The Four-Hour Workweek Phenomenon—and How It Can Work for Your Association

by Virgil R. Carter

Tim Ferriss started a mini-revolution and a lot of dreams when he published his groundbreaking book, The Four-Work Week. Suddenly, everyone was talking about how they can work better, not harder.

In my consultancy, I have encountered several forces of opposition to the fundamental tenet of the book—let technology execute the functions that are repetitive and administrative, freeing the senior staff and executives to long-term goals and strategy. What are the barriers?

• Fear of Change—that’s a common one and easy to set aside while more substantial issues are addressed.
• Lack of Funds—Yes, technology is an investment, but it is exactly that, an investment that, if properly selected and implemented, will reap rewards multiple times over in productivity.
• Hesitance to Give Up the Personal Touch—Many clients report “we have a certain number of older members who can’t deal with this” or “We want to be there for our members.” It’s fine to cater to members who have not yet gotten on the bandwagon of technology, but their numbers are declining. Many members prefer to simply register online without the “personal touch”—just get it done, in other words.
• Embracing the “All Things to All Members” Syndrome—How often have we heard “Our society/association/foundation is different,” “We can’t modify our processes to adapt to the technology”

What is frequently lacking is a rigorous evaluation of the opportunities available to the nonprofit from technology adaptation with