In order to keep the programme moving they opted for a less formal approach and allowed groups to use it as appropriate: It has made a difference to the way we use email. Skills training: using either a human trainer or a web-based training tool 'to enhance users' proficiency using email clients'. Adam Sweetman. the level of abuse and the total volume have decreased. Group discussions: geared towards identifying bad email habits and their solutions (e. Covering both the management and technical competence. While people had learnt how to use the technology to send emails few knew how to use it to manage them! They also recognized that the overload was caused not just by individuals but also by the way teams operated. 16. They tried to stick to the hierarchical 'waterfall' approach although this was not always practical as different business groups had different priorities.4 Keys to success Based on these and the earlier case studies. 'Your Time' took about a year to develop. so they try to coax others to adopt the principles. As such there was a complex set of behavioural problems to be resolved and just telling users to curb their email sending was not sufficient. They too worked from the top down and implemented a three part training and development programme: Awareness training: to propagate a set of predefined organization-wide management expectations.g. IT directors were responsible for managing the rollout in partnership with local business managers in order to gain buy-in and to tailor it to local needs. and our own experience.
One email-free day will not create lasting change. very clear about the goals and desired outcomes. how it will be achieved. You will also need to set out why the change is necessary. you want to achieve. 3 Pick activities to match your goals.Ways of creating email best practice successfully creating email best practice across the organization (or a business group): 1 Be very. Change doesn't happen overnight. 2 Decide how you will evaluate the success of your campaign. 5 Have the campaign led from the top. 16. Like change initiatives. 4 Make it fun. it is vital to clearly explain what the benefits of the change to individual users will be. what the milestones are en route to achieving it and what help is available. 219 . that is new behaviours and codes of practice.5 Summary There are plenty of activities and ways to foster a change in how people use email. 7 Reward good play and penalize foul play in a way which is in keeping with the corporate culture. A properly orchestrated series of training and development activities as outlined in this chapter will help successfully ingrain new behaviours into the organization culture. no matter what the extent of the desired change. 8 Promote the campaign widely using as many internal communications channels as possible. 6 Try to tie the campaign to an existing corporate initiative.
your time and your knowledge. In this penultimate chapter we want to share with you the 'Nine Ps of Email Best Practice' that we have developed which encapsulates the essence of this book. We have used it with many people who we have worked with to help them save time. The latter may take the form of doing more of the same but more efficiently or in some instances doing things differently and creating new ways of working. The previous chapters have provided ways to use email to help you use the two most precious resources you have. take control of their inbox and in many cases work more productively. .17 The email citizen's charter for best practice This book has been about how to harness the power of email to enable you to work smarter both as individuals and organizations no matter how large or small.
Human resources director. . I want to get to the point where when I send something people know it must be important and worth reading. international finance organization Since the coaching finished. I'm using the phone more and talking to people to get things done without a mound of notes.2 How well does it work? It inspired me and I had told all my colleagues about some of the ideas .1 The Nine Ps of Email Best Practice Put aside time to deal with emails Place emails in folders Pick the right medium Pen your emails in plain English Point out the purpose of your emails Provide time for the recipient Protect yourself against viruses Post back unwanted emails Patrol your use of attachments 17. Programme director. Vice president. we have all been more restrained in our use of the 'reply to all' button and we have now stopped reaching automatically for the 'send and receive' command.The email citizen's charter for best practice 17. . government agency 221 . I send emails back or forward if I know the correct person rather than taking on the problem until I can find the right person. service organization I am saving time on my email by also making my responses shorter and not taking on the role of middle man.
. The first is clearly a myth when you consider how many of us still print out our emails. the size of our inbox will shrink and we will find email starting to fulfil its promises? To take a look into the future we spoke to Dave Snowden. email is the single biggest business disabler and a drain on workers' productivity. will we have forgotten what it is like to talk to each other by the year 2005? Two of the great promises heralded by email were the paperless office and that business would be conducted much more quickly. in The Observer. They say it has a more debilitating and dangerous effect than alcohol. David Hockney (British Artist). Are there signs that in fact as we all become better email citizens and the technology to manage email improves.18 The inbox of the future The thing with high-tech is that you always end up using scissors. director of the newly formed IBM Cynefin Centre. some postulate that. 10 July 1994 What does the future hold? With the volume of emails predicted to treble over the next three years. And what of those huge multiple attachments? If we keep going as we are. which focuses on using human networks to 'enable the emergence of new meaning in organizational complexity'. Gates famously said in his book that the business leaders who succeed will be those 'who take advantage of a new way of doing business based on the increasing velocity of information'. there will hardly be any trees left because they will have all been used to print out our emails. how can we expect to process all the information that is circulating through email? If email continues to be the dominant communications channel. The second was the ability to do business more quickly (Gates 1999). in fact. However.
