Management is so passé — it’s co-creation that workers are demanding
It’s time for business, political and organizational leaders to give up on “management.”
Workers today don’t want to be managed, even benevolently. They want to be partners in co-creation, where all members are empowered to bring their whole selves to the organization regardless of hierarchies.
Consequently, those uncomfortably perched atop organizational hierarchies are faced with a stark choice: Co-create or manage, because you cannot do both.
As businesses start to envision a post-pandemic world, they are faced with unprecedented challenges, like the so-called Great Resignation that involves millions of employees opting to quit their unfulfilling jobs, and political pressures to “build back better.” As I argue in my recent book, Connected Capitalism, we need to move away from an emphasis on “management” and towards a focus on co-creation.
Management is passé. Co-creation will allow us to thrive in meeting the changing demands of key stakeholders like employees, customers and governments.
Employee malaise
Even before the pandemic, there was a crisis of worker dissatisfaction, with millennials — the generation poised to make up the majority of our workforce — viewing business as out of step with their priorities.
Corporations must commit to a broader social purpose or face disconnected and unmotivated workers unlikely to stay in their jobs. Co-creation builds on that rare and valuable sense of connection emerging in the very best type of purpose-driven co-operative partnerships.
The feeling of connection is so important, I believe we will start to normalize viewing friendship as an essential work resource, since we now know that co-operation is not born of deep analytical calculations, but intuition and feelings.
Often, when management gurus talk about co-operation, what they really mean is managing subordinates into passivity.
Co-operation in this context is contingent on repression. That’s not co-creation.
Panicked responses
When I speak to executives, I often get a panicked reaction: “What does this mean for my power to run the business?!?”
Assuredly, decision-making power stays in the C-suites. But an empowered team only increases the effectiveness of leadership. And while corporate behemoths like Google are leading with this new course of action, a 20-year study of more than 300 companies found human-centric approaches that empowered employees improved performance in a wide variety of settings.
And co-creation is not only about loosening the managerial reins on employees. Many businesses have come to realize that they don’t get the best product by closely managing their suppliers with laundry lists of desired specifications.
Instead, optimal outcomes are often attained by supporting suppliers in co-creation, giving up control and letting them lead the way. This exercise in trust and vulnerability showcases the deepest level of relationship — when two organizations surprise one another by understanding each other so deeply that one delivers what the other wants but did not ask for.
Does the ultimate decision-making power still sit with the paying client? Of course. Clients can demand their supplier’s development team stick to product roadmaps and manage the process so requested features get built.
Are there significant efficiency and reputational risks involved when managers take the liberties afforded by co-creation? Absolutely. But the better question to ask is this — does a path to innovation exist that isn’t full of risk and inefficiencies? I don’t know of one.
Generational shift
Consider current indicators that workers are quitting rather than giving up the ability to work from home.
Michael Solomon, co-founder of 10x Management, explained to me that this is an expected feature of the “talent economy.” Everybody, up and down the hierarchy, is both empowered and willing to take responsibility for what they do.
Whether the outcomes are good or bad, those who take risks own the consequences. Are there risks in letting workers set the terms of how they work? Yes. And to some executives, workers making such demands appear to have an unjustifiable sense of entitlement.
But feeling like you are being managed is antithetical to productive work. Solomon explains this as a generational shift, and warns that the old style of management is being phased out fairly quickly.
Co-creation doesn’t mean we no longer need CEOs. But it may be more helpful to view leading exclusively as a verb and not a noun.
Business researchers are finally emphasizing the relational and dynamic aspects of power, how a leader’s relationships with stakeholders can be a source of support or resistance and how they must continually adapt to changes in social systems.
Human-centric work future
The shift away from the stifling, controlling and outdated dominance of management in favour of co-creation is an absolute must for those helming organizations — from private sector businesses to governments and health-care organizations — even if the prospect makes some existing leaders uncomfortable.
Using the tools of co-creation where we once used management hierarchies means expanding the rigid boundaries between the social, professional and personal, which we have been clinging to in corporate settings for too long.
Workers are demanding a more human-centric future, with space for trust and vulnerability. There is no going back to the “before world.” Management is over. The era of co-creation is underway.
David Weitzner, Assistant professor, Administrative Studies, York University, Canada
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
How tech is the catalyst in the shift to flexible working
The events of the past 18 months have accelerated an existing trend towards remote and flexible working, which had been slowly developing over the past two decades. As always, technology was the enabler, with faster broadband speeds and cloud computing major drivers.
Now, as the immediate danger of Covid recedes and businesses begin to emerge into something approaching normality, comprised in many cases of hybrid working arrangements, technology will again help to shape the future of the workplace. “The urgent need for businesses to reduce their physical presence alongside a drive to lower their carbon footprints is going to accelerate adoption of intelligent technology that can support the rise of smart buildings,” predicts Narinder Sahota, chief technology officer at Advanced. “These learn about occupancy patterns and then suggest how workplace conditions can be optimised for both workforce comfort and energy efficiency.”
