Next Generation

Here is a concise - and I believe very accurate - picture of how organizations (Enterprises) will be effected by the generation now emerging from high school and college.  These same impacts will be felt by school districts both from the perspective of a young teaching force as well as students undergoing continuous transformations centered on new and yet-to-emerge technologies.

The Next Generation Collaborative Enterprise

Now picture this. Priorities are set by clusters of experts that make decisions. Decisions are communicated real-time through social media applications. Work is shared on a secure collaboration technology platform. Individuals are able to apply themselves to the work based on their skills and availability, regardless of their geographic location. Expertise outside the Enterprise is included ‘on-demand’ to bring necessary knowledge to bear. Funding is directed based on milestones. Direct accountability is embedded into the social network. Finally, organizational functions become less relevant and ‘Re-orgs’ become obsolete. Leadership is defined as the ability to influence, envision and execute ― rather than the authority to command and control.

...it is important to point out that collaboration must not be confused with consensus or teamwork. Collaboration does not mean everyone must agree before any decision is made. Nor does it suggest that there is no room for individual creativity. Quite the contrary! Collaboration encourages clusters of experts with diverse skills to make decisions quickly.

From a technology perspective, the enterprise collaboration platform must make it easy for an individual to access and share information with other experts. This collaboration technology architecture incorporates mobility, security, synchronous and asynchronous communication, personalization, community, team spaces, borderless networks, and rich interactions ― and we will likely create additional functionality that will evolve over time.

The characteristics of this next-generation workforce include:

• greater importance on an individual’s visibility and reputation;
• schedules that occur any where and at any time based on working moments;
• rewards and compensation based on value of contribution and expertise;
• managers who act as coaches to ensure the right skills and resources are applied to the right priorities;
• communications that use richer mediums, are multi-lingual and require new behaviors; and
• organizations that are formed based on business priorities and are staffed from a global marketplace of talent.

Posted by Padmasree Warrior