JWI 520, People Management, Week10 Summary, 9/9/12
This was another excellent week with many insights coming from the lecture and the DQ discussions.
I learned about work force trends that made me think and question my assumptions about work/life balance.
Key take aways:
1. Workforce is constantly changing
Key forces that affect work are technology, globalization, knowledge based economy. Managers need to understand the trends and shape the world of work, rather than waiting for things to happen.
2. Key work place trends are:
Workplace is everywhere - 9-5 is gone; firms are downsizing office spaces; Workers are at their desks only 40% of the day; temporary office spaces - hoteling and hot desks inclusive - are increasingly common; technology enables work anywhere and anytime.
Workforce is becoming diverse - sex, race, citizenship and generational differences are key diversity factors
Career paths are nonlinear - flatter hierarchies, expanded spans of control
New competencies are required - Knowledge work more valuable than traditional transactional jobs. Most successful knowledge workers have a questing disposition - seeing problems as opportunities to learn and solve problems, and a connecting disposition - they connect with others who can help them get better faster
Social technologies help connect and amplify knowledge exchange - everybody is in the game with "activity streams"
3. Work/Life balance is going through change
While ideally, work must fit into life, more often than not it is a struggle to fit life into a work dominated culture. Work/Life balance needs to be redefined especially in the context of global competition where 24x7 operation is the norm. Additionally, CEOs notoriously work 18 hour days for years and sacrifice family life in the process. For those of us aspiring to lead our own organizations at some point, we can now make informed decisions.
Dr DP
This was another excellent week with many insights coming from the lecture and the DQ discussions.
I learned about work force trends that made me think and question my assumptions about work/life balance.
Key take aways:
1. Workforce is constantly changing
Key forces that affect work are technology, globalization, knowledge based economy. Managers need to understand the trends and shape the world of work, rather than waiting for things to happen.
2. Key work place trends are:
Workplace is everywhere - 9-5 is gone; firms are downsizing office spaces; Workers are at their desks only 40% of the day; temporary office spaces - hoteling and hot desks inclusive - are increasingly common; technology enables work anywhere and anytime.
Workforce is becoming diverse - sex, race, citizenship and generational differences are key diversity factors
Career paths are nonlinear - flatter hierarchies, expanded spans of control
New competencies are required - Knowledge work more valuable than traditional transactional jobs. Most successful knowledge workers have a questing disposition - seeing problems as opportunities to learn and solve problems, and a connecting disposition - they connect with others who can help them get better faster
Social technologies help connect and amplify knowledge exchange - everybody is in the game with "activity streams"
3. Work/Life balance is going through change
While ideally, work must fit into life, more often than not it is a struggle to fit life into a work dominated culture. Work/Life balance needs to be redefined especially in the context of global competition where 24x7 operation is the norm. Additionally, CEOs notoriously work 18 hour days for years and sacrifice family life in the process. For those of us aspiring to lead our own organizations at some point, we can now make informed decisions.
Dr DP
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