Technology is also having an impact on how sales are conducted in the wake of the pandemic, says Liam Halpin, VP sales EMEA and LATAM, at LinkedIn Sales Solutions. “In many sectors this has involved a wholesale transformation of the sales process,” he says. “I’ve watched sales teams for export businesses, whose lives previously revolved around international travel and events, reinvent how they prospect, gather insight and build relationships. With the future of large-scale trade fairs still uncertain, they’ve turned to sales intelligence tools to fill the gap.” One example here would be a platform such as LinkedIn informing recruiters or HR teams when a target employee gets a new role, he adds.
The rise of remote working has also made cyber-security even more important, with 86 per cent of organisations expecting to permanently adopt remote working practices, according to research by Forrester. “It’s already well past time for infosec leaders to strategically re-evaluate the systems to accommodate these changes, with an eye toward making their security as dynamic as the workplace itself,” says David Cummins, vice president of EMEA Tenable, which commissioned the research. “Organisations need to rethink how they define risk, looking beyond software flaws and device compliance, to achieve a holistic view of their dynamic and disparate environments.” GDPR and data compliance is also a concern: 33 per cent of organisations that had suffered a cyber-attack in the past 12 months admitted it resulted in a data breach.
Big data, too, will play a more prominent role, particularly in sectors such as marketing, says Douggie Melville-Clarke, head of data science at Duco. “But in order for innovation to continue, education needs to follow,” he says. “If employees don’t have the analytical skills necessary to perform the statistical tests and experiments large data sets need, then industries will face setbacks.”
3D printing also came of age during the pandemic, being used to manufacture everything from swabs for Covid testing to face shields, points out Dave Prezzano, MD, UK & Ireland, at HP Inc. User data itself is now becoming increasingly useful, adds Halpin, with first-party data that is actively maintained by users rather than sourced from elsewhere particularly valuable.
Other trends that were developing before the pandemic remain ongoing. “As AI-based robots and humans continue to collaborate, productivity, quality and the security of the working environment will significantly enhance,” says Marina Ruggieri, IEEE fellow and professor of telecommunications at Tor Vergata University of Roma. “We can expect to see more encouragement towards enhancing the relationship between humans and robots in a cyber-physical domain.”
It’s essential businesses develop a culture of innovation that allows people to create and share ideas easily and assess any scenarios that may arise in the future, says Matt Spry, strategy consultant and founder of Emergent. “Design small-scale experiments and projects to test your hypothesis and possible responses,” he says. “This will create deep insight and learning, and help you prioritise the changes you’ll need to make to your business to thrive in the future.”
To discover ways to create new business opportunities for your organisation, visit business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions
The post-pandemic productivity mirage
Working remotely during the pandemic didn’t make us any more productive – digital intensity just made it seem that way
As large parts of the US workforce transitioned from conventional, office-based work models to working from home last year, businesses grappled with the question of how the shift would affect productivity.
Initial insights into productivity after the WFH transition were optimistic. In a 2020 survey of business leaders and employees conducted by The Wharton School,[1] 82 per cent of those surveyed indicated that their teams maintained or exceeded pre-pandemic productivity levels: 39 per cent indicated that productivity remained at the same level as before the pandemic, 34 per cent reported that productivity was “somewhat higher,” and 10 per cent reported that productivity was “significantly higher.”
Similarly, a December survey by PwC[2] found that about half of employers (52 per cent) and a third (34 per cent) of employees working remotely reported higher rates of productivity than before the pandemic began. (It’s worth noting that the positive response rate to this question grew over time from June to December.)
These studies relied on self-reported data from employees and managers who were themselves in the thick of the WFO to WFH transition. More recent research suggests that this perceived increase in productivity was likely a mirage, brought about by increasingly hectic schedules, higher volumes of email, more frequent meetings and the reality of working amid the distractions of home life.
Busier doesn’t equal more productive
A recent report from the University of Chicago[3] compared productivity rates of 10,000+ workers prior to and after transitioning to a WFH model. The workers were employed by an IT services provider in Asia. Researchers collected data over a 17 month period, from April 2019 through August 2020, a timeframe that included the company’s transition from a WFO to WFH model that took place in March 2020.
The subjects of the study are described as “highly skilled and educated” professionals, who possess at least a bachelor’s degree in a field such as computer engineering or electronics. Subjects worked in the R&D department of their firm, performing jobs that demanded a “significant amount of cognitive work” related to the development of new software and hardware applications. Their jobs required the ability to think critically, solve complex problems and engage with a variety of stakeholders.
Rather than rely on self-reported data, the study used software to track worker activity. It was sophisticated enough to distinguish between actual work (engagement with relevant applications) versus idle time.
What the data tells us
Researchers found a 20 per cent decline in productivity when compared with WFO, as the total number of hours worked increased but workers’ total output remained constant. Put another way, workers needed more hours to complete the same amount of work. The data showed that “overall hours worked increased, including those after regular office hours.” These longer days likely played a role in shaping our perceptions of higher productivity.
