Online Footprint and Millennials at Work … Two Great NPR Pieces

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Steve

Last night’s “Tell Me More” on NPR had two great stories about 2020 workplace issues. One was on paying attention to the digital footprint we leave, and how organizations are engaging companies to search for key negative things in your footprint before or after they hire you. Is your reputation at stake? The second piece was on Millennials or Gen Yers in the workplace. Both are worth a listen:

  • Internet Footprint Driving Away Employers?
    Social Intelligence Corp. scours one’s public online activity from the past seven years and reports it to prospective employers. Its CEO Max Drucker explains what specific data the company looks for, how often monitoring occurs, and what this means in terms of privacy concerns. Also joining the conversation is Electronic Privacy Information Center Senior Counsel John Verdi. Listen and Read

    Does YOUR organization check out potential employees’ backgrounds before hiring? What criteria do in include or exclude in that digital footprint search? Have you ever had your own digital footprint evaluated … what did you discover is out there?

  • In Job Market, Are Gen Y’s Wants Out Of Reach?
    Over 40 million Americans are in their 20s, and they’re having a particularly tough time securing work. Their expectations may not match what their employers have to offer. Ryan Healy talks more about young job seekers’ challenges. He is the co-founder of a website aimed at helping young professionals network and share ideas. Listen and Read

    Do you find a gap between Millennials expectations of their work and your/the organization’s expectations of their work? What similarities and differences do you experience between your style of learning, communicating and working and that of your Millennial colleagues? Is your organization formally working on ways to attract, integrate and leverage Millennial workers?

Please share your responses below to these questions about social media and Millennial workers. If you are looking to engage these questions in your organization, Future Workplace offers keynote presentations, in-depth workshops and facilitated dialogues about these topics and more. Learn more about these topics and find out what leading organizations are doing now to address these challenges in The 2020 Workplace book by Jeanne Meister and Karie Willyerd.

  • Share/Bookmark
Posted in 2020 Workplace Book, Attract and Retain EMployees, Millennials, Reputation Capital, Social Media, Technology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mobile Learning: “A Perfect Storm” To Drive Changes In The Workplace

Posted on August 1, 2011 by jeanneme

A recent report by Ambient Insight highlights a development discussed in The 2020 Workplace: there is a “perfect storm” brewing which is accelerating the widespread adoption of mobile learning. The tipping point for the adoption of mobile learning can be visualized like so:


According to Ambient Insight, the top 5 dynamics leading to this “perfect storm” in the adoption of mobile learning include:

The Buyer Demographic is Growing

There is a large and growing buyer demographic using a variety of Internet-connected handheld computing devices. In terms of revenue, consumers, healthcare, and federal government agencies (particularly military agencies) will dominate the market over the forecast period, followed by corporate buyers.

The Content Distribution Channel is Expanding Rapidly

Applications are now sold in a growing number of commercial “app stores. “As of February 2011, there were over a hundred app stores and the number is growing by 1-2 stores a month. There are now global mass-ˇmarket stores operated by GetJar, Amazon, and Opera.

There are over 650 telecom operators and there are now ”white-label” app store platforms that allow them to launch branded pre-stocked app stores quickly. The new carrier and device maker initiative called the Wholesale Applications Community (WAC) launched a commercial development platform in February 2011. IBM, Oracle, Accenture, Ericsson, and Telefonica launched white label services based on WAC at the same time. China Mobile, MTS, Orange, Smart, Telefonica, Telenor, Verizon, and Vodafone launched their own WAC stores in February 2011 with over 12,000 apps.

The Networks are Getting Faster and the Devices are Getting Smarter

There was a spike in the sales of smartphones, ebook readers, and tablets in 2010.  In 2011 alone, the estimate is for more than 60  million media tablets to be sold and an increasingly number will be corporate users.

So-called 4G (fourth generation) wireless networks started rolling out in the US in late 2010. Once considered a laggard in wireless broadband, the US is now taking the lead in 4G network deployment.

