January 2012 Newsletter

January, 2012

Research Points to ‘Meaning’ at Work Being a Stronger Incentive than Money

My colleagues and I work with corporate executives to help them embrace a new and different, but rather paradoxical business model – one that depends on people working collaboratively while nourishing a diverse workforce of individual contributors.

We see that successful leaders have two goals in common: 1) Embracing individuals’ diversity and 2) finding a tie that binds the individuals together as a group. These are critical components to the success of many of today’s organizations.

Sounds difficult doesn’t it? In fact it sounds contradictory.

In an article recently published in Diversity Executive Magazine, I explain in detail why this strategy is necessary and how corporate leaders can be successful. It starts with acknowledging that ‘meaning’ is essential in today's workplace. Under old industrial models, money was the motivating tie that bound members of the organization together. But not anymore!

Today, clear company values, translated into the day-to-day work experience, are strong drivers of an engaged workforce — a workforce primed for successful knowledge work.

Corporate leaders need to answer these questions: What does it mean to work here? What are the unique experiences I can offer my employees? How do I create ways to amplify and extend a meaningful experience to all employees?

Enjoy reading my article in Diversity Executive Magazine, “Meaning is the New Money”.

Are you seeing the trend of meaning being the primary work incentive? We would love to hear your experiences on this subject on our Facebook page.

Warm wishes,

Tammy

Big News: Tammy Erickson Associates

Organizations are changing, developing new insights, and leveraging fresh ideas into new business practices. Very different businesses are emerging, harnessing individual contributions and every unit of knowledge.

Working with organizations as leaders negotiate these changes has been incredibly rewarding for me over the past several years.

That's why I am excited to announce Tammy Erickson Associates (TEA), a new company that will allow me to expand and amplify my work on the influence of new technology, shifting workforce values, and multi-generational dynamics faced by today's organizations.

Together with my colleagues -- thought leaders and senior business leaders -- we will develop unique insights into the challenges facing businesses today, work in partnership with you to disseminate and leverage new ideas within your organization, and offer a specific set of hands-on services to help you re-shape your most important organizational practices.

TEA services include:

• Insight for the Intelligent Organization -- a unique membership-based program that combines original research on important issues that are critical to business success and personalized custom delivery that ensures that the results of work are disseminated and new ideas applied throughout organizations for buy-in and goal achievement. Member companies receive access to all-member events and collaboration platforms.

2012 Sneak Peak:

• Reshaping organizations – the impact of mobility and the possibilities for new ways of working.
• Management practices that drive new behavior – social learning, performance management, and collective intelligence
• New motivations and work preferences – the impact of Boomers working longer, the powerful influence of the new generation poised to enter the workforce (and dominate the consumer market), and workers who are contingent by choice.

• Advisory Services -- Custom executive education, coaching and consulting that help organizations identify invalid management and organizational practices and re-design these outdated practices. In addition, TEA offers concentrated coaching to help corporate leaders create new, current day approaches designed to connect discretionary effort, capitalize on the rich network of employee relationships, and share complex knowledge, while embracing a new generation of emerging leaders, the presence of digital natives in the workforce, and growing workforce globalization.

Coming Soon: Facilitate Your Own Workshops

Would you like to deliver one of Tammy's popular workshops to a group within your organization?

If so, we have good news: you can now purchase everything you need -- including a Facilitator’s Guide and accompanying Slide Deck, as well as our proprietary workshop materials -- to deliver three of Tammy's most popular workshops:

• What Are they Thinking: You may be seeing the signs of a generational clash in your organization. Understand generational diversity and turn a potential clash into constructive relationships. This workshop is appropriate for everyone who wants to learn more about generations in the workplace.
• What Does It Mean To Work Here: Engaging employees is not about copying another corporation’s best practices. It’s about digging deep to identify what’s uniquely important to your organization and translating that into tangible elements of every employee’s day-to-day reality. This workshop is appropriate for everyone who wants to learn more about engagement.
• A Values-Based Employee Experience: Crafting Our Unique Signature: One of the most powerful approaches to strengthen meaning in the workplace is the creation of Signature Experiences – highly visible, distinctive elements of the employees’ experience that encourage self-selection, leading to higher levels of engagement and retention. This workshop will help your organization develop a cohesive, integrated Values-Based Employee Experience, highlighted by one or more Signature Experiences.

Ask Tammy

A reader asks: Which global companies are using successful strategies to manage their Generation Y employees?

Tammy's response: I work with a number of global organizations that are trying hard to develop generationally-sensitive approaches for employees around the world, although most would be quick to say that they’ve still got work to do.

In particular, IBM has implemented a number of interesting practices. They have legitimized virtual work—a practice that appeals to many, but particularly to Gen Y’s. They train leaders in generational sensitivity—how to recognize and respond to legitimate differences among the generations. And their staffing approach encourages teams to tap into the best qualified person for the job—regardless of the individual’s seniority or location.

Here’s a quick re-cap of some of the Y-friendly practices I think are most helpful: Read more...

Guide to Getting the Mentoring You Need

Hot-Off-The-Press from the HBR On Point Collection

In this booklet, Tammy and other experts give advice and perspectives on the importance of mentoring. Every successful person credits a mentor somewhere along the way. We all need help climbing the career ladder. In today's extremely competitive world, it will take you twice as long to reach your career goals without a mentor, if you reach them at all. Unlike the old days, you can't wait for fate to put mentors in your path. The Guide to Getting the Mentoring You Need is a good place to start.

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