The authors also suggest that a reduction in available focus time is what caused the decline in productivity. (The study defines focus time as a two-or-more-hour block of work time without any interruptions.) According to the study, employees have less focus time when working from home because they are spending more time attending meetings and writing emails. In fact, researchers found employees were sending 17 per cent more emails when working remotely when compared to WFO.
| 30% | The average increase in hours worked |
| 20% | Decrease in productivity (work output vs hours worked) |
| 18% | Increase in work occurring outside business hours |
| 17% | Increase in the number of emails sent |
Fragmented, not focused
A second study adds more detail to the relationship between remote work and available focus time. According to Microsoft’s 2021 Work Trend Index, one major hurdle for remote workers has been the increased “digital intensity” of the workday: longer, more frequent meetings and an increased reliance on chat and email have become the post-pandemic new normal for many remote workers.
Microsoft analysed usage of their Teams platform and found that workers are spending more than twice as much time in meetings as they did pre-pandemic. They also found that meeting times were averaging 10 minutes longer, and the number of unplanned or spontaneous meetings ramped up.
Beyond time spent in meetings, Microsoft observed that Teams users were sending 45 per cent more chat messages each week, and that chats sent after work hours increased by 42 per cent. One finding is particularly stunning: commercial and education customers of the Teams platform sent 40.6 billion more emails compared to the previous year.
Additional insights from the report paint a picture of a workforce that may be on the verge of burnout. Even though the number of emails and chats has increased, the average response time has remained unchanged. In other words, demands on workers’ attention have become even more relentless. They also found that 62 per cent of meetings and calls were being scheduled ad hoc, bringing additional disruption into the equation. Microsoft concludes that overall, most workers are exhausted and struggling to keep up.
Finding a path back to productivity
Recent research from both the University of Chicago and Microsoft suggests that remote work makes it more difficult for employees to maintain the same level of productivity as when they work in a conventional office setting. The reason productivity declines in a WFH environment is that managers and teams are compensating for the lack of in-person contact by increasing the number of meetings and other forms of communication that disrupt workers’ schedules and fragment their attention.
The shift to remote and hybrid work models is a major adjustment for most companies, and we are just now starting to see the kind of data that can help us (re)calibrate our strategies for fostering collaboration and communication outside the office. It is already clear that we need tools, processes, and approaches that can help our teams defragment and reclaim focus time whenever and wherever possible.
[1] Building Resilience & Maintaining Innovation in a Hybrid World. Microsoft & The Wharton School. 2020. Page 8.
[2] It’s time to reimagine where and how work will get done. PwC’s Remote Work Survey. Jan 12, 2021.
[3] Work from Home & Productivity: Evidence from Personnel & Analytics Data on IT Professionals. Gibbs, Mengel, Siemroth. Becker Friedman Institute for Economics. U of Chicago. May 2021.
Benjamin Babb
INDUSTRY VIEW FROM PIPEFY
Planning for a hybrid future
The new workforce trends transforming the way we work
Work is no longer simply a place you go; it’s something you do. The shift to hybrid work is likely to be the biggest permanent shift in work culture for an entire generation. With any change of this magnitude, there will be both challenges and opportunities. Hybrid itself is not a magic solution; there are complex factors to consider, and businesses face the challenge of planning and implementing strategies for a work-from-anywhere future.
Hybrid working is here to stay
While 2020 taught us many lessons, the pandemic-induced shift to remote working showed that with the right tools, we could be productive and enjoy the benefits. Flexibility and autonomy over the working day are now more important than financial reward for most workers, with research from Jabra revealing that 59 per cent of people now consider flexible working as the top benefit, ahead of salary. In the UK, 78 per cent also believe that a hybrid work model is more inclusive and will make employees feel more valued than a traditional 9-to-5 office structure.
The move towards hybrid working is driving demand for more collaboration solutions such as video conferencing, flexible hot-desking arrangements or dedicated collaboration spaces with whiteboards. Companies are now assessing how office space is utilised and whether current set-ups are still delivering real value.
To plan for a future of hybrid working, companies should aim to create the optimum environment for team collaboration. This means bridging the gap between staff in the office and those working from home, enabling everyone to be the most productive and get their best work done, wherever they are.
The role of the office is evolving and is no longer a place where employees need to be to do their jobs. However, the office still has a vital role for many: a place where engagement, socialising, meetings and onboarding new employees are more effective in person. The office is also seen as a social amenity that provides an environment where employees come together and collaborate, with independent working happening off-site.
Despite the growing preference for flexible working arrangements, only 25 per cent of UK employees think their organisation is prepared for hybrid working, according to Jabra’s research. A huge amount of work is still needed to reassure and listen to staff and to create agile teams that can work efficiently from anywhere.
More collaboration and the rise of video
As we continue to work in dispersed teams more than ever before, there is growing reliance on technology that offers greater flexibility. This could be something seemingly standard but essential such as headphones that are comfortable enough to wear for a long time, which can be used throughout the day in different situations: whether talking in the street, sitting in the office or listening to music at home.
