When Frederick Taylor in the early twentieth century introduced scientific management, humans were seen more as physical components in organizational machines than emotional and spiritual individuals. Today, the corporation is viewed as a social community and becomes an arena not only for work but also for identification, self-realization, and friendship. As the new century progresses, “on-line communities” are taking the place of traditional labor environments and many Americans are transitioning to virtual work. By recent estimates, nearly 18 million U.S. workers spend at least a portion of their work week in virtual mode. Although virtual work has many benefits, there is ample data to support the premise that those who work at home full-time experience social isolation. Social isolation is the absence of work-based social support associated with organizational identification. For many, virtual environments inhibit the social interaction that builds community and identification within the workplace.
Although sociologists differ on what community means, there are two concepts universally agreed upon to constitute its existence. They refer to a commonality of location and a commonality of interest. Considering virtual employees work at least part of the time in separate locations, this definition indicates that building a virtual community brings unique challenges. Without daily interaction, a common workplace, and a sense of identity, virtual personnel can feel disconnected and isolated. These workers repeatedly report concerns about being “out of sight, and out of mind” from their organization.
As virtual employees are isolated from their colleagues, they lose opportunities to benefit from other people’s ideas and experiences. The synergy that teams experience as they interact within community is lost when community is not established in cyberspace. This can easily discourage employees from participating in virtual programs and hinder the progression of any telework program.
Consequently, virtual organizations can also lose social cohesion, which refers to situations in which individuals are “bound to one another by common social and cultural commitments”. This results in a loss of individual loyalty to common norms, values, and interdependence that arise from shared interests and individual identification within the group. An employee’s identification to the organization provides a psychological link referred to as “strength of members.” This indicates the degree to which employees are motivated to fulfill organizational needs and goals, their willingness to display organizational citizenship, and their tendency to remain in the organization.
The costs of social isolation are too great to be ignored. The entire virtual work program is weakened as personnel fear losing their identity and distinction. Some feel their contributions may end up in a company’s database to never be associated with its contributor. Other’s have asked themselves, “If my hard earned experience, knowledge, and wisdom can no longer be traced directly back to myself, what future will I have in a Knowledge Economy?” Ultimately, employees may decide to terminate their participation within a virtual environment.
Similar to the days of the Industrial Revolution, today’s managers must learn how to lead within the context of newly established communities. Isolation and potential loss of identity among colleagues inhibit many people from taking advantage of telecommuting and virtual teams. Social isolation requires managers to rethink their methods of leading within today’s on-line community.
So how do leaders ensure that social relationships and commitments are maintained, and that social isolation does not occur within the virtual environment? One way is to understand the personalities, gifts, and styles of virtual employees and their leaders. Another way is through organizational design of a socio-technical system. To accomplish this:
1. Set boundaries to define the overall limits of permissible action by a follower, but use these boundaries to give team members freedom to work, rather than directives from management.
2. Manage the boundary between the system and the environment.
3. Communicate with followers on a continuous basis by email, conference calls, and instant messaging. Instead of relying on unplanned contact in physical third places, members of communities must seek out companions in personal spaces created through the use of new communications technologies. Many tools are available for this, including Blackberry™ devices, free conference call websites and Skype.
4. Hold face-to-face meetings in order to build higher levels of trust and communication. People who fail to communicate cannot compose a common culture and are not, therefore, a community. If meaning is lost in transition from speaker to addressee, then community is lost. In addition, conducting meetings, at least annually, enables leaders to facilitate teambuilding activities with their constituents.
Using these methods within a socio-technical design context will mitigate or eliminate many problems related to feelings of isolation brought on by virtual environments. As communication and change are inevitable and move at an accelerated pace, leaders within virtual communities must work toward acquiring the competencies needed to maintain a sense of cohesiveness despite location.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
The Changing HR Structure: Leadership, Foresight, & Strategy
In an annual survey from the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit entitled, CEO Briefing: Corporate Priorities for 2006 and Beyond, senior executives worldwide indicated they were unhappy about their company’s HR functions. Historically known as a support department with a lot of responsibility and little control over outcomes, HR has taken a direct hit. To survive in organizations driven by globalization, changing demographics, cost containment, advanced technology and legislation, HR must prove its importance by acting as a strategic partner and aligning with company wide objectives, or face outsourcing themselves.
The new HR professional performs transformational work that involves knowledge management, foresight, and strategic redirection and renewal. Knowledge programs evaluate and manage the process of accumulation, creation, and application of intellectual capital. Foresight is used to plan for the future. According to Edward Cornish, those who study the future concentrate on three areas. First, they believe that the world and all its systems and inhabitants are interconnected and dependent on each other. Second, they are focused on time as a critical force and believe that to change the course of events, one has to begin now. Third, ideas of the future are paramount for improving the lot of humankind. Knowledge management and foresight are both used in the strategic processes. Strategy-making involves capturing data from all sources, including insight, internal and external material, and then synthesizing the learning from that data into a direction for the business to pursue. It encompasses projecting knowledge into a future state of existence. These skills allow HR leaders to act as consultants in the advancement of state of the art systems and processes for use within the organization, and to help business unit line executives strategically address and forecast staffing needs.