The Time To Re-Think Corporate Learning Is Here…  It Will Be More Social, Collaborative and Engaging

At Future Workplace we recently completed a comprehensive report on the adoption of mobile learning. But the bigger issue is how will our Mobile lives” impact the way we work, learn and communicate with each other. Here are 10 predictions for the way the workplace will be impacted by mobile learning:

  1. Mobile will be part of the way we do business- – Learning & working will be increasingly mobile and companies will need to evaluate how they are leveraging this trend in sourcing and recruiting talent,  corporate learning, and performance management.
  2. LMS’s need to become re-imagined – Shouldn’t LMS’s be more than an experience on Amazon? One where you can easily rate, tag and add comments?  And do this all from your mobile device?
  3. Media tablets will become a dominant device – Because of their ideal form factor for video and display of text and graphics, media tablets will increase dramatically as a tool for immediate access to corporate learning and performance support.
  4. Performance review can be and should be immediate – The annual performance review may soon be a thing of the past as companies embrace mobile devices for relevant, quick and easy micro feedback.
  5. Augmented reality apps and search will deliver JIT – Because mobile devices have a built-in ability to know a user’s location, including orientation, augmented reality apps will deliver location relevant information when needed.
  6. Design and development of learning will be crowdsourced- – Instead of instructional design where an expert creates  a curriculum in isolation, learner will be involved in both the creation and consumption of learning programs and solutions.
  7. Social Games for recruiting- Given the success of Farmville, more companies will create social games for recruiting and sourcing employees.
  8. Choice and continuity across multiple mobile devices – Employees will come to work with a BYOT mindset (Bring Your Own Technology) The combination of “cloud-based” computing with mobile devices will create opportunities for learners to seamlessly move from one device to another.
  9. New skills and competencies needed – With all this change in the way work will get done,  new skills and competencies will be needed for both human resources as well as learning professionals in the areas of social technologies,  social facilitation and social gaming.
  10. The revolution in the workplace and corporate learning is just beginning…We are at the beginning of a major shift in the workplace–one where employees are increasingly  empowered to contribute, share ideas and comment on new ways of working and learning. Employees across all industries will have a bigger voice in how, where and when they work and learn. Human Resources departments must adapt or be left behind.

How is your organization re-thinking and preparing   for the workplace in 2020? What are you doing today that was not even on your agenda  last month or last year?  Share your thoughts with us here!

  • Share/Bookmark
Posted in 2020 Workplace Book, Attract and Retain EMployees, m-learning, Mobile Learning, Social Media, Technology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

10 Resources on Gaming and Learning

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Jeanne

Today, members of the Future Workplace’s CLO Innovation Network will learn “Why Learning Should be More Like Gaming” in a webinar with Aaron Dignan, author of The Game Frame: Using Games as a Strategy for Success. He will share why learning should look more like gaming and why work should look more like play — plus, how organizations can adopt a “game frame” to the way they do learning. Aaron is the founding partner of the digital strategy firm Undercurrent. Find more at http://www.gameframers.com, on Twitter @aarondignan, and in a Creativity in Play interview with Aaron on “Why the Future of Work is Play.”

Here are 10 resources about gaming and learning:

  1. Aaron Dignan – Game Frame
  2. Improving the Way We Design Games for Learning by Examining How Popular Video Games Teach – July 2011
  3. A New Day for Corporate Learning – By A. J. Ripin – Training Magazine
  4. My Marriott Hotel Opens its Doors on Facebook: Marriott Uses Social Media Gaming to Help Attract Tens of Thousands of Employees
  5. If All of Work Were Gamified – By Saul Kaplan – Harvard Business Review Blog
  6. The Gamification of Jihad – WNYC’s On the Media
  7. Good Video Games and Good Learning – By James Paul Gee
    16 learning principles that good games, across a board spectrum of genres, incorporate
  8. Gamification Wiki
  9. Games for Learning Institute – New York University // Games for Change
  10. DiGRA: The Digital Games Research Association

What resources on gaming and learning in organizations do YOU recommend?