Professional headsets such as the Jabra Evolve2 75 provide this flexibility and are engineered to enhance productivity and concentration. Active noise cancellation suppresses surrounding noise and eliminates distractions from busy environments on calls – ideal for hybrid working.
With the increasing need to collaborate with customers and colleagues remotely, video solutions are transforming the way we work. Meetings can now feel more natural and life-like, as if you’re in the same room. Video conferencing can enhance customer service and improve internal team collaboration by being more inclusive. This helps staff to feel motivated and engaged, and features such as video conferencing with a 180-degree field of view ensure that everyone is in the picture and can actively participate.
Proactive management with AI and analytics
As we navigate the move towards hybrid working, providing the right tools to communicate and collaborate is fundamental to maintain a positive culture, retain staff and attract the best talent.
Looking ahead, AI and big data will play an integral role in helping companies to manage teams and make informed decisions. Noisy environments provide a distraction, affect concentration and increase stress levels. Analytics provide invaluable insights so companies can take a proactive approach to troubleshooting and stay one step ahead. For example, intelligent software provides data from headsets that can help identify noisy surroundings. This enables users to not only monitor whether the customer experience is good but to also detect the well-being of staff. Changes can then be made to address issues such as noise or poor-quality audio on calls.
To add to this, video conferencing technology is now available that has the intelligence to monitor meeting room usage and capacity. Software generates anonymous room occupancy data, analysing previous meeting history and helping to optimise space and improve the utilisation of meeting rooms.
A hybrid way of working to future-proof your business
The future of work is being shaped by hybrid working, AI and the rise of intelligent video collaboration solutions.
A flexible working strategy combined with cutting-edge technology will enable businesses to be more productive, attract the best talent and drive growth. As the preferred model for the majority (68 per cent), hybrid work can offer employees the flexibility to better balance their time, while technology coupled with clear guidelines can address the major concerns with hybrid work models and lead to higher performing teams with a healthier work-life balance.
One key action that leaders can take right now is to have open conversations about hybrid work changes and employee well-being. This also means communicating clear principles and investing in seamless collaboration solutions, placing video at the heart. This drives greater inclusivity and teamwork and will enable companies to successfully prepare for a hybrid working future and the challenges that lie ahead.
Find out more with Jabra’s Hybrid Ways of Working: 2021 Global Report
INDUSTRY VIEW FROM JABRA
Video is replacing in-office interactions and reshaping the workday
You can probably release most of your office space – and equip your remote workers for success.
In March 2020, offices around the world abruptly shuttered. Workers grabbed their laptops and left en masse, not realising that in some cases they would never return.
Most businesses weren’t ready. Stressed out IT and HR staff had to quickly mobilise, shipping critical equipment (more laptops, video cameras and ergonomic chairs) out to homebound employees, trying their best to recreate secure office environments in spare bedrooms and kitchens.
18 months later, we’ve learned a lot.
We’ve learned that people can be quite productive in those spare bedrooms, if properly equipped. That most of that expensive office space is not really needed. And that video can be a good substitute for almost any kind of in-person interaction.
Videoconferencing has become the primary venue for work interactions
Even now, with Covid-related restrictions easing in many parts of the world, many companies are choosing to stay remote or at least offer employees the choice of remote or in-office work. This means videoconferencing remains the primary choice for work interactions. Companies are moving from equipping employees for videoconferencing to focusing on boosting engagement for video interactions, such as:
Encourage visibility: When everyone (or most of a team) is remote, visibility is crucial – people need to see each other. Phone, email or chat are great for quick questions, but longer conversations are best held via video conference, so people can see each other and feel more connected.
Focus on developing bonds within teams: In a remote-work world, people won’t run into each other in the corridor or canteen – you have to be deliberate about facilitating those bonds. Develop rituals, such as a Thursday afternoon office Happy Hour or Tuesday morning stand-up meeting, to help build and maintain relationships.
Keep management aligned: Pre-Covid, most companies organised periodic management offsites to discuss strategy. Now, companies are holding those sessions online, using video conferencing as a means to discuss and collaborate. It’s crucial to keep these going and maybe hold them more often than before (at Livestorm, we do it monthly), to ensure managers feel connected to and aligned with the company’s direction.
Keep people accountable: Keeping tabs on people when they are remote is definitely a challenge, and those who previously practised ‘management by walking around’ need a new approach. Task management apps such as Trello are becoming more important, as are product management apps that allow people to collaborate on product development from multiple locations. This technology enables managers (and teams) to focus on the same KPIs and gives visibility into progress.
Embrace asynchronous communications: When people are working remotely, and from different time zones, asynchronous communications are inevitable. While this isn’t new, it may be exacerbated right now, when many of your employees – freed to work from anywhere – have departed for new locales. Be sure to record live video conferencing sessions and make them available for later viewing in one space, available at all times and easily searchable – whether they are internal meetings or external ones such as product training, case studies or demos.