There is a two-way relationship between human resource planning and companywide strategic planning. Human resource planning helps the organization create a feasible strategy that makes sure people are available with the appropriate skills to pursue the firms’ strategic objectives. It identifies gaps between staffing needs and current or projected demographics, determines the strategy for recruiting, retaining, or retraining critical talent, and monitors those strategies to ensure alignment. According to Raymond Noe, from his book, Employee Training & Development, “human resource planning includes the identification, analysis, forecasting, and planning of changes needed in the human resources area to help the company meet changing business conditions”. Planning allows a company to anticipate the movement of employees due to turnover, transfers, retirements, or promotions. Rapid technological advances can cause serious mismatches between the jobs available and the number of people with the necessary skills to fill those jobs. Strategic HR matches employee skills with other positions in the organization when necessary and provides training to prepare employees for increased responsibility or predicted job opportunities.
Since strategic staffing involves forecasting the supply and demand of appropriate human resources for the organization, planners must understand the external business environment and the trends that occur within it. In an article called, “Workforce Planning: The Strategy Behind Strategic Staffing,” Christina Morfeld suggests using a four-step model to staff strategically.
1. Supply Analysis: Identify the demographics and competencies of your current workforce by examining attrition statistics, including resignations, retirements, internal transfers, promotions, and involuntary terminations. A skill inventory that captures information on each employee’s knowledge, skills, abilities, education, experience, and compensation history can address changing needs.
2. Demand Analysis: Forecast the competencies that will be required by the company’s future workforce to be successful. Review internal and external influences to predict how the nature of the work will change. These include reviewing the business mission, strategies, goals, legislation, economic conditions, technological advances, and market competition. Scenario planning is an effective way to systematically evaluate these variables by answering the question, “What would happen if…?” They may also be developed through the use of back-casting.
3. Gap Analysis: Compare the supply and demand data collected during steps 1 and 2. The results determine skill surpluses, skill deficiencies, and help pinpoint who is at risk.
4. Solution analysis: Develop strategies for closing the gaps identified in step 3. Identify ways to build skills that are in short supply and reduce those that are overly abundant in relation to the organization’s projected needs. Focus on optimizing the current and future workforce.
Strategic human resource planning drives the other human resource management functions by providing a framework for policies and programs such as compensation and training. The process is used to determine how people will be hired and used in the firm as it considers:
· Tasks and responsibilities that are tied to business goals
· Competencies and skills necessary to produce outstanding performance
· Which combinations of resources are most productive
· Tools designed to make the better hiring choices
A strategic staffing plan that is carefully designed and executed transforms hiring practices to align with the organization’s human capital and strategic goals. These methods improve employee utilization and the company’s overall effectiveness and competitive positioning.
In concluding, we must realize that job markets today are about variety, choice, and change. HR professional’s that think like futurists and take a strategic approach to designing organizational structures can lead their company into a new era. This involves the continuous process of futures fluency; gathering data to monitor changes, accessing the implications of change, imagining alternative futures, envisioning ideals, and planning. The success of future American corporations relies on the development of systems and practices that attract, retain, and develop a skilled, educated, and talented workforce.
The new HR professional performs transformational work that involves knowledge management, foresight, and strategic redirection and renewal. Knowledge programs evaluate and manage the process of accumulation, creation, and application of intellectual capital. Foresight is used to plan for the future. According to Edward Cornish, those who study the future concentrate on three areas. First, they believe that the world and all its systems and inhabitants are interconnected and dependent on each other. Second, they are focused on time as a critical force and believe that to change the course of events, one has to begin now. Third, ideas of the future are paramount for improving the lot of humankind. Knowledge management and foresight are both used in the strategic processes. Strategy-making involves capturing data from all sources, including insight, internal and external material, and then synthesizing the learning from that data into a direction for the business to pursue. It encompasses projecting knowledge into a future state of existence. These skills allow HR leaders to act as consultants in the advancement of state of the art systems and processes for use within the organization, and to help business unit line executives strategically address and forecast staffing needs.
There is a two-way relationship between human resource planning and companywide strategic planning. Human resource planning helps the organization create a feasible strategy that makes sure people are available with the appropriate skills to pursue the firms’ strategic objectives. It identifies gaps between staffing needs and current or projected demographics, determines the strategy for recruiting, retaining, or retraining critical talent, and monitors those strategies to ensure alignment. According to Raymond Noe, from his book, Employee Training & Development, “human resource planning includes the identification, analysis, forecasting, and planning of changes needed in the human resources area to help the company meet changing business conditions”. Planning allows a company to anticipate the movement of employees due to turnover, transfers, retirements, or promotions. Rapid technological advances can cause serious mismatches between the jobs available and the number of people with the necessary skills to fill those jobs. Strategic HR matches employee skills with other positions in the organization when necessary and provides training to prepare employees for increased responsibility or predicted job opportunities.
Since strategic staffing involves forecasting the supply and demand of appropriate human resources for the organization, planners must understand the external business environment and the trends that occur within it. In an article called, “Workforce Planning: The Strategy Behind Strategic Staffing,” Christina Morfeld suggests using a four-step model to staff strategically.
1. Supply Analysis: Identify the demographics and competencies of your current workforce by examining attrition statistics, including resignations, retirements, internal transfers, promotions, and involuntary terminations. A skill inventory that captures information on each employee’s knowledge, skills, abilities, education, experience, and compensation history can address changing needs.
2. Demand Analysis: Forecast the competencies that will be required by the company’s future workforce to be successful. Review internal and external influences to predict how the nature of the work will change. These include reviewing the business mission, strategies, goals, legislation, economic conditions, technological advances, and market competition. Scenario planning is an effective way to systematically evaluate these variables by answering the question, “What would happen if…?” They may also be developed through the use of back-casting.
