Individuals who choose to work as freelancers are confronted by many challenges, including unstable Internet connections, multiple distractions, the difficulty of remaining in contact with employers, and attempting to fit into organizational cultures that are maintained through direct interpersonal interactions (Woodward 2008, pp. 1-2). As an individual who engages in freelance work as a consultant to a variety of organizations on issues ranging from sales to marketing to promotional activities, I have often found it difficult to adjust my work styles to the requirements of a temporary employer. This is particularly challenging because many organizations that rely on freelancers tend to be engaged in major organizational change initiatives that have led them to employ and external consultant in the first place.
In one situation, I found myself required to literally work on site with an organization that was undergoing a major transformation in terms of its marketing activities. Accustomed as I was to working alone in the comfort of my own office, I found it very difficult to cope with the multiple distractions that proliferated in this business. Such distractions, as described by Rith (2007 1-2), include e-mails, instant messages, phone calls, and what can only be thought of as the "noise" generated by a large number of people working in a fairly small space.
I was a major recipient of the change that was being undertaken at the organization in that the staff had never worked with an external consultant in such depth before. A major problem that emerged for me and others was that many staff members felt a need to become directly involved in my job. I was continually bombarded by offers of assistance, questions, and requests for information. This made it difficult for me to complete my work and resulted in poor coordination of effort. There were only two individuals with whom I needed to interact and it was their c...