KNOWLEDGESTREAM AT-A-GLANCE
Developing a Skilled Workforce for the Modern Age of Innovation and Change
ABSTRACT
Innovation in enterprises is outpacing the ability for workers to learn and adapt to new skills required to be competitive. In this panel, we will explore, re-skilling the workforce for a fast pace, modern age of innovation and change.
PARTICIPANTS
OBJECTIVES
1. Understand the underlying trends fueling this need: Distill relevant trends and factors and identify relevant examples.
2. Identify the critical elements to any successful solution: Identify the range of needed capabilities and understand the feasibility of each.
3. Explore emerging solutions--analog or digital: Create a capability roadmap priority of importance and feasibility.
4. Gain feedback on prototypes: Share various prototypes for feedback and insights
End Date: Jun 22, 2018
CONTRIBUTIONS
ACTIVITY
73 Days
6 Themes
26 Contributors
653 Posts
251 Comments
328 Followers
OUTPUTS
4 Slide Deck
1 Video
THEME #1
What are the trends and drivers impacting the workforce? Does it differ between skilled/unskilled la
THEME SUMMARY
People are redefining careers and what success looks like
- Millenials (and others) are placing more emphasis on happiness and fulfillment
- Loyalty between employers and employees continues to decline
- The gig economy is offering alternatives to traditional full-time employement
Employers will have to adapt to what the workforce values
The younger generation is not looking for the same things from work -- and they are much more driven by an end state of happiness (not stability). Many are not thinking about a "career" in the way most of us do. Many have no problem jumping from job to job or industry to industry. They look at is as a way to collect experiences that ultimately will enrich them. AÂ study by Intuit predicted that by 2020, 40 percent of American workers would be independent contractors. This shift has tremendous impact on companies who will need to adapt to this new workforce, not the other way around -- or risk being left behind. This means thinking in terms of creating meaningful experiences for employees, challenging them in different ways, providing training, incentivizing them differently, accommodating flexibility and being receptive to feedback.
Work environment - From flexible work hours to working from home to immersive work environments that include on-premise restaurants, napping pods, daycare, workout facilities, open and naturally lit working spaces, and more, today's work environments have non-traditional (the new tradition?) environments that can make work more pleasant if not productive. Not all environments have these features, of course, but more office spaces, especially newer ones, are incorporating some of these concepts.
A premium will be place on developing skills and experiences
Employees in the survey also shared their top 3 development goals with #1 "expanding my skill set to broaden my career path at my company."
So on top of training, the need to be more internal career paths which could include the opportunity to apply new skill sets. That way, there is a sense of a vertical career path within the company rather than only through exiting. There should be creative ways to set up new meaningful roles that expand and employee's repertoire and keep them engaged beyond merely a token title change or minor salary increase.
The work environment and culture also needs to evolve
Workshops and seminars are one thing, but creating a culture where people are open to sharing, receiving feedback, brainstorming, and collaborating in general can lead to much more robust and embedded learning than a one-off training session. Internal/informal learning culture is definitely something we should be paying more attention to.
This propensity for burnout is an emerging trend. In addition to companies finding new tools and training to help employees learn and adapt to change, many find themselves in need of programs to address stress, mental health, and overall wellness. While mental health still bears a stigma in many workplaces, it is becoming more recognized and accepted. My future son-in-law, a recruiter for PwC, said one of his talking points for candidates is the fact that they provide 24/7 access to counseling, a mental health toolkit, and mental health advocates to their employee
Recruiting must transform to focus on what matters
I find companies still want to hire cookie cutter replacements vs. looking for more diverse and different skillsets. Most people don't really know how to hire and HR is not a force within many organizations.
Yes pace and change are lightning fast these days - plus learners are accustomed to self-learning through so many channels. Structured learning needs to include pull elements and well, be faster. Frequent and small vs. big events. Organizations are still trying to structure formal learning, deciding what learners need to know and taking months to build a program. Others are nimble and understand that simply bringing learners together and facilitating an intentional conversation IS learning. See #1 Thank God - I've heard that skills only predict 15% of job success and get super frustrated at recruiters turning away candidates because they don't have that one thing. I'd like to see more orgs offer open workshops to those outside of their org that need re- or new skilling. The gap is growing and everyone needs to pitch in to change that.
THEME #2
What are the key attributes to the ideal solution for companies to continuously re-skill & unlock po
THEME SUMMARY
A combination of personalized learning, OJT, transparency, and mentoring are critical
- Personalized learning: plenty of tools available including AR/VR
- On the job training can take many forms (rotations et al)
- Transparency provides context, understanding, and connection
- Mentoring makes it personal and builds connection, trust, and leadership
Personalized/adaptive learning
Transparency
ultimately, the key ingredients are TRANSPARENCY around company vision, values and decision making (which makes it easier for employees to understand why some things are policies and others aren't)
the more the team believes that they are part of the process, part of the solutions, and part of the success.
Feedback
use bots and RPA to provide employees with shortcuts to knowledge and process execution; i.e. connect a chatbot to an LMS to allow users to ask for content instead of leaving current process, logging in to an LMS or social collaboration system, searching for the right content...
THEME #3
What could a potential solution look like in practice? What barriers & challenges will be faced?