Look for ways to boost engagement for virtual events: In the past 15 months, we’ve seen almost every type of gathering move online, from sporting events to meetings and conventions. However, keeping virtual participants engaged is a challenge. In a Livestorm survey conducted in April 2021, 40 per cent of respondents reported experiencing attention and concentration difficulties when using video communication tools (with many admitting they tended to work on other things during video conferences). Increasingly, companies are starting to transition from video conferencing to video engagement platforms that have special features designed to boost engagement during their internal and external events, such as social sharing tools, polls, chats and emojis.
Do companies still need physical offices at all?
Many companies ask: do we still need our physical offices? Even if the answer is yes, your space could likely be reduced or change shape. At Livestorm, we currently have about 150 employees. Our headquarters has space for 30, and with most of our employees working remotely with occasional visits to the office, that is enough space for us. Rather than assigning desks, employees use an online calendar to reserve a spot for the day, and we have more lounge-type meeting and collaboration spaces than before, since most people who do come into the office are doing so for face time with team members. It feels more like a co-working space than a traditional office.
Because most of the staff are remote, and Livestorm has technology such as video conferencing and Slack in place, we are constantly connected – possibly more so than when we worked in individual cubicles and offices at our headquarters location, sometimes going hours or even the whole day without physical interaction with anyone else.
Before 2020, the Livestorm team was building software mostly targeted at marketers. We would help them organise their online events faster and boost engagement. But now, video has become an enabler to change the way we work – it is not the sole prerogative of marketers anymore. Whether it’s a board meeting, virtual selling or remote onboarding, the use cases for video engagement platforms have significantly increased. With the growing prevalence of remote or hybrid work environments, we’re now in a place where video engagement can provide value anywhere in the enterprise.
To explore this topic further, read Livestorm’s 2021 US Video Conferencing Trends Report
by Gilles Bertaux, Co-Founder and CEO, Livestorm
Six top tips for selling in the virtual world
Covid has led to all sorts of challenges and upheavals in the world of work – not least for sales professionals. Here are some ideas for getting the most out of the new normal…
In recent years, the way in which organisations approach sales has changed, with a greater emphasis on a consultative approach and building relationships. The days of cold-calling and pressured sales were already on the way out before Covid-19 struck, forcing a more virtual approach that relied more on softer skills.
“People who work in sales need to be able to sell in the hybrid world,” says Liz Sebag‑Montefiore, sales director at HR consultancy 10Eighty. “It’s important to think about how to communicate in hybrid business development meetings.”
The following pointers reveal what top sellers do differently, and they could help you to optimise your sales strategy for 2022.
1. Do your homework
Top sellers prepare for every engagement, setting a clear purpose with an expected outcome in mind, says Premal Patel, MD of retail marketing firm Catalina UK. “They also understand who the decision makers and the influencers are and apply different strategies for both,” he says. “Top sellers also don’t give up. Even when the process feels difficult or near impossible, they find a way to overcome the hurdles, maintain positivity and create the right impact to win the sale.”
2. Identify the need
It’s essential to understand the problem the client needs solving, says Mike Drew, partner and head of the technology and IT services practice at recruiter Odgers Berndtson. “They listen, adapt and bring together partners to deliver a holistic business solution, rather than just selling isolated services or products,” he says.
3. Build multiple relationships
In the current climate, with teams likely to be more physically disjointed, it’s likely any sale will involve different stakeholders. according to LinkedIn research, seven people are involved in the average B2B buying decision. “This means relationship-building between the salesperson and primary buyer is highly important, so that buyers don’t get lost in the sea of conversations,” says Iain Masson, RVP UK & Nordics. The most important skills today are empathy, focus and brevity, he adds.
Being able to work in a broader ecosystem of organisations is crucial, too. “Most organisations don’t just sell their own products or services, so one of the big drivers is how to manage and grow these partner ecosystems,” says John McLaughlin, chief commercial officer, human capital solutions, EMEA at Aon. “We’re seeing this moving down the ranks, with people thinking about it earlier in their careers.”
4. Challenge clients
Part of a more consultative selling approach means being prepared to ask tough or in-depth questions, says Pete Evans, UK practice partner of global sales development firm SalesStar. “To become a true partner, you have to be constantly challenging your client, continually adding value,” he says. “Clients are looking for partners and salespeople who truly understand business, not more friends.”
5. Social media
The pandemic has made it imperative to use social channels to engage potential buyers, says Michael Cupps, senior vice president, marketing, at software firm ActiveOps. “This is less about ‘look at me and my accomplishments’ and more about sharing information that will intrigue potential buyers to engage in a conversation,” he says. “They will then adapt to the right amount of in-person and digital engagement that allows the customer a mutual pace to evaluate and close.”
6. Stay on top of technology
Making use of the latest technology is a growing part of a successful salesperson’s toolkit. “Today, artificial intelligence and machine learning can help analyse an organisation’s lead prioritisation and opportunity-to-close-won scoring, and ideal customer profile alignment,” says Craig Charlton, CEO at SugarCRM.
“That enables them to understand which businesses are similar to other businesses in their customer base, and the attributes that make these customers the best and most profitable.”