1 Will there still be email. It's like an on-line telephone. You will need to provide multiple tools to meet different people's needs. More than that and we tend to deal with them at a trivial level and answer them quickly just to get rid of them. It is great for resolving things that can be resolved in real-time. The Team Room is still a piece of work in progress. documents).g. like the phone and face-to-face meetings (they can use video conferenc223 . 18. as we know it now? The desire for uniformity is ok for accountants but not for communicating. They will have to communicate by other means. This can then be downloaded and read as one document without needing to be on-line all the time. Like playing computer games it is destroying the human capacity to interact. To me 30 conventional one-to-one emails are as many as any one person can handle in a day. I might have seven or eight Sametime conversations going on at once. This is the type of work that would normally be sent from one to many users as an email attachment. a sort of 'cold turkey'. For example. We have to move away from having to manage multiple one-to-one conversations through email. at IBM I use our 'Sametime' real-time messaging system to deal with low-level communications tasks such as agreeing diary arrangements. But for a higher level of abstraction I would go to the 'Team Room' and see who has posted information and what discussions are going on. We have started to experiment with clients where we take a group of people off email for a month. Have you ever tried to follow a discussion thread where many people are involved? For me. It is designed to provide team members with a virtual team room in the form of an electronic room through which they can collaborate and store work (e.The inbox of the future 18. This form of many-to-many communications will be part of the way ahead. What I might find useful you may not. I usually end up laying all the emails out on the floor and highlighting them by hand with a text marker. Our communications systems-like Team Room enables all the threads of the discussion to be drawn together in one place and one email.2 How are IBM planning to help people be more effective email users? We've studied how rehabilitation clinics wean people from dependency because email as a one-to-one communications channel has become addictive.
Then we will bring them back on collaborative systems like our Team Room and habituate them-to-many to many before we bring back email but with no copies or file attachments. With the evolution of more many-to-many electronic communications media. 18. In email you don't have conversations you have information flows. Subvocal voice recognition being the ability to speak to your PC so no one else can hear. That will be done through the tools such as Team Room. Children need to develop a pattern sense for 'rightness' and 'wrongness' at an early age. In schools I would ban calculators and bring back slide rules: with a slide rule you know if the answer looks right. These are tools which let you capture knowledge in the form of anecdotes which can be indexed and stored and for others to reuse and add more material. Eventually the technology of email will merge into the background and there is no doubt that human contact will come back into vogue.Managing in the Email Office ing). for example when you are in a public place. 18. the art of conversation will again become important. For example. 224 . The key will be the ability to recognize patterns and to be able to identify right and 'wrongness' as we start to use far more narrative type tools to capture knowledge. but email encourages us to jump around and the result is we deal with things at a trivial level. The smallest PCs are now as small as a PDA and you will soon have true mobility. with calculators you can be wrong and not realize it.4 In the context of electronic communications what business skills do you see as being important for the future? Our minds work in patterns.3 What about the actual technology to access and process email in whatever form? Voice recognition and subvocal voice recognition will become increasing important. Another exciting development will be the ability to access powerful computers from anywhere on demand. you will be able to stand in an airport and rent time on a large machine to process whatever you need to do.
competitors and opinion formers. We are on the cusp of the wave. texts. it's all about achieving balance. Whether the term email will eventually become a synonym for all forms of electronic communications is another matter.The inbox of the future 18. At the end of the day.5 Summary Electronic communications are here to stay. They will balance their use with maintaining and developing good personal relationships with colleagues. The skills gained from learning to manage in the email office will stand you in good stead for the future and in many cases put you ahead of the game. This will be through using direct communications such as regular face-to-face and telephone time with key contacts and by making time for networking and productive meetings. Successful communicators will adopt appropriate usage of electronic communications such as email. What we can be sure of is that we will have learn to work with a range of electronic communications from text messages to virtual team rooms. this is the beginning of a new era. means balancing indirect electronic communications with the direct or person-to-person communications. and increasingly in the future. like many things in life. voicemail and so on. Effective communication now. 225 . instant messaging.
