I have been researching organisations and their cultures for more than ten years and I am fascinated by the fact that the organisations that are heralded as truly innovative, vibrant and exciting are few and far between. There is so much knowledge out there about how to create forward-thinking and successful organisations, companies spend millions each year on consultants to help them with this pursuit - yet I would argue that the list of those who can be truly admired is not very long.

It is of course very difficult to really know what a company is really like without working in it, Reading books. articles and case studies is not enough, Nor is attendance at conferences where company representatives speak about their success and how they achieved it. I have read and heard lots of very positive stories about companies who I doubt could live up to those stories.  Corporate PR machines are alive and kicking.

Notwithstanding that, the following companies are probably justifiably admired and certainly very attractive to prospective investors, customers and employees:

• Google
• Apple
• SAS Institute
• Southwest Airlines
• Ritz-Carlton
• Virgin
• WL Gore

All of these companies appear to have innovation in their history and in their blood stream.   They don’t have to engage in the so-called ‘war for talent’, they have people queuing up to work for them.

Most of them are American. Why is that? Is it to do with the American culture, the best of which is positive,  optimistic, boundary-breaking and can-do.  It strikes me when working with American colleagues that they focus on what they can do, not what they can’t, they celebrate success and push for more and they don’t consider modesty to be a virtue.

In contrast, some would say that the worst of British culture means that people famously favour the underdog, play down success, stick with tried and tested ways of doing things and are conscious of their place in the prevailing hierarchy’.

Of course, generalisations are dangerous but there does seem to be something worth thinking about here. It is common for business leaders to ask themselves what they can learn from other companies, it is a good question. The context cannot be overlooked though - national culture is a crucially important part of that context and can undoubtedly shed some light on differences that make a difference.

Sally

I came across this very interesting talk by Clay Shirky. He raises questions about how organisations can be enablers instead of obstacles to ideas and innovation. The challenge for organisations is that, no matter how big they are, they can only employ a certain number of people - they only engage a small percentage of the total world population in helping them solve their problems.

Some organisations have done something very simple and very smart and have offered the opportunity to help them to anyone who is interested. Facebook is a good example. When they first started they did their own development. Now anyone in the world can submit their ideas and have them taken up, And Facebook doesn’t even have to pay them. Makes you think doesn’t it?

Sally

I was chatting to a client this week and we were reflecting on how amazing some of our Gen Y colleagues and friends are. We both confessed to feeling a little envious at times. A touch of the “I wish I had been that confident, capable, wordly… at their age”.

I reckon these feelings are pretty common. Here is a generation who see fewer barriers in their lives, they tend to have more confidence in themselves and what is possible and they have much broader horizons on the world because of the internet and the fact they connect so easily with people around the world. I think it is understandable if the older generation occasionally feel a little envious, jealous, resentful even.  I often hear comments like “I had to work my way up the ladder, why do they think they shouldn’t have to”, “they are far too confident - verging on the arrogant”, “they just expect things too easy”.

These views and feelings are often expressed at meetings I have with clients.  I sometimes detect a mixture of resentment and a wanting to put Gen Y in their place. Yet on the other hand there is a realisation that their talent and confidence are marvellous assets that present a huge opportunity for employers.

I think the healthy and productive attitude is to accept the negative feelings as understandable  but to move on and look at the assets that all the generations bring to the workplace. The key is for each generation understood the others more: their intentions, passions and strengths. It’s not for Gen Y to ’stay in their place’ it’s for them to challenge the status quo, come up with new ideas, question old assumptions. It’s uncomfortable for us Xers and Boomers but great leadership is about allowing and encouraging that whilst mentoring and guiding when necessary.

Note to self: remember that when next talking to amazing, accomplished and inspirational 23 year old

Sally

Our research tells us that mentoring is very important to Generation Y. They are desperate for mentors in the workplace and it is a role that they expect their managers to take on.

Why is mentoring so important to this generation? I can think of at least two possible explanations:

1. They are used to a much more hands-on relationship with their parents than previous generations had. Parents of Gen Y are much more inclined to be closely involved with all aspects of their children’s lives and decisions. This creates a need for on-tap mentoring style relationships with important older people
2. The huge amount of information available to them at anyone time via the internet means that having significant relationships with people who can guide them becomes much more important than it otherwise would.  Malcolm Gladwell’s explanation of this phenomena makes a lot of sense.

Managers were not traditionally taught the skills of mentoring.  I would argue that this has always been an important skill of a good leader. Now I would argue it is absolutely essential.

Sally

Someone said to me recently that if you are still buying CDs you must be over 40. It got me thinking. I grew up with records, then tapes and now CDs. A producer puts them together and decides which set of songs you can buy as a package. Old habits die hard and I still buy CDs.  Even though I only put the tracks that I like on my iPod I still like to have the entire CD for my collection. Crazy really.

We all have the benefits of non-standard packages now in buying music and other entertainment. Not only can we buy it how we like but we can consume it when we like. And the customisation options are endless.

This is Generation Y’s world. Yet organisations have not caught up. They are still very standardised in their approach. People policies and practices that still prevail today were designed for a very different era. An era when jobs were more well defined, customers more predictable, communications limited to telephone, face-to-face or fax, working hours were mainly contained to times when everyone else was working. 24/7 connectivity was not possible because we were not connected via the internet.

Generation Y don’t understand standard. They are used to designing their own gap year, their own MySpace, the design of their sports shoes etc etc. What about their own career, jobs and benefits packages? Companies in the main still have fixed benefits packages even within the ‘cafeteria’ system (and this is to say nothing of whether the benefits are the kinds of things that Gen Y want).

In the past job descriptions have been created by the company and given to the employee to fulfil. This is changing. Not only are people wanting to add their own interests and personality to the job they are also looking to take short term sabbaticals, spend part of their working week on pro-bono charity work, run their own start-up business, the list goes on. Highly talented people are not content to be restricted anymore. When I was in my twenties I certainly would have liked to pursue all sorts of other interests in the work sphere but I expected not to be able to do it. Nowadays people expect it, and if they do not get it they leave. Top talent will always be in demand and will always have choices. Giving more options and flexibility is one way to make sure that you attract the best. Economic downturn or not good people always have choice. And why would they buy a CD when they can create their own playlists.

Sally