To discover ways to create new business opportunities for your organisation, visit business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions
INDUSTRY VIEW FROM LINKEDIN SALES SOLUTIONS
People-Powered EdTech: How Learnlight can enable change for your teams and beyond
Change is a constant in our professional lives. Do your teams have the right skills to manage it in a changing work landscape?
The magnitude and speed of change over the past two years, as we adapted to working from home, lockdown rules and other disruptions caused by the pandemic, led many to re-examine how – and often where – they lived and worked. For many companies, it accelerated the digital transformation of corporate learning, and challenged their methods of training delivery, analytics and retaining teams.
Why upskilling is critical for the future of work
The “Great Resignation” is hugely impacting companies. In the UK alone, 48 per cent of men and 45 per cent of women intend to quit within six to 12 months – compared with pre-pandemic figures of 27.5 per cent. In LinkedIn’s global 2021 Workplace Learning Report earlier this year, 59 per cent of learning and development (L&D) professionals put upskilling and reskilling at the top of their priorities.
Staff retention and engagement is becoming increasingly important, with HR, L&D and talent leaders needing to re-evaluate and swiftly implement strategies to retain their talent. Salary increases, bonuses and other incentives are attractive, but they aren't as sustainable or personal as professional development. By offering language, intercultural and communications skills, companies are investing in their employees, who in return are investing in their futures.
Learnlight has offered blended learning solutions for corporate training to employees in more than 180 countries for almost 15 years. Our award-winning and innovative platform, paired with our Learnlight Empowerment MethodologyTM, facilitates change, empowers teams and drives innovation within organisations. Learners get to choose how to learn, where from and at what time. It's that simple, thanks to a combination of digital self-study, virtual sessions and activities.
A sustainable step forward for all
The UN launched its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, defining 17 primary goals within its “plan of action for people, planet and prosperity”. The plan clearly illustrates how technology drives change. Training your teams virtually is not just convenient and more likely to engage learners thanks to flexibility and personalisation, it also benefits the planet. Consider the number of employees working in an office, and the associated costs: commuting there, heating and cooling systems, materials that need printing, and more. With more people staying at home last year, household greenhouse gas emissions dropped by 10 per cent.
The talent pool is broader than ever before, with candidates in less popular destinations being equally considered for open positions. Virtual and digital training bridges gaps in diversity, contributing to an inclusive workplace. Employees have a fairer chance of career development and progression as a result of learning, irrespective of their location, time zone or language.
Learnlight is one company that can help businesses transition to a more diverse way of working. “We help companies unlock the true power of their diverse talent providing them with the language and intercultural training they need to ensure everyone has an equal voice,” says Benjamin Joseph, Learnlight Co-Founder and CEO.
Look at your leaders
When reviewing influence in your company, your people managers are the ones that heavily shape change and help foster company culture and brand values. By aligning your training goals with your core values and business objectives, you create and maintain the right working environment where teams can achieve greater job satisfaction.
As companies evolve to more diverse workforces, the need for intercultural understanding and communication skills becomes critical for business. Miscommunication and misunderstanding can lead to poor performance, lack of motivation and toxic work culture. We equip leaders with the right skills to help teams thrive.
Learnlight puts the needs of your employees front and centre. Doing so not only champions change and innovation but drives growth.
Ready to start? Request a demo here.
Find out more at www.learnlight.com
by Charleen Parkes, Head of Marketing, Learnlight
INDUSTRY VIEW FROM LEARNLIGHT
Getting your remote employees cyber-secure at home
How quickly times can change. At the beginning of the year, home working was something that many people had heard about, but relatively few had practised. Now it has become routine for the majority and, interestingly, many organisations have found that it has worked surprisingly well.
One of the key enablers, of course, has been the increased availability of IT devices and broader internet connectivity. In fact, the collective investment in technology and infrastructure over the past few years has enabled a relatively smooth transition to remote working. That said, the need for security and protection has never been greater, and perhaps unsurprisingly, it did not take long for certain vulnerabilities to show. This year saw an increase in worldwide phishing threats and other cyber-attacks from nefarious actors seeking to take advantage of the pandemic. At the height of the global lockdown period, it was reported that more than 100 million phishing emails were being blocked every day, with a fifth of those being scam emails related to coronavirus.[1]
The truth is, working from home doesn’t always have to pose such a grave cyber-security risk. It can be a secure, seamless transition from office-based work if organisations are fully prepared for it. The question is whether they have actively done so, or simply assumed that staff already use technology at home, and know how to protect themselves.
While there are plenty of opportunities for people to be protected and improve their IT security awareness, this may not translate so well into practice. Being threat-aware is not the same as being cyber-security literate. In other words, identifying a threat does not necessarily mean that someone knows how to handle it or provide a resolution. Similarly, the fact that safeguards are available does not mean they will always be used effectively. Too often, people handle security badly by default, such as choosing weak passwords or failing to install important updates. The guidance is out there if we look for it, but it's questionable whether staff are actively supported or encouraged to do so.
