Every Friday, we prepare for you a short digest with news covering subjects related to employee engagement, collaboration, organizational culture, knowledge sharing, leadership and the future of work.
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Here’s this week’s brief:
“Young workers who combine knowledge…
…with an ability to collaborate across different disciplines are in high demand. These so-called “T-shaped professionals” are in high demand for their ability to solve problems, lead teams, innovate, build relationships and strengthen their organisations. In this context, the vertical stroke of the T represents the disciplinary specialisation and the deep understanding of one or more specific areas. The defining characteristic, however, is the horizontal bar, which represents broader generic attributes and the ability to collaborate across a variety of different disciplines. The critical skills most frequently identified by employers as important are in the areas of communications, teamwork ability, critical thinking, leadership, empathy, cultural awareness, creativity and innovation.” Read Brian MacCraith’s Why we need more T-shaped graduates article.
“Collaboration is crucial: Team-working is…
…the new normal both locally and globally. Thirty-five per cent of survey respondents believe work will require co-ordination between more people across multiple functions. Gaining new technology skills is the best way to advance professional goals: In the face of increased automation and technological advances, all organisational functions recognise the need to keep learning. Technology is already disrupting the workplace. Forward-looking organisations are deploying big data, analytics software and cloud-enabled collaborative applications to improve efficiency, introduce new business models and deliver more customer-centric products and services. They are moving towards team-working and hiring experts for specific requirements. It is encouraging that about half of respondents in the survey included in the report ‘Changing roles: How technology is transforming business functions’, written by The Economist Intelligence Unit say that technology is letting them do more in less time and work more flexibly. And it is also good news that most executives feel successful, fulfilled and optimistic about work.” Read Technology is transforming business by Times Of Malta.
“Build collaboration into your culture…
…The culture of a company influences the success of collaborative leadership. When leaders do not mindfully promote a commitment toward participation throughout an organization they are often ineffective in collaboration. Companies that foster collaborative cultures also encourage valuing the greater good of the organization over personal gains, explained Entrepreneur. This type of leadership lends itself to fresh ideas throughout the company and helps employees to feel directly responsible for business outcomes – good or bad. This kind of accountability can do wonders for productivity and overall company-wide efforts. The consequences of failing to adapt to a collaborative leadership style are far-reaching. In fact, in can cause problems with business efficiency, company morale and overall culture, according to Forbes. Leaders need to make a conscious effort to knock down any pre-existing departmental barriers and allow for collaboration to persist throughout the organization. Now more than ever, leaders must learn to familiarize themselves with the transforming workplace due to the large numbers of younger workers entering the workforce. Collaboration is no longer a recommendation – it’s a demand.”. Read Conforming to a culture of collaborative leadership by Situation Management Systems.
Digital transformation is reshaping the…
…workplace. Today’s workforce desires social collaboration and communication akin to how they operate in their personal lives. HR has traditionally been hesitant to embrace social technologies because of the misconception that social decreases employee productivity, as Lisa Rowan, research vice president of HR and talent management services at IDC, recently commented. The real value of social collaboration exists in its ability to break down traditional barriers, such as between departments and employees. It creates buzz about initiatives, builds company culture and allows insights from one department to inform the activities of another. In truly digital organizations, social collaboration will shine as companies realize the business gains of making insights and data accessible for all. They even help cut down on the volume of emails sent between co-workers — a crusade for nearly every business. Read Digital transformation and HR’s changing role by Charles Ashworth for Diginomica.
“It is important for leaders to encourage…
…collaboration across different business departments,” Charles Ashworth, VP of employee success at FinancialForce said. “But this must be done under the right conditions – virtual collaboration can become an obstacle if the company culture doesn’t promote collaboration. Transparency and collaboration starts at executive level. The culture in the company should reflect the values and ambitions of the leadership team as well as the company.”. He added that it is important to invest in and support employee relationships, as well as encourage consistent interactions between leaders and colleagues. “Leaders need to work together across their own departments – a collaborative nature trickles down through the company. It also helps to support informal communications and purposeful conversations throughout the organization.”. Maintaining a positive company culture is vital – particularly in today’s ever-changing world of work. Employers cannot facilitate change without establishing a culture to suit a diverse workforce. Read Three keys to creating a positive culture by NZ Adviser.
Happy Knowledge Sharing!
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