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Teach Yourself Visually Office XP. Hungry Minds. M. E. Mallon. Hargreaves. Internet and Software Policies. and Meyer. Handy. (1999). (1985). Russell. 7–8. Penguin Books. N. R. Only the Paranoid Survive. Aslib Proceedings. MSN Hotmail. Department for Education and Skills Research Brief No. a Nation of E-Literates.Bibliography Davis. Gales. and Millar. (2001). N. (2002). 22 July. Department for Education and Skills Brief No. Maran. Grove. H. Harvard Business Review. ICT Access and Use. (1994). E. (1992). (2001). (1998). 70(2). Marshall Editions. . AMACOM. (1996). Understanding Organisations. 54(1). V. July. Flynn. (1976). L. and Stafford. The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning. (2000). Moss Kanter. R. (2002). How information gives you competitive advantage. 75–86. Kellaway. Blur. Stress Management. R. Currency Doubleday. N. Mintzberg. 252. 'Joys of the lone sewage operative'. S. The E-Policy Handbook: Designing and Implementing Effective E-mail. Capstone. Information & Management. (2002). and Drew. Russell. Hotmail. N. B. L. 358. 40. M. (2002). Panteli. G. A. (1998). N. Trends in ICT Access and Use. Penguin Books. C. Business @ The Speed of Light. C. and Oppenheim. Prentice-Hall. Porter. Harvard Business Review. Financial Times. (2001). N. Britain. 8–22. C.
(1992).Managing in the Email Office Schein. E. Gower. 11. W. Wang. Feminine Leadership – A Review of Gender Differences in Managerial Behaviour and Effectiveness. Sage. Jack. P. (2001). S. (2001). L. C. J. Welch. Seeley. 228 . R. M. E. and Burke. P. Office XP for Dummies. Organisational Culture and Leadership. (2000). Using the PC to Boost Executive Performance. J. J. 2nd Edn. The Collected Poems of Stevie Smith. Headline. Jansen. (1975). (eds) Women in Management: Current Research Issues Vol. J. Vinkenburg. IDG Books. and Koopman. W. Penguin Books. In: Davidson. (2000). Smith.. Jossey-Bass. M. G. E.
64 Communications. 71 Decision making.Index Access on the move. 84. 193 increased accessibility of senior management. 203–4 Camelot. See Email communications Company email policy. 79 Best practice. 141. 95 Attachments. 120 Connectivity. 188–94 corporate decision making. 132 Corporate culture. 162. 82–4 prioritization of email value. 197–9 Anti-virus software. 84–5 segmentation of content. 216–17 . Cary. 125 Change management. 140. 196–7 Anxiety. 75–88 case history. 192 Diageo plc. use of in emails. 63 Culture. 198. 208 See also Email best practice creation Clearswift. 205 Club culture. See Mobile email access Anti-spam software. 149–50 Bluetooth. 66 Confidential information. Bob. 76–85 elimination of unwanted email. 167 Data Protection Act. 214 Capitals. 189–91 impact of email. 141 Computer books and magazines. 191–3 communication of decisions. Stan. See Email best practice creation Bightmail. 198 Blackberry. 203. See Organizational culture Corporate decision making. See Email policy Compaq iPAQ. 166–7 See also Organizational culture Cunningham. 192 speedier decision making. 78–9 review of noise to information level. 85–8 QSPER process. 201 Davis. 120–1 Cooper. 150 Auditing the inbox. 148 Coaching. See Decision making Courses. 79–82 quantification of volume of traffic. See Mobile email access Content management. See Email content Contractual significance. 81.
