Remote Intelligence: Understanding, Nature, Ethics, Benefits and Disadvantages

This article discusses the concept of Remote Intelligence, its nature, ethics, benefits, and disadvantages. It explains how remote intelligence has enabled the process of communication, interaction, and decision making between individuals. It also highlights the benefits of remote intelligence, such as cost savings, improved productivity, and job satisfaction, while discussing the disadvantages of relying on remote intelligence to supply the critical elements of core business. The article also touches upon the ethics of utilising remote intelligence and how it can constitute a significant threat to the sustainability of workforces in developed countries.

Remote Intelligence

Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Understanding the concept of Remote Intelligence...................................................................3
Nature of Remote Intelligence and how this has been Enabled.................................................4
How remote intelligence will constitute a significant threat to the sustainability of work
forces in developed countries.....................................................................................................5
Ethics of Utilising Remote Intelligence.....................................................................................6
Benefits of Remote Intelligence.................................................................................................7
Disadvantages of relying on remote intelligence to supply the critical elements of core
business......................................................................................................................................8
Leadership styles and skills necessary to sustainably manage remote Intelligence...................8
References..................................................................................................................................9

Introduction
Technology has played a vital in changing the dynamics of the modern day workplace.
Technology has given rise to the concept of remote working which has really offered the
modern day employees greater flexibility at the workplace. This has played a crucial role in
helping to p[provide the employees with a greater convenience at the workplace and this has
enabled them to obtain greater job satisfaction at the workplace. With the rapid advancements
in the field of computer science and technology we have witnesses the emergence of artificial
technology (AI) that has really transformed our lives. This AI has huge potential applications
in the modern day workplace and this has contributed significantly towards the aspect of
remote intelligence which has really changed the way work used to be carried out
traditionally (Coenen & Kok, 2014).
Understanding the concept of Remote Intelligence
Remote Intelligence makes use of the modern advanced IT technologies for the process of
communication, interaction and decision making between individuals. Companies these days
are making use of the advanced wireless telemetry in order to facilitate the process of a two
way communication with remote devices in order to provide better quality of services to their
customers. This remote intelligence has played a crucial role in helping business
establishments to foster customer satisfaction and brand loyalty among their clients. Remote
intelligence is playing a crucial role in helping the highly trained and skilled workforce to
work in a remote setting by maintaining a high level of coordination and understanding and
this is helping the business establishments to foster job satisfaction among their staffs (Goel
et al., 2012). The staffs are able to obtain a greater flexibility at the workplace as they have
the convenience of working from their homes. This is helping the business establishments to
impart job loyalty among their staffs and they are able to ensure better commitment and
dedication form their workforce. This is helping to increase the overall organisational
productivity and helping business establishments to capitalise on the new business
opportunities. Thus, business establishments are able to ensure their future growth and
sustainability in the market through the implementation of remote technologies (Cazan et al.,
2008).

Organisation’s use of remote intelligence is not merely restricted to telecommuting. It is
widely acknowledged that remote intelligence has given rise to the practice of
telecommuting. The aspect of telecommuting involves a work arrangement that offers the
employees the flexibility of working from their homes with the help of internet and
telephones. The employees are able to work from outside the office and they are able to keep
in touch with all the latest activities and developments taking place at their office with the
help of the phones and emails (Finch, 2011). The need for travelling to office gets replaced
with the help of an effective communication channel which keeps the employees abreast with
their daily work targets and goals. Telecommuting has largely been facilitated due to the
advancements made in the fields of remote intelligence. However, with the help of remote
intelligence we are able to remote work from anywhere around the world. There is a slight
difference between telecommuting and remote working. In the process of telecommuting the
workers are working within the geographical borders of their company’s headquarters while
in the process of remote working the workers could be situated outside the geographical
boundaries (Mulki et al., 2009). Thus, remote working facilitates people to work effectively
every they are physically located in different parts of the world.
Nature of Remote Intelligence and how this has been Enabled
Rapid advancements made in the fields of computer and communication technologies have
made it extremely economical for the business establishments to facilitate the process of
remote working among their staffs. This is helping to popularise the concept of a remote
workplace while allowing many more people to work remotely from different places or
locations without the need to physically present at the workplace. Tele-robotics has been the
disruptive technology which has eliminated the need for physical presence in many jobs.
Tele-robotics have given rise to robots that are controlled by human beings from remote
locations and this has the potential to really transform the modern day workplace by eliminate
the need for any physical presence of humans in high risk jobs (King et al., 2007). It
combines the human judgemental ability and flexibility which enhances the functional
capacity of the machines. Modern day examples of remote working are evident in the fields
of tele-medicine wherein patients are diagnosed and treated in a remote manner. There is also
the concept of tele-surgery where patients and surgeons might be situated in different parts of
the world yet they are being operated by care providers and young surgeons who can seek the
advice and guidance of more experienced surgeons through video conferencing (Hart, 2009).