A good insight into the preparedness of organisations comes from the latest Cyber Security Breaches Survey from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS).[2] Though published at the beginning of the lockdown in late March, the fieldwork for the survey was conducted at the end of 2019. As such, it provides true insight into the measures that organisations had taken as standard, and how they were positioned ahead of the pandemic.
The survey explores the extent to which organisations have addressed the recommendations in the National Cyber Security Centre’s 10 Steps to Cyber Security. These span a variety of technical and organisational measures, but in terms of readiness to switch to remote working, the most interesting steps are those relating to “user education and awareness”, and “home and mobile working”. The former relates to the percentage of businesses that have user-facing policies on acceptable and secure use of systems, while the latter refers to having established clear policies on working outside of the workplace. In both cases, one would hope that organisations already promoted policies and awareness. However, in the vast majority of cases, most organisations do not cover the steps in the first place. The 2020 results suggest that just a third have addressed user education and awareness and only a quarter cover home and mobile working. Based on these findings, it seems rather unlikely that staff will have been fully prepared for the shift to remote working.
In some cases, working from home can lead to complacency as staff are more inclined to be vigilant when operating in work environment. Now in the comfort of their homes, some may feel more relaxed and less likely to focus on the cyber-security policies of the workplace. In fact, many people may be working remotely on their own devices, therefore, there is no guarantee that they will have configured them appropriately or installed the necessary security software. Conversely, if staff are using work devices, they need to be able adhere to security policies and be clear on the bounds of permitted use. In the future, businesses must make specific provision for the cyber-security of home workers, if they are to minimise any potential threats or vulnerabilities.
With remote working proving successful for many, we may see a situation where businesses explore increasingly flexible work options in the future. While some may have learned from recent experience, if remote working is to continue in a meaningful way, there needs to be greater awareness of the cyber security measures that support it. Home workers must be fully prepared, in terms of the technology used to protect devices and the knowledge and skills to better protect themselves.
INDUSTRY VIEW FROM INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS
Steven Furnell is a Professor of Cyber Security in the School of Computer Science at the University of Nottingham. His research interests include the usability of security technology, security management and culture, cyber-crime and abuse, and technologies for user authentication and intrusion detection. He has authored more than 330 papers in refereed international journals and conference proceedings, as well as books, including Cybercrime: Vandalising the Information Society and Computer Insecurity: Risking the System.
Professor Furnell is also the Chair of Technical Committee 11 (security and privacy) within the International Federation for Information Processing, and a board member of the Chartered Institute of Information Security.
To find out more on the topic of home working and cyber-security, please click here.
For the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport’s (DCMS) full Cyber Security Breaches Survey, please click here.
[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-52319093
[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2020/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2020
The future of work is projects
More businesses are switching on to the power of projects to drive and deliver social and economic benefits. Applying project-led approaches to business-as-usual activity is helping organisations succeed.
The project profession adds £156.5 bn of gross value to the UK economy each year, analysis by Association for Project Management (APM) and PwC Research has found – more than construction, financial services, accommodation and food, and entertainment and recreation. In the past few months, it has also been reported that a project management shortage could cost the global economy $345 billion by 2030, with Europe among the most heavily impacted areas.
The economic value of projects is clear, yet many businesses have historically failed to give their project experts sufficient voice at a strategic level. This is more important than ever at a time when all organisations face common challenges of unprecedented scale. The climate emergency, the global pandemic and the post-Brexit operating environment have created a perfect storm for businesses when it comes to planning their medium and long-term strategies.
Against this complex and shifting backdrop, the rise in the “projectification” of work – applying project management methods and practices to routine tasks – is emerging as a path to social and economic success. Project management methods are being adopted more widely in business. There’s also growing awareness at management and leadership level of the “accidental project manager”: professionals who aren’t officially tasked with managing projects but who do so without necessarily realising it.
Approaches and methods that have long been used only by project specialists are proving their value and finding widespread adoption across numerous sectors. The future of work is projects.
In some ways, this should come as little surprise. Project management is, after all, about delivering in the face of change, or delivering change itself. This is no longer a niche requirement and more business leaders are acknowledging the value of applying project-led approaches more broadly. Understanding of what constitutes a project is also changing. More employees in a wide variety of business
functions are evaluating their work in terms of projects rather than “tasks”, with outputs, outcomes or benefits del ivered in line with agreed acceptance criteria, timescales and budgets.
Leaders who are considering a more project-led approach, or who are in the early stages of implementing one, should bear the following in mind:
- Allow projects the time they need. Establish a framework that will ensure employees take the time to gather and analyse business requirements of any project they’re working on. The key benefits and drivers must be understood, along with the delivery methods. This can be challenging in environments where projects are likely to have tight deadlines, so it’s important to ensure that managers don’t apply excessive pressure to embark on the project without a clear idea of the requirements, the business objectives and the benefits. Without these, any project risks wasting time and effort.