3. Gap Analysis: Compare the supply and demand data collected during steps 1 and 2. The results determine skill surpluses, skill deficiencies, and help pinpoint who is at risk.
4. Solution analysis: Develop strategies for closing the gaps identified in step 3. Identify ways to build skills that are in short supply and reduce those that are overly abundant in relation to the organization’s projected needs. Focus on optimizing the current and future workforce.
Strategic human resource planning drives the other human resource management functions by providing a framework for policies and programs such as compensation and training. The process is used to determine how people will be hired and used in the firm as it considers:
· Tasks and responsibilities that are tied to business goals
· Competencies and skills necessary to produce outstanding performance
· Which combinations of resources are most productive
· Tools designed to make the better hiring choices
A strategic staffing plan that is carefully designed and executed transforms hiring practices to align with the organization’s human capital and strategic goals. These methods improve employee utilization and the company’s overall effectiveness and competitive positioning.
In concluding, we must realize that job markets today are about variety, choice, and change. HR professional’s that think like futurists and take a strategic approach to designing organizational structures can lead their company into a new era. This involves the continuous process of futures fluency; gathering data to monitor changes, accessing the implications of change, imagining alternative futures, envisioning ideals, and planning. The success of future American corporations relies on the development of systems and practices that attract, retain, and develop a skilled, educated, and talented workforce.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Decisions: How do you make them?
In my working career, I have noticed that many leaders do not always think their decisions through before implementation. The biggest mistake they make is not consulting with the employees to whom the decision will effect. Such action requires engaging the employees in conversation and the decision-making process. It means asking them questions about work flow, time constraints, problems, integration with other departments, and customer care, to name a few. It especially means listening to what others have to say. By including employees in decision-making, the leader will discover critical information that will enable them to make a more effective decision. They will probably even gain buy-in.
Some workplace decisions may require a certain level of confidentiality. In such circumstances, it may be beneficial for a leader to hire an external coach. Coaching can help leaders make more effective decisions by considering unrecognized variables and working through the consequences of different scenarios. If coaching is not an option, here is a tool to get you started in making better decisions.
When I was a child I used to love to draw nature pictures. Most of my pictures had the sun in them. I would draw a circle and then draw straight lines coming out from the edge of the circle all the way around the perimeter (OK, I still draw the sun like that). I want you to grab a piece of paper and draw about eight suns on it. Make the suns fairly large and spread them out. Now, think of a decision you recently made. What action did you decide to take? At the top of the paper write, “If I take this action, how will it effect………” In the middle of each sun, write one of these words or phrases: me, my employees, my department, other departments, the company, customers, vendors, and environment. If you have eight suns, each with one of the eight words of phrases written in it, you are now ready to record your bright ideas. Starting with the ME sun, record on the spokes or straight lines all the ways your plan of action affects you. Then move to the EMPLOYEE sun. Record on the spokes or lines all the ways your plan of action affects your employees. Repeat the process for each sun. Record both the good and bad. There are always two sides to every story. If you need help discovering both sides, engage others in the process to help you. Once you are done with the exercise, read over it and ask yourself some questions. Is your plan of action still as good as you thought it would be? What needs to change? What other actions might be more feasible or cause less damage? How can you make your decision even more effective?
I hope you have a better understanding about the importance of thinking your decisions through. Our actions usually touch others in some way that we may not be aware of. The question becomes: Is your action harmful or beneficial to others? Is your decision selfish or considerate of the greater good?
Some workplace decisions may require a certain level of confidentiality. In such circumstances, it may be beneficial for a leader to hire an external coach. Coaching can help leaders make more effective decisions by considering unrecognized variables and working through the consequences of different scenarios. If coaching is not an option, here is a tool to get you started in making better decisions.
When I was a child I used to love to draw nature pictures. Most of my pictures had the sun in them. I would draw a circle and then draw straight lines coming out from the edge of the circle all the way around the perimeter (OK, I still draw the sun like that). I want you to grab a piece of paper and draw about eight suns on it. Make the suns fairly large and spread them out. Now, think of a decision you recently made. What action did you decide to take? At the top of the paper write, “If I take this action, how will it effect………” In the middle of each sun, write one of these words or phrases: me, my employees, my department, other departments, the company, customers, vendors, and environment. If you have eight suns, each with one of the eight words of phrases written in it, you are now ready to record your bright ideas. Starting with the ME sun, record on the spokes or straight lines all the ways your plan of action affects you. Then move to the EMPLOYEE sun. Record on the spokes or lines all the ways your plan of action affects your employees. Repeat the process for each sun. Record both the good and bad. There are always two sides to every story. If you need help discovering both sides, engage others in the process to help you. Once you are done with the exercise, read over it and ask yourself some questions. Is your plan of action still as good as you thought it would be? What needs to change? What other actions might be more feasible or cause less damage? How can you make your decision even more effective?
I hope you have a better understanding about the importance of thinking your decisions through. Our actions usually touch others in some way that we may not be aware of. The question becomes: Is your action harmful or beneficial to others? Is your decision selfish or considerate of the greater good?
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Coaching and the Law of Attraction: Seven Ways to Find Focus
There is a lot of buzz out there about the law of attraction. What I have deciphered from it all are two key points: Clear Focus and Action. Let me explain. When I hear people say, "I want more money" what does that really mean? How will it come to them? Will they win a lottery or get a big settlement from an accident they are about to be in? We need to be clear on how we will attract what we desire. In the same instance, we may desire to make more money by selling additional products and services from our business. We may be completely clear on our focus, but unless we take action and grab the opportunities that come along or make our own opportunities, nothing is going to happen.