66–7 software help function. 199–200 gender differences. 65 stages. 207 case study. 211–12 content. 162. 199–200 with a training component. 34–5 assessment of. 47–9. 208–10 keys to success. 196–7 benefits. 31–2 Email policy. 161. 64–5 one-to-one IT fitness coaching. 214–15 Email citizen's charter for best practice. 204–5 filtering software. 66 courses. 84. 202–3 case history. 35–7. 64 other users. 195–205 anti-spam software. 63 E-learning programmes. 211 format. 2121 identification of problems and solutions. 71–4 booster sessions. 60–7 case histories. 37–47 gender differences. 181 See also Unwelcome email Email overload. 201–2 security systems. 54 benefits of increased proficiency. 117–18 future directions.Index E-learning programmes. 118–22 email content. 60–2 websites. 202 gender differences. 197–9 unsubscribing to unwanted newsletters. 122–3 key elements. 83–4 Email best practice creation. 220–1 Email communications. 160–1. 218–19 launch planning and supporting activities. 47 sensitive use of email and. 197–9 anti-virus software. 82–3 shared information areas. 82–4 email by exception rule. 50–8 checklist. 212–13 evaluation and review. 72–3 winning email IT fitness mind. 65 levels of. 13–15. 115–18 appropriateness of email. 216 guidelines development. 48–9 maintenance of peak performance. 51–3 interest in technology and. 62–3 computer books and magazines. 67 self-assessment. 215–18 email citizen's charter for best practice. 51–3 folder use and. 116–17 case study. 220–1 establishment of success criteria metrics. 68–71 Email management technology. 126–8 enforcement of. 81–2. 73 keeping in touch with technological developments. 213 nine Ps of email best practice. 221 programme implementation and monitoring. 180 risk checklist. 212 ownership. 84 spam and junk mail prevention. 180–1 return to sender. 195–6 filtering software. 64–5 Elimination of unwanted email. 206–19 case histories. 181–2 230 improvement of. 66 resource selection. 199–200 issues. 119–20 explanation of potential . 203–4 email content risk checklist. 161–2. 48 level of inbox involvement and. 204–5 Email IT fitness. 123–6 implementation of. 56 out of office reply. 223–5 See also Email policy Email content. 8–10 reduction of. 74 keeping a learning log. 36–7 case histories. 56–7 scoring. 201 See also Inbox management Email misuse: cost of. 83 gender differences. 119–20 content management.
103. 151 GPRS (General Packet Radio Services).Index contractual significance. 54–5 help function. 10–13 quantification. 47 noise to information ratio. 179–82 deleting unwanted mail. 167–77 gender differences. 10–13 gender differences. 108–10. 96 Future directions. 118–19 Email software. 180 tone of content. 125 Grove. 166 review of. 65 use of to reduce email handling time. 7–8 reduction of. 143 operating systems. 145 Handy. 57 Email traffic volume. 103. Andy. 10–13 quantification. David. 181 implications of. 104–6 'chauffeured approach'. 112–13 Frequently asked questions (FAQs). 56 storing old emails. 17. 179 influencing factors. 140. 146 IBM. 123 differences between. 142–4 See also Mobile email access Handspring Treo. 122 permitted use of company email system. 101–14 assessment. 125 Encryption software. 179 management style relationships. 65 Henshaw. 78–9 See also Email management technology 231 . 78–9 case histories. 166–7 Help function. 178–87 email gap. 61 GoToMyPC. 179 influencing factors. 17–31 noise reduction. Charles. 8–10 reduction of. 13–15. 141 Handwriting recognition. 5–7. 65 Frustration. 57–8 noise reduction. 141. 179 noise to information ratio. 142 Eyestrain. 85–8 QSPER process. 58 sending email. 223–4 Inbox management: auditing. 111 'named driver approach'. 103. 201 Epoc. 145 Greetings. 182–4 macho email index. 214–15 Filtering software. 111 'owner driver' approach. 222–5 Gender differences. 110–12 storing old emails. 180 use and misuse. 181–2 inbox size. 199–200 with a training component. 102 GSM. 180–1 email IT fitness. 95 'Graffiti'. 141. 112–13 time spent handling email. 121–2 monitoring email. 120 good practice when receiving email. 57–8 volume of email traffic. 146 Handheld computers. 76–85 email overload. 9–10. 78–9 Emoticons. 140–1. 184–6 Goals. 120–1 good practice for sending emails. 107–8. 200 Folder use. 58 organizational culture relationships. 84–5 PA relationships. 179 response time. 75–88 case history. 31–2 level of involvement. 139. 5–7 gender differences.