- Incorporate project management and delivery at board level. As organisations grow their portfolios of projects, there should be a seat at the top table for those responsible for delivering them. This may take the form of a chief project officer (CPO). Bringing more project management experience into the boardroom will ensure that projects form a critical part of strategic development – essential in today’s fast-changing environment. This view is reflected in the views of the project profession itself. APM’s latest Salary and Market Trends Survey asked respondents what they felt was the most important validation of their work. The results showed that having a voice at the table when it comes to defining their organisation’s strategy is most valued.
- Have control of your controls. In larger organisations, collecting actual costs and collating them in a format to allow comparison with project budgets may be handled by a dedicated team. In small and medium enterprises, the person leading the project might have to become involved in this process, so training may be required to help them minimise costs from outset and identify areas of overspend.
As projects move the business closer from present state to desired future state, upskilling staff and consolidating project knowledge will be vital. There are opportunities for employers to incorporate successful project delivery as an integral part of business strategy and invest in structures, training and qualifications for project specialists and accidental project managers alike.
Larger organisations may wish to consider establishing a dedicated project, programme or portfolio management office (PMO). PMOs contribute directly to performance improvements in productivity, customer satisfaction, projects under budget and ahead of schedule, and cost savings. High-performing companies have more capable PMOs and those who can afford to invest in their growth and development should do so. In smaller organisations where resources may be limited, it may not be feasible to establish a PMO. Instead, SME leaders should promote training that focuses on risk management, change management, time management, and communication and interpersonal skills.
As the chartered body for the project profession, APM recognises the need to support the skills that go beyond project management process alone and are fundamental to success. My advice to business leaders and employers is to establish an approach to learning and development that creates a progressive structure for project experts to enhance their competency and, ultimately, their outcomes. A formalised approach to learning will establish a common language, embed best practice across business functions and set a consistent benchmark for defining project success.
In a changing and challenging world, the project profession has never been more important. While the environment for delivery is complex, it’s clear that projects represent the future of work.
APM offers a range of qualifications and training to support the future of your business. Visit www.apm.org.uk/qualifications-and-training.
Professor Adam Boddison
INDUSTRY VIEW FROM APM
People before profit: why company culture matters
Your company culture has the power to set you apart from the competition, and it can do miracles for your team.
If these past couple of years have taught businesses anything, it’s been the importance of a healthy and authentic company culture. After all, it’s what has kept teams together as they worked from their kitchen tables and Zoomed in to every meeting.
But what exactly is workplace culture? It’s the character and personality of your organisation, made up of your people’s values, beliefs and traditions. It’s ultimately what brings your company to life, and together. Culture is reflected in just about everything at work: be that the office setup, employee benefits, hiring decisions, leadership or even working hours.
But a healthy culture doesn’t just happen. It needs to be nurtured and invested in, continually. And we don’t mean just buying the office a ping pong table.
So what are the benefits of an authentic company culture?
Your company culture has the power to set your business apart from the competition. Not only can it attract clients looking to work with a business with aligning values, it can do miracles for your team, too.
Here’s what a good company culture can do for your business:
Attracting new talent
As more and more companies bounce back after the lockdowns, the competition for talent is higher than ever. Today, hiring isn’t just about what you offer, be that the number of personal days offered or the possibility of free lunch. It’s now more about what you stand for as a company, and how you do business.
According to Glassdoor’s 2019 Mission and Culture survey, 77 per cent of respondents said they would “consider a company's culture” before applying. Meanwhile, 56 per cent said they found a good workplace culture to be "more important than salary" when it came to job satisfaction.
To top this, a survey by the Society or Human Resources Management (SHRM) found that company culture was the number one reason why people picked one job over another – proving it pays to invest in your culture.
Retaining your talent
Your company culture doesn’t just help attract new talent. It plays a crucial role in retaining your talent too. In fact, the same Glassdoor report found that 65 per cent of respondents said their company's culture was the main reason for staying at their current job.
And retention pays off – a loyal workforce will enhance your culture even more, as they’ll effectively act as brand ambassadors of your company.
And it doesn’t stop there… good retention rates are good news for your finances too. A study by Oxford Economics and Unum found that the average cost of employing someone earning £25,000 a year or more is £30,614 – and it takes 42 days to fill that position, according to Glassdoor.
Business performance
It’s been proven time and again that companies with healthy, authentic cultures are profitable. A recent report by Forbes found that businesses that put culture first saw a fourfold increase in revenue growth.
So what’s the connection? When a company culture is strong, teams work together in harmony towards one common goal. More often than not, everyone is driven, motivated and productive and will ultimately make better decisions and resolve issues much faster.
Looking Forward
There’s so much more a good company culture can do for your business, too, which is why Pleo is bringing together the industry's brightest minds at our free digital summit, Forward.
On 9 December, I’ll be joined by more than 25 speakers from all over the globe, who will share their lessons learned, discuss their people-centric initiatives and tell the honest truth about authentic leadership, and what it takes to build a future-proof culture.
Our agenda is jam-packed with sessions and discussions exploring pressing topics such as mental health, diversity inclusion and equality, while also reflecting on product innovation, and how businesses can build better solutions to support the future workforce.
If you’re looking to hear more about the importance of company culture, and how to build it, we’d love for you to join us.