THEME SUMMARY
Change needs to happen at every level and component
- Culture and values
- Recruiting and onboarding
- Flexible OJT and mentorship
- Infrastructure
Recruiting for the future
staff rotations, real and simply for trading and or empathetic exposure all contribute to learning the business and the ecosystem it plays in. We run many programs like this, uniquely tailored to the business, it’s people and challenges. It’s fun, engaging but most importantly solves real challenges in real-time while providing an education for modern workforce
Through Micro-Internships (short-term, professional assignments), companies can actually identify and assess candidates who do have these skills, and Career Launchers can demonstrate them more effectively than through academic pedigree.
Ecosystem working together
As such, an ecosystem might invoke consultants, educators from the company or the ecosystem itself and on a persistent basis. Will new training and education firms and models emerge? Will this become embedded within corporate culture? Through HR? Or better through business leaders?
s a lifelong technology executive I can tell you that it is much easier to learn new concepts and technologies by working with someone who has a good grasp of the knowledge rather than reading a book. Using the meetups that are hackathon based I have witnessed firsthand that as the attendees interface together in a very short time the technical proficiency level rises quickly between the participants. The other aspect is the shared passion for the knowledge is somewhat contageous..
Investment
Many certifications and programs will come with a price tag for the organization, and SMEs might not have the budget to sponsor them. The same for performance management tools. => firms can associate with others to collectively sponsor courses for their staff. They can also promote free courses online and allow non-billable hours to pursue them. Another way I've seen is to offer money that can only be used towards training as bonus.
Most businesses lack a formal mentoring program, which pairs a seasoned employee with newly onboarded personnel. HBR ran an piece entitled "Why Mentoring Matters in a Hypercompetitive World". Roughly 70% of Fortune 500 have invested in a mentoring program, less than a quarter of small businesses do.
Culture and Values
Ensure the company values are understood and clear and not just talk, but the behaviors are ingrained in the organization. Given that capabilities evolve (and people with the right mindset can learn and evolve with them. )Build a mindset and willingness to embrace change vs. run away from it.
Establishing a bedrock of standards of behavior married to the flexibility to respond to current needs, guides the corporate environment to implement solutions that work to solve issues rather than quick fix, knee jerk solutions
THEME #4
The future of work
THEME SUMMARY
Effective recruiting, thoughtful onboarding, and nurturing of the company's culture collectively make a difference
- Effective recruiting that hones in on cultural values and skill assessment
- Thoughtful onboarding that helps the new hire gain a sense of belonging, learn the ropes, and see the company's values in action
- Nurturing the culture to reinforce desired behaviors and values
Effective interviewing
Align on the core values the organization or team needs and help people define questions to assess these. For example, if you're looking for collaboration, ask about a time when the team performed at their best or a time when they supported and built upon a peer's work.
Use skill-based interviews to focus on the actual skills the job needs, including those related to 21st-century or social emotional skills. Members of the team should develop questions/tasks for the interview. Group-based interviewing builds group ownership and can help filter for team cohesion
Onboarding
Onboarding could start with a 2-day introduction to the company with all the newbies, so they can build first new social relationships with each other and learn from experienced colleagues about the company processes. Quarterly reunions help you see how they develop and love the company over time.
A high level of activity on the employers end to make the (future) employee feel valued is incredibly valuable. Think about every touchpoint of the journey as an opportunity to express enthusiasm and build the relationship with the team and the company.
Nurture culture
Engage in everyday work conversations. Management should listen actively to what they are being told by employees, and take what they hear seriously. Active employee participation is important to build ownership at all levels and exploit the unique knowledge employees have.
We've also instituted blind recruiting to help even the playing field a bit and eliminate unconscious bias early in the process.
THEME #5
Where are examples of success and failure? What are the lessons learned?
THEME SUMMARY
Organizations that embrace diversity, continuous training, and collaborative partnerships appear better positioned for the future of work
- Diversity & inclusion
- Continuous learning
- Leadership
- Culture that matters
Diversity & Inclusion
Look outside the box. There is increased attention to hiring differently given the focus on new skills. Consider diversity in experience, perspective, age, and academic background. Applicants who don't fit the traditional role may be tremendous additions, so be careful of ideas like "culture fit."
Organisations with a diverse workforce have access to a range of skills, experiences and unique talents and ideas that are adaptable to fluctuating markets and demand. Many high profile organisations in the UK have embraced D&I and have publicised the benefits they've seen. It starts in the mind.
Continuous Learning
Both successes and failures are a part of the whole picture and can be used to generate greater focus and clarity about what works.
- Interactive, fun training - Smart MOOCs, combined with Meet the Expert sessions & onsite classes - Bots that quickly access the right knowledge - On the job guidance - Certificates to appreciate the employee's effort - Flipped Classroom approach + personalized training - Embedded Learning
Great Leadership
You have to model thiw. That means do not hide metrics. ensure that everybody knows makes will be made, we will not hide them or hide behind ambiguous metrics. instead, we will learn from the mistake.
Monetary growth can be created and shared as the company meets its goals. Advancement in the company is often about taking initiative and the willingness to think outside of the box
THEME #6
Final Thoughts and Thanks