Archive for category flat world

In a flat world, each individual must become responsible for his or her own career development, and not rely on an organization to groom them for success. The grooming must come from within. Why? Because as work becomes more project-oriented, the boss-worker relationship is becoming blurred. Teams are staffed and reallocated for each project. Permanent teams are being replaced by ad hoc project teams (the Hollywood Model).

So, just as we did as kids, when team captains would take turns  picking the best players from the group, managers pick the best "players" for their teams for each new project. Individuals have to get smart about being the best possible players for the teams they want to play on. (See also our "Seven Survival Skills for the Flat World.")

An article currently featured on BNET is entitled "How to Win at Office Politics." Kelly Pate Dwyer writes that office politics are not inherently evil, but are "simply about getting from here to there: securing a promotion, seeing an idea come to fruition, or gaining support to make an organizational change." These are certainly important skills for thriving in a flat world.

I recommend the entire article, but here are the five steps Dwyer describes in the article, which is filled with lots of helpful ideas and tips:

• Figure out why (and if) you want to play
• Create strong relationships
• Observe and listen
• Promote yourself, tactfully
• Help your colleagues

These are more excellent suggestions on how to survive in a flat world.

Here is another example of what we talked about at the Tenrox User Conference in September. Just last week, Workforce Management (www.workforce.com) reported on a Manpower study that says that 61% of the "Gen Y" workforce plans to stay in its first jobs for less than 3 years.

Here’s an excerpt from "Retaining Young Talent Won’t Be Easy," (or read the entire article here).

“There is a definite shift in mind-set taking place among employees,” says Shelly Funderburg, a regional practice leader for the Philadelphia-based talent training consultancy. “We are transitioning from a worker mentality of ‘Show me a reason to leave a company’—where people remained at their jobs for a long time—versus ‘Show me a reason to stay.’ ”
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“Companies are going to have to put themselves in the shoes of Gen Y’ers so they can create programs that resonate with them,” she notes of the most recent wave of people joining the workforce.
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“This is a young group of people that is driven and very eager to advance professionally,” Funderburg says.

Companies should delineate career paths for entry-level positions, she says, so these young workers won’t feel as if they’re stuck in a rut. She also recommends offering ample training and skills-development initiatives.

Gen Y’ers also are drawn to an employer that offers a positive work/life balance, the survey reveals.

“Work/life balance is not only for being able to spend time with a family,” Funderburg says. “This demographic wants time to pursue personal passions, whether it’s volunteering for an animal shelter or setting up a rock band.”

It sounds to me like Project Workforce Management is a great way to engage Gen Y’ers in their work and not "stuck in a rut." Project-driven organizations will give younger workers the projects they can get excited about, the variety they seek, the flexibility to balance work and "real life," and the ability to build skills and visualize their project paths (instead of the traditonal "career" path).

I was first distressed, then inspired, to read this post from Joe Wynne, on his "Eye on the Workforce" blog on Gantthead.com, that middle managers are getting frustrated and leaving their jobs. Wynne points to a USAToday story on about middle managers, and states, "That’s what you are if you are a project manager – between a rock and a hard place."

The USAToday story quotes these statistics:

Just four in 10 managers are extremely or very satisfied working for their employers, according to a 2007 survey of more than 1,400 respondents by Accenture, a management consulting and outsourcing company. About 25% of those looking for new jobs said they were searching because of a lack of advancement prospects, and 43% of middle managers polled felt as if they were doing all the work but not getting credit for it. One-third reported frustration with their work-life
balance.

It is distressing that the project managers of the world may not be getting the credit, and therefore the job satisfaction, they deserve. This distresses me because I see a world where Project Manager is a hot title, because the role of Project Workforce Manager must become more critical in a flat world.

I was inspired by Wynne’s advice:

If middle managers are not getting any respect I your organization, move on. But only move on to another organization that supports middle managers. If there are fewer and fewer middle managers, and you get extra training and development in that area, then you can quickly become a hot commodity! Start your research now.

Employers who don’t make the Project Workforce Manager’s title a hot one, through respect and good compensation, should get what they deserve–inferior Project Workforce Managers. On the other hand, the employers who understand the value of managers who can manage remote teams, match talent to tasks, and make work happen smoothly should not be afraid to seek employment where they will get the most for their abilities.