From the economical aspect, remote intelligence can pave the way for optimised business
productivity by helping the business establishments to save on their operational expenses.
Utilisation of remote intelligence will help business establishments to radically bring down
their operational and labour expenses and the increased cost savings could be utilised to fund
their business expansion plans. For example a hotel cleaner in Britain earns approximately
$2,250 per month as opposed to an Indian hotel cleaner who earns a paltry $300 per month
doing the same work. Now utilising an Indian worker to drive a cleaning robot in a London
hotel room would help the hotel to save almost $23,000 annually in the form of labour costs
(Communications.gov.au, 2018).
The 2013 Trans-Tasman Telework Survey commissioned by Cisco Systems has found that
the teleworkers in Australia who are working remotely from their homes are on an average
12% more productive than their counterparts who are working in the traditional workplace
setting. Australian employers are increasingly considering the aspect of telework to be an
effective and viable alternative to the traditional office work which would help them to
improve their business productivity and minimise costs from their business operations.
Employers in Australia are slowly realising the benefits and advantages of remote working
practices such as telework while they are continuously searching for a more cost-effective,
flexible and productive workforce (Baldwin, 2017). They are providing better training and
guidance to their staffs so that they could become more competent and proficient in the use of
the latest technologies which would allow them to work in a remote manner. In the coming
years, there is going to be huge demand for workers who are able to work remotely from their
homes and employees who are able to utilise technology to work from anywhere is going to
be highly sought after by the future employers (Bond, 2017).
How remote intelligence will constitute a significant threat to the
sustainability of work forces in developed countries
There are rising apprehensions among the salaried professionals in the developed countries
regarding the long term implications of utilising the remote intelligence at the modern day
workplace. Remote technologies are helping the business establishments to improve their
business productivity in the market by helping them to save on their labour expenses. This is
creating a lot of uncertainty among their staffs regarding their job security at their workplace.
The workers of the developed countries are worried about large scale layoffs and
unemployment which are an eventuality considering the fact that business establishments are

always trying everything in their capacity to maximise the revenues and profits from their
business (Advantage.co.uk, 2018). The business establishments are mainly utilising the
remote intelligence to outsource their work to third parties and this is helping them to get
their work done at a fraction of the original cost. This is threatening the livelihood of the
working class population in the developed countries and as a result there is rising oppositions
towards the manner in which remote intelligence is being utilised by the modern day business
establishments (Baldwin, 2017).
Ethics of Utilising Remote Intelligence
The biggest challenge that the modern day mangers are facing in their business these days is
to create and maintain a “mixed mode” team wherein there is a balance between the number
of staffs that are working remotely and within the traditional office environment. This is
becoming a modern day problem for the business mangers as they have to showcase better
restraint and caution while interacting with their workers who are working remotely. They
have to make sure that they are not playing favourites and accidentally behave in such a
manner which would make their remote staffs feel like second class employees. This would
have severe repercussions and consequences for an organisation and it would severely hit the
job satisfaction levels among their staffs (Baldwin, 2017).
There have been many ongoing debates about the need for utilising remote intelligence in the
modern day workplace and many experts have criticised the use remote intelligence as it does
not comply with the principle of equal wages for equal work. Organisations have been
utilising the remote intelligence mainly to facilitate the process of remote working which
helps them to reduce their labour expenses significantly. They are able to outsource their
work to another country where the labour expenses are very cheap and this helps them to
perform and complete the same jobs by incurring a fraction of the original labour cost which
they would have incurred in case of employing someone from their own nation (Coenen &
Kok, 2014). Experts have time and again opposed the use of remote intelligence as it results
in large scale job losses and creates a sense of insecurity among the staffs. Remote
intelligence lacks the aspect of human emotions and empathy and this is why it is considered
by many to be inappropriate for use. Remote intelligence has been a very important
technological development which has huge potential applications in the future but the manner
in which the remote intelligence is being utilises often raises questions about their utility and
applications. Business establishments are making use of remote intelligence solely for the

