Key Takeaways/Implications from the 2009 Thought Leaders Retreat
As reported by participants during Oct. 6 breakout session
Technology
- Literacy in technology is critical for success in business
- Worried about bridging the gap in utilizing technology across generations
- Also concerned on potential uses of technology
- Crowd sourcing/computing is an important potential area
- How can we utilize employees’ “wasted time”?
o Create a game to understand company culture & programs?
o Digitizing records, attitudinal survey of employees, etc.
o Fine line between using time at work and wasting it.
o R&D, creatives must have freedom- different approaches for different work groups.
- Lack of I.P.- copies are better than original; how to adapt
Flexibility/Creativity/Innovation
- Need far more flexibility in the workplace
- Uniqueness of individuals—need to think about mass customizing for workforce
- Innovation is fundamental to business culture for success
o How do we break down barriers to our employee innovation- need to work on not putting unnecessary barriers or rules in place
o Rules/compliance constrain creativity/innovation
o Limiting paperwork, rules & regulations, crush creativity
- How does the next generation learn, stay productive and challenged?
o Employees’ need for freedom (younger generation wants to be given freedom)
o How can organizations best harness the horsepower of creativity in the younger workforce?
o Creativity- keeping young employees motivated
- Need more questioning of the status quo in org’s; “why do we do that?”
- We need to find a way to train employees to analyze complex problems and come up with simple solutions
Planning for the Future
- To plan for the future, we need to consider how to integrate future and potential future work processes even if we are not sure what they are
- Gone are the days of linear forecasting
- Agility and responsiveness have become more important than planning
- HR must respond more rapidly and more flexibly
- Forecasting vs. simulations cause us to rethink assumptions
- Succession planning is not really relevant
- Fostering, attracting and retaining employees - need new thinking given the new economic and global implications
- Strategy is a must for HR planning
Global Talent Outlook
- Global change- traditional talent models won’t work; how to manage in new environment
- The East is driving innovation now, while the West is self-promoting
o The West is no longer “the center” of the universe- what is HR’s role in this?
- As we globalize, do we go back to unorganized work, no overarching entity- get someone to set up “virtual” assembly lines
o Global teams- virtual- how do we do it successfully?
Leadership
- Crucial message: “Listen with the intent of being influenced”
- Leadership- your team should understand how you make decisions, your point of view
- Leadership competencies have to change for dealing with ambiguity
Managing Talent
- Garry Ridge’s Presentation on Alarm Bells
o Help all employees get an ‘A’
o What alarm bells are being ignored?
o Reflection on our “personal alarm bells” is important
- HR should be renamed, maybe “corporate well-being”
- Paychex- hire ‘C’ players; interesting approach, changing recruitment approach, doing things differently
- Making average employees great
- “Trust” is critical to optimizing productivity/feedback
- Many companies dealing with the need for employee engagement
- Hire for “fit” or attitude; not just competencies
- Engaging people- companies are closed door shops
Economic Climate
- The recession may have ended but the recovery is uncertain- could be a double dip
- Nothing certain; recovery uncertain; concern about double-U recession
- This is a jobless and consumer-less recovery thus far; will all who’ve lost jobs get new jobs?
Labor Economic Issues ( including Peter Cappelli’s material) and work structures
- Take a Strategic view
- Less fixed cost and more variable cost; less office space, more work at home
- Supply chain applications to human/talent management
o Approach for succession planning fascinating
o Develop talent pool / building inventory makes sense vs. “box” approach
- Supply chain management applications to human/ talent management
- Need best of best and have to make difficult decisions regarding people
- How to build engagement and retention in this new environment
- Associate value propositions have been damaged; need to rebuild
- Are there ways to get useful productivity (work) out of fair and “free” labor
- Changing nature of work and who does it; All employees- employees, temps, contractors, outsource- Crowd source
Back to 2009 Thought Leaders Retreat