142–4 smart phones. unsubscribing to. 124–6 appropriate greeting. 96 IT fitness. See Email misuse MMS (Multimedia Message Service). 144 See also Mobile email access Layout guidelines. 64–5 resource selection. 151 disadvantages. 17. 31–2 See also Noise to information ratio Information technology (IT). 13–15. 140–1 laptops. 121 security procedures. 66 software help function. 126 subject heading. 129–36. 145 keyboard. 144 voice activation. 142. 148 Mobile email access. 121–2 Information overload. 143. 160. 207 Networking. 145–52 3G. 151 GPRS. 142 Misuse. 78–9 gender differences. 95 Nestl´ Rowntree. 134–5. 145 Windows CE (Consumer Electronics). 125 Learning log. 214 e Netiquette policy. 66 courses. 178. 179 management style relationships. 63 e-learning programmes. 84 anti-spam software. for mobile devices. 140 terminology.Index Incoming email policy. 125 emoticons. 121–2 response time. 133–4 security. 148 Blackberry. 125 capitals. 197–9 Keyboards. 152–3 Monitoring email. Technology Intel. 167–77 review of. 138–44 handheld computers. 122 Muscle tension. 217–18 Interruptions. 125 fonts and colours. 8–10 reduction of. 146–8 wireless modem. 66–7 role models. 125 length. 151–2 GoToMyPC. 149–50 Bluetooth. 184 Newsletters. 17–31 noise reduction. 144 operating systems. 166 case histories. 65 Pocket PC. 95 Irritability. 17–31 MetaSight. 214–15 Macho email index. 11–12 gender differences. 64 computer books and magazines. 182–3 noise to information matrix relationship. 66–7 Office Assistant. 145 range of devices. 145 handwriting recognition. 200 Meyer. 139–40 requirement for. Sir John Harvey. constant. 148 future developments. 144 Laptop computers. 137–58 benefits. See Email IT fitness Jones. 65 websites. 73 Learning sources: coaching. 9–10. 71 232 Microsoft. 83–4 Noise to information ratio. 84–5 . 65 Liverpool Council. 144–5 'Graffiti'. 184–6 Management styles. 132–3 email handling. 153–6 connectivity. 146 GSM. 131 case histories. 121 unwelcome email management. See Email IT fitness. 58 organizational culture relationships. Christopher. 72 Junk email prevention. 146 Wi-Fi.
108–10. 140 security. 152–3 anti-spam software. 196 access on the move. 167 Role models. 82–4 prioritization of email value. 142 Palmtop computers. 198 Standard Life Assurance Company. 90–2 anxiety. 200 warchalking. 141 Communicator. See PA relationships Security issues. 168–77 Out of office reply facility. 84 Sierra. 204–5 filtering software. 197–9 Spamex. 145 Spam prevention. See Email policy Prioritization of email value. 84. 78–9 review of noise to information level.Index Nokia: Card Phone 2. 56–7 Outgoing emails. 94 early warning signs. 110–12 storing old emails. 121 Outlook. 199–200 with a training component. 121 gender differences. 66 PA relationships: assessment. 165–77 information to noise relationships. 92–4 assessment. 121. 95 irritability and frustration. 101–14 'chauffeured' approach. 120 email content risk checklist. 61 Smart phones. 151 SMART goals. 65 Operating systems. 196–7 confidential information. for access on the move. 201 Response time. 95 symptoms of. 140. 147–8 Security systems. 89–90 eyestrain. 76–85 elimination of unwanted email. 105–6 involvement in inbox management. 142–4 Organizational culture. 103. 139 Policy. 140 Notes. 151 quantification of volume of traffic. 112–13 Palm OS. 167 Personal digital assistant (PDA). 201 Shared information areas. 103. 202 QSPER inbox auditing process. 79–82 Secretary. 111 'owner driver' approach. 139. 92–3 tiredness. 198 SpamKiller. 180 Return to sender. 139 Paperless office. 103. 107–8. 222–4 Software. 79–82 Purdam. 54–5 Novatel. 95 email office role. Dave. 222 Person culture. 95 constant interruptions. 82–3 Role culture. 96 muscle tension. See Email software Sony Memory Stick. 84–5 segmentation of content. 166 case histories. 139. 203–4 Stress. 79 Office Assistant. 197–9 anti-virus software. 139. 125 233 . Steve. 152–3 See also Mobile email access Personal Information Manager (PIM). 12–13. 111 'named driver' approach. 143 operating systems. 162. 104–6 best practice. 54–5 Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Act. 95 Subject heading. 142 See also Mobile email access Snowden.
140. 198 Virus protection. 82–3 shared information areas. 146–8 warchalking. 147–8 Windows CE (Consumer Electronics). 167 Technology: future directions. 152 Task culture. 151 XDA. 148 Tiredness. 121–2 elimination of. 197–9 unsubscribing to unwanted newsletters. 83–4 Tablet PCs. 142 Wireless modem. 83 Warchalking. 199 gender differences. 66 Wi-Fi. 84 spam and junk mail prevention. 48 mobile communications. 224 Unsubscribing to unwanted newsletters. 71 keeping in touch with. 145 Voice recognition. 196–7 Voice activation. 198. as learning sources. 180–1 return to sender. 72–3 See also Email IT fitness. 147–8 Websites. 95 Tumbleweed.Index Subvocal voice recognition. 65 Welch. 121 anti-virus software. 162. 84. 224 SurfControl. Email management technology 3G. 224 interest in. 138 See also Mobile email access technological change. 82–4 email by exception rule. 83–4 Unwelcome email: dealing with. Jack. 141 234 .
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