I love this new Facebook application. It allows users to send snail mail to relatives who don’t have a computer. What a great way of helping, and maybe even encouraging, the younger generation to keep in touch with grandparents who are not online.
Sally
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:
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
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
Simon and I were at Roffey Park on Friday presenting our Gen Y research at all an all-day event. Our very own Lamorna was part of a Gen Y panel - five twenty-somethings talking about their views of work and answering questions. I already knew how inspiring Lamorna is. She is 22 years old, well-travelled, interesting. She co-founded a fabulous company that won last year’s Shell Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
The other 4 were equally inspiring. It struck me how confident, self-assured and entrepreneurial they all were. It was interesting to hear the audiences questions which were nearly all indicative of what a struggle it is for Boomers and Xers to understand the world of Gen Y. Questions like "how come you are so confident?", "don’t you ever feel insecure?".
I for one felt pretty envious. Oh to be 26, to have already worked in 6 countries, to have been head of social policy for a think tank and decided to leave all that and become a freelance speechwriter (for some well-known and incredible people) and to be writing a book. Wow.
This was clearly a very special group of people but I am willing to bet that the confident, fearless, or, as they put it, we "don’t see barriers" mentality is common amongst Gen Ys. The big challenge is for organisations to find a way of harnessing that instead of stifling it and driving them away.
Sally Bibb
Generation Y’s different values and attitudes are causing tensions in the corporate world and the military too. Gen Ys are natural networkers, they do not respond well to command and control styles of leadership. This actually poses a huge opportunity to those organisations who see the benefit in collaborative working. And there are an increasing number who do.
I was recently talking to a senior manager in a big media company who told me that the only way they would be able to reach their high revenue targets is if people start to work together more effectively. The challenge is for older managers who are used to a hierarchical way of working. They want to keep control and feel uncomfortable with the idea of encouraging their staff to cross organisational boundaries to work together. They simply do not want to do things differently. Why would they? They have always worked in a hierarchically-based way.
I have been working with my co-directors to design a leadership programme that helps such managers. It is desperately needed. It is surprising how much leadership development is still based on outdated assumptions. It is also surprising how few leadership programmes take account of the new context within which leaders have to operate.
The military have of course had to respond to new contexts in recent years. One of these has been the threat of terrorist organisations that operate on a non-conventional, networked model. I was interested to know whether the military were thinking about how they need to change in light of the external changes. As let’s face it, if they can get to grips with a new kind of leadership anyone should be able to. And sure enough, they are taking the issue very seriously. This excellent article describes the changes that they need to make and the opportunities that this affords them. Businesses would do well to take a leaf out of their book.
Sally Bibb
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