Your brain is a wonderful organ. When you have clear focus, it will actually weed out irrelevant data around you, and you will begin to see or find opportunities that may normally be ignored. For example, when my husband and I decide to buy a car, we do a lot of research. We may go online, buy Consumer Guide's Auto Report, and visit every dealership in our area. We become completely focused on the car we want to purchase. So what happens? Our ideal car is suddenly everywhere; at the shopping center and gas stations, on the highways and back roads. The car ads for our vehicle jump out of the newspaper. We begin to see it on every car lot we pass. This does not stop until we purchase the car and/or decide to focus our attention on something else.
OK, so where does coaching come in? Well, coaching helps clients FOCUS and be accountable by taking ACTION. Suddenly your goal is right in your face and your coach will make sure you don't get off track. Every time you talk to your coach they will be asking you about your focus and what action you have taken to get closer to achieving it. I am going to give you 7 ways to start a coaching relationship and keep your focus. Decide if your focus is work related or personal, then choose the best method for you. Think out of the box and try to come up with a few more ways to get the coaching you want.
1. Self Coaching
Self coaching empowers individuals to be responsible for managing and developing themselves. It can build self-esteem, confidence, and competencies. Individuals identify, find, and apply solutions to their goals by using one of the coaching or problem solving models, such as GROW.
2. Peer Coaching
Peer coaching is used widely in universities and school settings. It is a process through which two or more colleagues work, learn, and develop together. Peer coaching is usually voluntary and less threatening than traditional coaching arrangements. Peers are flexible enough to provide support and feedback right on the job. For personal goals, try peer coaching with a friend.
3. Coaching with Managers
Managers that coach their followers do so on both an informal and formal basis, depending on the circumstances. Working with employees daily, a coaching manager can spot problem areas, talent, and developmental issues quickly and apply coaching skills for change. Managers also have extensive knowledge of what is needed in the area under their command and can integrate a big picture view into the coaching relationship. They are in a position to best know what motivates each of their employees to action.
4. Coaching with Senior Leaders
Senior leaders that coach have the ability to leverage their role in the organization and make coaching a cultural reality. They are the ultimate role models of how coaching is to be handled. Role modeling requires extensive commitment to self development through reflection, assessments, and feedback. It means using coaching with intention and appropriateness, having their own coach, and being authentic.
5. Team Coaching
In team coaching, a coach provides coaching to a group of people, usually for development purposes or to meet higher productivity demands. A coach can help a team: Define its purpose, understand its environment, tackle performance barriers, build learning plans, grow confidence, and develop ways to internalize coaching. Team members must learn to put aside personal agendas and develop actions that are good for the group and the organization they belong to.
6. Coaching with Internal Coaches
To stay competitive in a global economy, organizations like IBM take coaching seriously and have hired coaches for internal positions. They usually work the organization both horizontally and vertically, impacting a large number of the workforce. Internal coaches can also teach and reinforce coaching skills in management and are able to integrate coaching into other learning programs. They have access to organizational resources and are able to give timely feedback to those they coach.
7. Coaching with External Professionals
An external coach is someone hired from outside the company as an independent contractor. Many external coaching initiatives today are directed towards those in leadership roles. External or executive coaches are usually brought in to sharpen the leadership skills of high potential individuals. They can provide alternative perspectives, political neutrality, high objectivity, and confidentiality that may not be possible from internal coaching arrangements.
Whether your goal is personal or business related, hiring a coach will help you focus and get results. Let's be realistic. Life is distracting. Coaching is the best tool to keep you aligned towards the reality you want. Find a coach now. Your brain will reward you for your efforts.
Your brain is a wonderful organ. When you have clear focus, it will actually weed out irrelevant data around you, and you will begin to see or find opportunities that may normally be ignored. For example, when my husband and I decide to buy a car, we do a lot of research. We may go online, buy Consumer Guide's Auto Report, and visit every dealership in our area. We become completely focused on the car we want to purchase. So what happens? Our ideal car is suddenly everywhere; at the shopping center and gas stations, on the highways and back roads. The car ads for our vehicle jump out of the newspaper. We begin to see it on every car lot we pass. This does not stop until we purchase the car and/or decide to focus our attention on something else.
OK, so where does coaching come in? Well, coaching helps clients FOCUS and be accountable by taking ACTION. Suddenly your goal is right in your face and your coach will make sure you don't get off track. Every time you talk to your coach they will be asking you about your focus and what action you have taken to get closer to achieving it. I am going to give you 7 ways to start a coaching relationship and keep your focus. Decide if your focus is work related or personal, then choose the best method for you. Think out of the box and try to come up with a few more ways to get the coaching you want.
1. Self Coaching
Self coaching empowers individuals to be responsible for managing and developing themselves. It can build self-esteem, confidence, and competencies. Individuals identify, find, and apply solutions to their goals by using one of the coaching or problem solving models, such as GROW.
2. Peer Coaching
Peer coaching is used widely in universities and school settings. It is a process through which two or more colleagues work, learn, and develop together. Peer coaching is usually voluntary and less threatening than traditional coaching arrangements. Peers are flexible enough to provide support and feedback right on the job. For personal goals, try peer coaching with a friend.
