We have been hearing about how the technology is allowing knowledge workers to work from anywhere. The telework trend is actually starting to gain a respectable foothold within North America. So if these knowledge workers can work from anywhere - where do they choose to live?
Many of us might think that a reasonable number of knowledge workers might choose to move out of the city to enjoy the peacefulness of a rural lifestyle. They might choose to live in cottage country in Northern Ontario, on farmland in Saskatchewan, in a water-front home in British Columbia's Gulf Islands or in a ski chalet in Jasper, Alberta. After all, why would people choose to be in the city if they didn't have to be?
Well at least one researcher, William Coffey, a geography professor at the University of Montreal has investigated this trend. As reported in the Globe and Mail on February 6, 1997, Coffey has discovered that these knowledge workers are not moving to the country but are instead choosing to live in the city. Coffey's study of knowledge workers was performed between 1971 and 1994 and is part of an overall study entitled "Employment Growth and Change in the Canadian Urban System, 1971-94" which was sponsored by Canadian Policy Research Networks Inc., a non-profit institute in Ottawa.
Coffey's study explained that half of the knowledge jobs in the business service sector (accounting, computer services and management consulting) were located in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal (which represent 1/3 of the population of Canada). Some companies have tried to move "back room" jobs such as data entry and call centres to less populated centres. Coffey, however, discovered that even these jobs are most likely to be located in the smaller urban centres.
The study shows that knowledge workers have not been rushing to rural areas. The average knowledge worker still wants to be in the same city as their colleagues and peers. They want the opportunity to interact face-to-face with their corporate team members. They probably understand the benefit of teleworking from home 2-3 days per week, realizing that it is critical to get into the office a few days a week for social interaction and group brainstorming activities.
Some of these knowledge workers also just like being in the city. They want to be close to a broad selection of shopping, entertainment, recreational opportunities and facilities for their children.
The goal of living in a rural area while working for a company in "the big city" is still a dream for some employees. I suspect that additional improvements in electronic connectivity will go a long ways towards making this type of arrangement successful for a growing number of people. For example, the availability of high speed telecommunications in rural areas combined with the broad use of video conferencing and video mail will help to make the "geographically dislocated" closer to the corporate team.
Another consideration could be the future structure of teams. Will team members in the near future all be in the same city? Will team members be from different companies? Will team members include individuals who are on multiple teams for multiple companies? If the expected globalization of work does occur, we might find that geographic proximity is completely irrelevant. If the high-speed, high-bandwidth service is available in rural areas, an employee will be able to participate on any team.
Finally, I would suggest that the future of shopping and entertainment could evolve to the point where being in the city is not mandatory. What if you could connect to the Internet to shop in a virtual mall? Of course, you can do this to some extent today - but what if it was available on a much broader level where you everyone felt comfortable exchanging e-cash over the Internet, if 75% of today's stores in North America were in the virtual mall. And from an entertainment point of view - what if you could connect electronically to your favourite Broadway show in New York, pipe the sound into your surround sound stereo system and show a live picture of the stage on your big screen television set.
I think that Professors Coffey's conclusions are clearly accurate for the period studied. I'm not as sure that you can project the findings from 1971 to 1994 out to 2010. Perhaps technology will allow us to rethink where we live by eliminating some of the challenges and sacrifices for those who now in live in rural areas and work for companies in the city have to bare.
If I've learned anything from the past 20 years in business it is to never assume the future will be like the past!
CONTACT:
Ken Robertson
KLR Consulting Inc.
Phone: (604) 294-2292
e-mail: ken.robertson@klr.com
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