Yikes!

A recent survey done by Manpower, Inc. indicates that about 60% of people are actively looking for a new job and that another 21% are now actively networking for better opportunities.  Unfortunately, this confirms a number of other recent surveys on the subject.  Anyone who has been through this knows that once people start looking, the opportunities will come and people will leave, even after the business starts to rebound.

Wow!   That should give any executive cause for concern.  Even if you think everything at your company is hunky-dory, these numbers say you’re wrong.  81% of your people are looking!

Granted, much of this sentiment may be just “recession burn-out.”  Everyone – the restructured, the down-sized, and the survivors alike – are tired.  This has been a grind.  The turmoil, stress, and anxiety have been intense.  No wonder a significant majority want to move to some place that is better, more fun, less stressful.

That said, it still says that the time to act is now.  The good news is we are fickle creatures – as happy as our current assignment, our current boss, our last positive experience.   It doesn’t take much to get people re-engaged.  What people want is to know that they are making a difference, that their contribution matters, and that they bring something special and unique to the business.

These are easy issues to address.  They don’t require massive investment!  They just require that we stop thinking about the next fifteen minutes and really start thinking about the future. 

As Red, the Morgan Freeman character in Shawshank Redemption, so aptly said, “Get busy livin’ or get busy dying!”   Time to get busy livin’.   The time to hang on to your best people is now – before their phones start ringing.  No time like the New Year to focus on your top priorities, right?

Scott

A Network or a Pyramid?

Although many organizations still have some form of pyramid structure to organize and connect their employees, it is rapidly fading into the background as more businesses recognize that the real work happens in a "network" fashion. Like bees in a hive, the work of employees' cuts across organizational boundaries as teams are formed from members around the world, and then quickly disbanded as activities are completed and other projects call.

Perhaps one of the biggest enablers for this new way of working has been the advent of communications technology. Starting with e-mail and then escalating to our current world of texting, tweets, blogs, chat rooms and more, we have new and effective ways to reach out and connect to our collaborators.

What's interesting is that it's taken the youngest generations—those in their teens on through their twenties—to show us the real potential for these capabilities. When e-mail first came out, business embraced it as a tool to become more efficient…you no longer needed a stamp to send your message, and it could now get there faster, thus yielding quick and tangible benefits. What's not to like?

Gen Y, though, sees today's form of communications as much more than a handy resource. Instead, it's a vivid demonstration of how connected the planet is, and how information and relationships are simply a few keystrokes away, making communications technology a great equalizer. From a business perspective, this tears down more of the rules and boundaries that pyramids represent. As stated by an HR Manager in a recent Wall Street Journal interview:

"Young people today want accessibility. If they have a problem or suggestion, they'll e-mail or text senior managers, or even the CEO. They don't have the old-school notion that there are appropriate communication models. They've grown up in a freedom-of-information era."

So the next generation doesn't just see networks as a means to organize themselves and their work…they think like a network. And a workplace that thinks similarly will be creating a great place to work that attracts the best of today's talent, regardless of their age.

Jennifer

Complexity as “The Candle Problem”

As an observer and analyst of change in the world, Daniel Pink is among the best. He coined the phrase "Free Agent Nation" long before it became the new attitude for employees in the marketplace, and he's an advocate for embracing the "right brain" in business and breaking our dependence on pure logic and order as the keys to success. Now in his latest TED.com video, he tackles the idea that the workplace consistently demands that employees apply complex, sophisticated thinking in order to perform their jobs, and that as a consequence, organizations need to take an entirely new view on how to motivate performance. What he describes is an enlightened organization.

First, Pink makes his case for complexity by introducing what he calls "the candle problem." I won't give away the details as it makes for a fascinating presentation, but bottom line, what he describes is a workplace that's less about performing predictable tasks, and more about empowered individuals working to solve difficult problems on a routine basis.

He then goes on to argue that the typical carrot-and-stick approach to motivating performance is ineffective in such an environment. Instead, he suggests that three elements need to be in place to engage employees: Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose.

In our view of an "enlightened organization," we make the same argument but simply phrase it in terms of outcomes. Enlightened employees are continually responding to two critical questions:

What is my unique value?

Am I making a difference?

When employees are continually challenged to bring their "A game" to work, have the freedom to demonstrate this value, and then can vividly see that they're personally contributing to a higher goal, you've created a healthy, dynamic workplace full of growth and opportunity.

Check out Daniel Pink's video below.
Jennifer