3. Coaching with Managers
Managers that coach their followers do so on both an informal and formal basis, depending on the circumstances. Working with employees daily, a coaching manager can spot problem areas, talent, and developmental issues quickly and apply coaching skills for change. Managers also have extensive knowledge of what is needed in the area under their command and can integrate a big picture view into the coaching relationship. They are in a position to best know what motivates each of their employees to action.
4. Coaching with Senior Leaders
Senior leaders that coach have the ability to leverage their role in the organization and make coaching a cultural reality. They are the ultimate role models of how coaching is to be handled. Role modeling requires extensive commitment to self development through reflection, assessments, and feedback. It means using coaching with intention and appropriateness, having their own coach, and being authentic.
5. Team Coaching
In team coaching, a coach provides coaching to a group of people, usually for development purposes or to meet higher productivity demands. A coach can help a team: Define its purpose, understand its environment, tackle performance barriers, build learning plans, grow confidence, and develop ways to internalize coaching. Team members must learn to put aside personal agendas and develop actions that are good for the group and the organization they belong to.
6. Coaching with Internal Coaches
To stay competitive in a global economy, organizations like IBM take coaching seriously and have hired coaches for internal positions. They usually work the organization both horizontally and vertically, impacting a large number of the workforce. Internal coaches can also teach and reinforce coaching skills in management and are able to integrate coaching into other learning programs. They have access to organizational resources and are able to give timely feedback to those they coach.
7. Coaching with External Professionals
An external coach is someone hired from outside the company as an independent contractor. Many external coaching initiatives today are directed towards those in leadership roles. External or executive coaches are usually brought in to sharpen the leadership skills of high potential individuals. They can provide alternative perspectives, political neutrality, high objectivity, and confidentiality that may not be possible from internal coaching arrangements.
Whether your goal is personal or business related, hiring a coach will help you focus and get results. Let's be realistic. Life is distracting. Coaching is the best tool to keep you aligned towards the reality you want. Find a coach now. Your brain will reward you for your efforts.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Working Women: Finding Balance and Equality in Creative Organizational Design: Part 5 of 5
The Company
Many educated women want to have a career and a family, but the idea of giving up a profession to become a stay at home mom or elder caretaker can be daunting. Thanks to the communication age, women are reshaping their work environments by interweaving jobs with parenting and other responsibilities. Picture an executive office suite company designed just for females who need to make life/career transitions. The purpose would be to provide a professional atmosphere where women could be their own boss and adapt their work around outside obligations. Support services within the building would allow women more freedom to do what they choose.
Skilled females who need more flexibility than traditional organizations allow, could rent office suites and continue working as entrepreneurs. The idea is for tenants to use the services of other tenants, as well as seek their own clients. The Executive Suite Company for Women would promote its tenants to area businesses through quarterly publications and its website. Because the tenants are predominately women in similar situations, they can support each other in their efforts. In addition, the building would have childcare on the premises, and contract with surrounding businesses or women working from home to offer discounted and delivery services to its tenants. These include dry cleaning, home babysitting, sick care or healthcare, meal preparation, fitness, seminars, and personal assisting. All these services would be listed on the businesses intranet, accessible by the tenants, who could also email or instant message others in the building.
Visualize a tree. Its core is the roots and trunk, which provide support for the branches and leaves. In the same sense, this new company for women would have a core group responsible for its operation and support. Staff might include a building manager, in charge of rental space contracts and other daily operations; a marketing representative, hired to promote/sell office space and the services of the buildings tenants; a business manager, in charge of financial and administrative matters; and a building receptionist, to greet clients of tenants, receive mail, answer phones, and other clerical duties. While all tenants would have mailboxes, most services would be ala cart so women pay only for what they need. For example, the receptionist could also answer their phone calls for an additional fee. If the core staff needed additional help, it would first seek the services of its tenants. These primary employees would have to work as a team. With most services contracted out, including cleaning, maintenance, and web design, it would be necessary to coordinate all activities.
The suites would vary in size and room divisions. All would include electric, windows, phone lines, high speed internet access, individual heating and cooling controls, cleaning services, and most importantly, sound proof walls. Each tenant would be given a billing card, similar to a credit card, to charge miscellaneous building services. The building would have a lunch/snack area with tables inside and out, complete with vending machines and refrigerators. For those too busy to pack a lunch or eat out, different restaurants would be sponsored each day and tenants could place their order for delivery through the receptionist. This would also include ordering food for children in daycare or aftercare. Several conference rooms would be made available for tenant use, as well as an area with copiers, fax machines, debit machines, Federal Express, UPS, and US mail pick-up. Business identity programs would be made available to women who prefer to work from home and include the use of the business address as well as other building amenities.
Suppose this organizational design was a franchise. Women tenants from one city could use building services, including daycare, in another city while traveling. The internet would make information sharing easy.
Just like branches of a tree that sprout off in different directions, the building would have divisions of professionals working within its walls. Since one organizational goal is to provide tenants with easy access to specialized services, some entrepreneurial businesses would be treated as extensions of the core and actively solicited to rent office space. For instance, building management would contract out for a daycare facility, preferably from a franchise, to be run within the building. The daycare would be for the use of tenants renting space and of course the general public. While daycares are usually paid on a monthly or weekly basis, tenants would be eligible for special weekly, daily and hourly rates. They would only be obligated to give 24 hour notice to the center for childcare. Working mothers in the building could view their child in daycare via their computer. An after school and summer program would also be sought out for school age children. Both curriculums allow tenants to bring their children to work with them. Other businesses important to the overall success of this new organization include office support services, accountants, and marketing or professional advertisers.
