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Recovering backpacker, Cornwallite at heart, political enthusiast, catalyst, writer, husband, father, community volunteer, unabashedly proud Canadian. Every hyperlink connects to something related directly or thematically to that which is highlighted.

Thursday 8 May 2014

The Evolving Workspace



Lots of employers think all this motivational stuff is pandering.  You pay an employee for their labour - that's the transaction.  If they don't do what they're paid to, you can them.  If they do it better than expected, maybe you give them a raise (though really, only if they ask for one).  That's all there is to it.

This can be true for some kinds of work - like being on an assembly line, perhaps - but even then, monotony has been identified as a risk in accidents.  Rotating positions breaks behaviour, increases alertness and reduces the risk of someone losing a finger.

For creative work - ideation, problem solving, even networking - a transasctional approach to labour simply doesn't cut it.  The same holds true for client relations - end-users don't want a thing, they want an experience.

You can disagree with this - lots of leaders do.  They don't care about monotony, feelings or communication - they know they're boss and that what they message goes, period.  Try to convince them otherwise, they will either ignore you or fight back; either way, they're gonna stand firm in their positions.

Which is fine.  That, after all, is the whole point of evolution - that which fails to adapt, doesn't survive.

So how confident are you that your organization can weather the coming storm?

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