purpose of maximising their business productivity and this goes against the concept of fair
business practices (Hart, 2009). This is why usage of remote intelligence in the modern
workplace has been opposed by many experts.
On the other hand, there are many people who are strongly advocating the use of remote
intelligence as it provides greater work flexibility to the workers by enabling them to work
from anywhere and at any time of the day. Remote intelligence helps in reducing the
component of personal risk in jobs that are considered by many to be life threatening and
hazardous to one’s health. People advocating the sue of remote technologies have often stated
that utilisation of remote technologies has played a crucial role in creating a work life balance
for the employees and this has indeed helped in providing greater motivation and enthusiasm
among the staffs (Kirk et al., 2007). This has brought down the work related stress and
fostered job satisfaction and job loyalty among their staffs. This has helped in enhancing the
overall commitment and dedication levels of the staffs and has enabled them to contribute
towards the growth and success of their respective organisations. Technology becomes a
boon or a curse depending on how a person is utilising it and what end result or purpose they
intend to accomplish from the use of technology. Same can be said about remote intelligence
technologies (Baldwin, 2017).
Companies like IBM and Aetna have turned back to the more traditional working
arrangements. IBM has attracted wide spread criticism from various quarters for telling their
remote employees to re-acclimatise to the traditional office environment or leave the services
of the organisation. For remote working to become truly mutually beneficial for both the
employers and employees, it is extremely crucial for business establishments to ensure great
working relationships between the team members and their supervisors as no amount of
technical proficiency and personal autonomy can offset the benefits which results from
having a personal and emotional connection with the co-workers at the workplace (King et
al., 2007).
Benefits of Remote Intelligence
Utilisation of remote intelligence has various benefits from the context of an organisation. It
enables an organisation to save on their business expenses. Business establishments are able
to capitalise on the aspect of remote intelligence in order to outsource and allocate their work
to another low cost nation which helps them to save on their labour expenses. Remote

intelligence helps business establishments to minimise the aspect of human error in their
daily functionalities and business processes and this helps them to provide better quality of
products and services to their end users in the market (Shephard et al., 2009). Remote
intelligence is helping the business establishments to foster job satisfaction and job loyalty
among their staffs buy enabling their staffs to work from remote locations and this has
provide greater flexibility to the workers at their respective workplace. This is helping
business establishments to provide better work-life balance to their staffs which is invariably
helping them to improve the individual commitment and dedication of their staffs towards
their individual job roles and responsibilities (Kirk et al., 2007). Thus, business
establishments have been able to optimise their business productivity in the market and as a
result they have been able to tackle the market competition with their business rivals in an
effective manner.
Disadvantages of relying on remote intelligence to supply the critical
elements of core business
Overt dependence on remote intelligence is not a wise decision and there are certain
drawbacks associated with it. Remote intelligence lacks the component of human emotions
and thus it cannot be utilised in situations where there is greater need for human interaction
process. Utilisation of remote intelligence at the workplace invariably fosters greater
indiscipline among the staffs. The staffs do not have any sense of work routine while they are
working remotely and this is not good for organisational productivity. The workers who are
overly dependent on utilising the remote technologies for their daily work do not have any
workplace social life (Mulki & Jaramillo, 2011). They lack the basic day-to-day human
interaction at the workplace and as a result they feel isolated and detached from others at the
workplace. Technology has both benefits and disadvantages and this eventually depends on
how a person chooses to make use of technology and so it is all the more necessary to ensure
that the remote intelligence must be utilised in a responsible and ethical manner which would
not have any devastating consequence for an organisation (Coenen & Kok, 2014).
Leadership styles and skills necessary to sustainably manage remote
Intelligence
Participative leadership is extremely crucial for managing the remote employees who are
making use of remote intelligence. Managing the remote employees require a high level of

communication and emphasis must be provided to the aspect of video communications such
as video conferencing. This would help in increasing the levels of collaboration among the
different staffs who are working remotely and encourage better understanding and teamwork
among the staffs working from remote locations. Participative leadership would help the
remotely working employees to actively participative in meetings and discussions wherein
they could provide their valuable views and opinions to their staffs. This would foster greater
accountability and commitment among the remote working employees and enable them to
contribute towards the future organisational growth and success. There are certain skills
which must be possessed by a leader to tackle and manage the remote technologies in an
effective manner (Bond, 2017). The leaders need to be easily approachable so that everyone
can feel conformable while taking their help and guidance. The leaders must have a positive
attitude and they must be constantly encouraging their employees. The leaders must be an
Evangelist who must have the capacity to look at the long term future and realise how the
remote intelligence could be better utilised for furthering their business goals and objectives
in the market.
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