Many educated women want to have a career and a family, but the idea of giving up a profession to become a stay at home mom or elder caretaker can be daunting. Thanks to the communication age, women are reshaping their work environments by interweaving jobs with parenting and other responsibilities. Picture an executive office suite company designed just for females who need to make life/career transitions. The purpose would be to provide a professional atmosphere where women could be their own boss and adapt their work around outside obligations. Support services within the building would allow women more freedom to do what they choose.
Skilled females who need more flexibility than traditional organizations allow, could rent office suites and continue working as entrepreneurs. The idea is for tenants to use the services of other tenants, as well as seek their own clients. The Executive Suite Company for Women would promote its tenants to area businesses through quarterly publications and its website. Because the tenants are predominately women in similar situations, they can support each other in their efforts. In addition, the building would have childcare on the premises, and contract with surrounding businesses or women working from home to offer discounted and delivery services to its tenants. These include dry cleaning, home babysitting, sick care or healthcare, meal preparation, fitness, seminars, and personal assisting. All these services would be listed on the businesses intranet, accessible by the tenants, who could also email or instant message others in the building.
Visualize a tree. Its core is the roots and trunk, which provide support for the branches and leaves. In the same sense, this new company for women would have a core group responsible for its operation and support. Staff might include a building manager, in charge of rental space contracts and other daily operations; a marketing representative, hired to promote/sell office space and the services of the buildings tenants; a business manager, in charge of financial and administrative matters; and a building receptionist, to greet clients of tenants, receive mail, answer phones, and other clerical duties. While all tenants would have mailboxes, most services would be ala cart so women pay only for what they need. For example, the receptionist could also answer their phone calls for an additional fee. If the core staff needed additional help, it would first seek the services of its tenants. These primary employees would have to work as a team. With most services contracted out, including cleaning, maintenance, and web design, it would be necessary to coordinate all activities.
The suites would vary in size and room divisions. All would include electric, windows, phone lines, high speed internet access, individual heating and cooling controls, cleaning services, and most importantly, sound proof walls. Each tenant would be given a billing card, similar to a credit card, to charge miscellaneous building services. The building would have a lunch/snack area with tables inside and out, complete with vending machines and refrigerators. For those too busy to pack a lunch or eat out, different restaurants would be sponsored each day and tenants could place their order for delivery through the receptionist. This would also include ordering food for children in daycare or aftercare. Several conference rooms would be made available for tenant use, as well as an area with copiers, fax machines, debit machines, Federal Express, UPS, and US mail pick-up. Business identity programs would be made available to women who prefer to work from home and include the use of the business address as well as other building amenities.
Suppose this organizational design was a franchise. Women tenants from one city could use building services, including daycare, in another city while traveling. The internet would make information sharing easy.
Just like branches of a tree that sprout off in different directions, the building would have divisions of professionals working within its walls. Since one organizational goal is to provide tenants with easy access to specialized services, some entrepreneurial businesses would be treated as extensions of the core and actively solicited to rent office space. For instance, building management would contract out for a daycare facility, preferably from a franchise, to be run within the building. The daycare would be for the use of tenants renting space and of course the general public. While daycares are usually paid on a monthly or weekly basis, tenants would be eligible for special weekly, daily and hourly rates. They would only be obligated to give 24 hour notice to the center for childcare. Working mothers in the building could view their child in daycare via their computer. An after school and summer program would also be sought out for school age children. Both curriculums allow tenants to bring their children to work with them. Other businesses important to the overall success of this new organization include office support services, accountants, and marketing or professional advertisers.
The leaves of a tree are ever changing. Just like working women, leaves are affected by different seasons. This business concept is for those life transitions. Visualize an organization where women have the flexibility to plan their work around yoga classes, school plays, field trips, and visits to the nursing home without career penalties. These women have community support and support from other women with the same needs. A senior woman, who loves to shop but needs a little extra money, takes care of your grocery list once a week and prepares three meals for you that can be pulled out of the freezer during the week. An accountant taking care of her three year old at home helps with your investment planning and finances. Or maybe someone in the office has a teenage daughter to baby sit for you while you attend a dinner function. The possibilities are endless, and your life feels more complete. To build your own woman friendly organization:
- Find experienced, professional women who understand the importance of balance to provide equity investments and business advice.
- Design for workforce flexibility. A variation of Charles Handy’s (1989) Shamrock organization may be a good place to start. The first leaf represents the professional core workers. These are the people who are essential to the organization and hard to replace. The second leaf represents contracted work to people who specialize in a particular field and are able to do it at less cost than what you could in-house. Find women who would like to work as consultants or on a job by job basis. Finally, the third leaf represents part-time and temporary workers; perfect for women with children in school or retirees who need to supplement their income. This structure, with its flat hierarchy and small core, allows for reconfigurability.
- Support women vendors and employees by providing access to “helping services.” These include forming relationships with area restaurants, drycleaners, banks, travel agencies, housecleaning, babysitting, and eldercare businesses.
- Start your own franchise as a way to help women throughout the country. Women can have an impact on the way America works.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Working Women: Finding Balance and Equality in Creative Organizational Design: Part 4 of 5
Work/Life Programs
While work is still a necessity for survival, it should also be a source of personal satisfaction. One vehicle available to provide a balance between personal and professional goals is a work/life program. Research presented at the Society of Industrial-Organizational Psychology in May 2002 defined work/life programs as not just a series of programs but a culture that emphasizes the value of the individual (Latham, 2002). Although it has been around for more than a decade, work/ life issues are just now gaining momentum. This change is coming out of research being done at universities, as well as an increasing awareness of the importance of organizations to respond to employees needs.
Work/life programs allow employees more control over the structure of their life schedule. Some common benefits include flex-time, job-sharing, telecommuting, childcare, education, referral systems, elder care assistance, sabbaticals, parental and health related leave policies, employee assistance programs, and a spectrum of training and support for managers and employees. In addition, there are many communication tools that help employees gain flexibility by working anywhere and anytime, such as cellular phones, e-mail, voice mail, videoconferences, podcasts, and internet based software. The more popular work/life programs are discussed further.
Flexible work hours let employees decide how to spread the eight hour work day between convenient hours for them, such as 10am to 6 pm or 7am to 3pm. Employees are required to work a specific number of hours a week, but are free to vary their hours around core times (Robbins, 2003). Job sharing allows two or more employees to share the responsibilities of one job, varying the work hours or workdays to fit each schedule. Part-time work schedules involve cutting hours and pay, but can lead to an increase in personal satisfaction. Telecommuting may involve working from a home environment at least a few days a week. Appropriate jobs for this type of arrangement include routine information-handling tasks, mobile activities, and professional or other knowledge-related tasks (Robbins, 2003).
Lotte Bailyn, a researcher of work/life benefits and a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management, discovered that the very things hindering a person’s ability to lead a fuller personal life were the same factors hindering workflow and outcomes. Research clearly shows that work/life programs positively impact employees, the organization, and ultimately the bottom line (Martinez, 1997). The newest discovery about the business benefits of work and family programs is their direct correlation with increased customer retention and satisfaction. First Tennessee has found that because of their commitment to work/life programs, they have a customer retention rate of 96%, one of the highest in the industry. Sears found that improving employee satisfaction also improved customer satisfaction and increased revenues (Lombardo, 2002).
Workers with more control over their jobs and schedules tend to be more satisfied, less burned out, take more initiative at work, feel greater loyalty to employers and plan to remain with the company longer than other employees (Lombardo, 2002). Job satisfaction is influenced by mentally challenging work, equitable rewards, supportive working conditions, and the support of colleagues (Robbins, 2003). Programs designed to support employees and provide them with flexibility have a common underlying strategy: to reduce the level of distraction employees feel at work regarding their non-work priorities. When they are at work, they can give 100% to the job. In comparison, programs designed to increase the intrinsic value and rewards associated with work, such as the use of learning programs, are also connected by a common strategy: to increase employees’ commitment to and satisfaction with their jobs. Both programs indicate that focused and satisfied employees are more likely to stay with a company and perform effectively.
An article in TIP called “Work in the 21st Century: The Role of I-O in Work-Life Programs,” discusses multiple strategies available to businesses for increasing people’s ability to meet their life needs through work (May, 1998):
While work is still a necessity for survival, it should also be a source of personal satisfaction. One vehicle available to provide a balance between personal and professional goals is a work/life program. Research presented at the Society of Industrial-Organizational Psychology in May 2002 defined work/life programs as not just a series of programs but a culture that emphasizes the value of the individual (Latham, 2002). Although it has been around for more than a decade, work/ life issues are just now gaining momentum. This change is coming out of research being done at universities, as well as an increasing awareness of the importance of organizations to respond to employees needs.
Work/life programs allow employees more control over the structure of their life schedule. Some common benefits include flex-time, job-sharing, telecommuting, childcare, education, referral systems, elder care assistance, sabbaticals, parental and health related leave policies, employee assistance programs, and a spectrum of training and support for managers and employees. In addition, there are many communication tools that help employees gain flexibility by working anywhere and anytime, such as cellular phones, e-mail, voice mail, videoconferences, podcasts, and internet based software. The more popular work/life programs are discussed further.
Flexible work hours let employees decide how to spread the eight hour work day between convenient hours for them, such as 10am to 6 pm or 7am to 3pm. Employees are required to work a specific number of hours a week, but are free to vary their hours around core times (Robbins, 2003). Job sharing allows two or more employees to share the responsibilities of one job, varying the work hours or workdays to fit each schedule. Part-time work schedules involve cutting hours and pay, but can lead to an increase in personal satisfaction. Telecommuting may involve working from a home environment at least a few days a week. Appropriate jobs for this type of arrangement include routine information-handling tasks, mobile activities, and professional or other knowledge-related tasks (Robbins, 2003).
Lotte Bailyn, a researcher of work/life benefits and a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management, discovered that the very things hindering a person’s ability to lead a fuller personal life were the same factors hindering workflow and outcomes. Research clearly shows that work/life programs positively impact employees, the organization, and ultimately the bottom line (Martinez, 1997). The newest discovery about the business benefits of work and family programs is their direct correlation with increased customer retention and satisfaction. First Tennessee has found that because of their commitment to work/life programs, they have a customer retention rate of 96%, one of the highest in the industry. Sears found that improving employee satisfaction also improved customer satisfaction and increased revenues (Lombardo, 2002).
Workers with more control over their jobs and schedules tend to be more satisfied, less burned out, take more initiative at work, feel greater loyalty to employers and plan to remain with the company longer than other employees (Lombardo, 2002). Job satisfaction is influenced by mentally challenging work, equitable rewards, supportive working conditions, and the support of colleagues (Robbins, 2003). Programs designed to support employees and provide them with flexibility have a common underlying strategy: to reduce the level of distraction employees feel at work regarding their non-work priorities. When they are at work, they can give 100% to the job. In comparison, programs designed to increase the intrinsic value and rewards associated with work, such as the use of learning programs, are also connected by a common strategy: to increase employees’ commitment to and satisfaction with their jobs. Both programs indicate that focused and satisfied employees are more likely to stay with a company and perform effectively.
An article in TIP called “Work in the 21st Century: The Role of I-O in Work-Life Programs,” discusses multiple strategies available to businesses for increasing people’s ability to meet their life needs through work (May, 1998):
- Design jobs to include assignments and responsibilities that are meaningful and challenging.
- Place people in jobs they find stimulating.
- Involve employees in decisions regarding the content and structure of their jobs.
- Allow employees to spend some of their time doing volunteer work.
- Provide learning opportunities on and off the job.
- Use reward and recognition systems.
- Provide support for employee career development and planning.
Jobs can be redesigned to make them more interesting and motivating for the employees. Such options include cross-training, job enlargement, job enrichment, and team based work designs (Robbins, 2003).
As men start to take advantage of work/life programs it could have profound ramifications for the advancement of women. Until now, it has mostly been mothers, usually the primary caretakers of children, who have made use of the alternative work schedules. While women have been grateful for such policies, the help has come at a cost. There is still a growing wage gap between men and women, and it’s the mothers who are hit the hardest. A study of mothers in the Midwest by Jennifer Glass, chairman of the sociology department at the University Of Iowa, found that the salaries of mothers who used family friendly policies lagged behind those of mothers who didn’t use the policies. All this could change if men insisted that they want more balance in their lives. Women would benefit by no longer being the only parent seeking career flexibility and full-stream advancement (Stein, 2002).
Growing numbers of educated women are seeking to redefine the workplace and create meshed worlds. Work/life balance has taken on new meaning, as the two are barely separate. Michael Silverstein, director of Boston Consulting, indicates that working women still handle 75% of the housework, juggling many roles throughout the day (Pallavi, 2005). As we have discussed, alternative work schedules and programs can alleviate some of the pressures females face. Allowing women to customize the pace of their career advancement without long term damage would also help. If organizations are not willing to change, women have the options of starting their own companies or seeking more women friendly environments. Imagine the design of a business created by females who understood the needs of their gender.
In the last part of the series we will uncover an organizational structure the reshapes the work environment for women with life/work challenges.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Working Women: Finding Balance and Equality in Creative Organizational Design: Part 3 of 5
The Changing Environment
In the 1960s and 1970’s, most jobs were Monday through Friday and employees worked an average of eight or nine hours a day. This is no longer true due to the creation of global organizations, communication technology, longer hours required by employers, and multiple breadwinners in the family. Employees are recognizing that work is taking over their lives and they are not happy (Robbins, 2003).
Generation X has been shaped by globalization, two-career parents, MTV and computers. They watched the baby boomers attempt corporate loyalty only to be rewarded with downsizing and reengineering efforts. Xers learned from this and expect their work lives to deliver more and demand less. They want their jobs to allow them the flexibility to pursue non-work priorities, such as family, and they expect their work to have meaning and provide intrinsic value (May, 1998).
Generation Y, also known as the Millenials, Echo Boomers, and Nexters, started their careers on the heels of Generation X. With their “me” mentality, they will follow Generation X when it comes to demanding a balance between their personal and professional lives. Generation Y also expects a workplace that is fun and rewarding and will offer job assignments that fit their interests. As the first generation to grow up in the digital world, they will use technology to customize work environments, schedules, and lifestyle preferences. Nexters will require challenging work that makes a difference, personal relationships within the company, technological tools, recognition and reward systems, and higher wages (Newton, 2002).
While a common management outlook has been that all employees should be treated the same, the fact is that people are not all the same. We have different career goals, our family situations differ, and our preferences when it comes to our work and income vary. Changing demographics of the labor market also play a role. Basic economics shows us that the more income one has from various non-labor sources, such as a spouse’s income, the higher the reservation wage may be for them and, therefore, there is less a need and desire to participate in market activity. For example, if one person makes $70,000 a year, the other members of the household may not see a great need to work full-time in order to achieve their personal standard of living. Since we are all different in regards to our preferences for work, we will have different levels of satisfaction in the presence of constraints. The ability of organizations to offer non-traditional work schedules provides opportunity for increased employee job satisfaction, which will benefit the company in the long run (Delaney, 2002).
The changing economy and values of tomorrow’s workforce will continue to create demands for flexible, diverse benefits and policies. As all the baby boomers slide into retirement, Generations X, Y and Z won’t have the numbers to pick up the slack. Between 1995 and 2015, the labor force ages 25 to 44 will decrease by more than 3.2 million workers (Finnigan, 2001). Faced with a shrinking labor pool and severed employee/employer relations, companies will be forced to help employees balance their work and personal lives in order to remain competitive (Maurer, 2002).
Modifications within the American family will be a result of many boomers outliving their savings and moving in with their children. It is projected that a woman born after 1980 is likely to take care of her mother longer than she cares for her own children. On the other end, millennial kids will drag out adulthood and take longer to move out of their parent’s home. Both scenarios impose economic burdens as two-income wage earners will be necessary for survival (Zolli, 2006).
Part 4 next week will discuss Work/Life Programs
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