    • Share/Bookmark
    Posted in CLO, CLO Innovation Network, Gamification, Social Media, Technology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

    Prediction 2: Companies Will Disclose Their Corporate Social Responsibility Programs to Attract and Retain Employees

    Posted on June 7, 2011 by Jeanne

    20 Predictions from The 2020 Workplace:

    Prediction 2: Companies Will Disclose Their Corporate Social Responsibility Programs to Attract and Retain Employees

    The focus on people, planet and profits — known as the new triple bottom line —
    will become the main way organizations attract and retain new hires. This will be critical because 80% of a sample of 1,800 13-25 year olds want to work for a company that cares about how it impacts and contributes to society. More than half also say they would refuse to work for an irresponsible corporation.

    So companies will begin to move beyond corporate philanthropy by integrating Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) into their core business strategy, and by reporting quantitative goals to current employees, prospective hires and investors.

    In the past year in particular, you can see Corporate Social Responsibility becoming more prominent in company strategies. Companies “going green” are seeing a difference in their bottom line and are making a good impression. (Read this New York Times article on sustainability translating to profits.)

    This is already the case in Great Britain where the law requires companies to provide information and business goals for their CSR programs. For example, the Annual Report of National Grid, an international electricity and gas company, not only includes a review of all CSR projects, but also identifies quantitative business goals such as: achieving an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, having 15% of its energy demand from renewable sources by 2020, and defining a global inclusion charter for the organization.

    But imposing a legal requirement may not be the real impetus that forces companies to report CSR programs. The Millennials and Gen 2020 will demand companies to be more socially responsible or risk losing valuable talent to a competitor.

    CSR is a priority among Millenials. In in Magazine, Jenny Gomez writes that “the ‘Millennials,’ also known as the ‘Y Generation,’ are the driving force behind the trend to use the power of business to create a better world. They are civic minded and 78 million strong.” Companies developing and integrating CSR strategies need to keep in mind that the Millennials are a unique group that has high expectations for the products they purchase, the companies they work for and the companies with which they do business.

    Companies are constantly under pressure to provide information pertaining to their CSR, whether the pressure comes from their own stakeholders, shareholders, employees or even the public, as seen in this Greenbiz.com article. (Greenbiz Group is a source for news, opinion, best practices and other resources on the greening of mainstream business.)

    Corporate Social Responsibility

    Forbes asks whether or not HR will adopt CSR practices this year. Millenials, it seems, will have some impact on the corporate world in the way of CSR.

    Companies publishing their CSR reports include: PVH, General Mills and Verizon.

    Questions:

    How seriously do you take Corporate Social Responsibility?

    Do you and the company you currently work for have similar views on the role of CSR?

    Would Corporate Social Responsibility be a determining factor in choosing between jobs?

    • Share/Bookmark
    Posted in 20 Predictions, 2020 Workplace Book, Attract and Retain EMployees, CLO, Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Strategies include CSR, Human Resources, Millennials, Reputation Capital, Triple Bottom Line | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

    Prediction 1 of 20 – You Will Be Hired And Promoted Based Upon Your Reputation Capital

    Posted on May 24, 2011 by Jeanne

    20 Predictions from The 2020 Workplace:

    Prediction 1: Reputation capital will be the top currency in the 2020 workplace. This is the sum total of your personal brand, your expertise, and the breadth, depth, and quality of your social networks.

    Reputation Capital
    Reputation Capital Promotion

    Companies will increasingly source, recruit and promote new talent based upon their reputation capital. This means looking for employees who not only have wide, deep and high-quality social networks, but also demonstrate a track record of turning these networks into increased business value for the organization and stronger personal brand for themselves.

    Already some companies, like Best Buy, are listing reputation capital as a requirement for some positions, such as the senior manager in emerging media marketing. Some of the job requirements – developed via crowdsourcing – included having active accounts and a significant following on sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Plaxo, Ning, delicious, Slideshare, YouTube and PRWeb.

    By 2020, hiring companies could very well make specific requirements that prospective employees have experience using these types of sites to further their business agenda.

    According to Dr. Robert Cross, professor of management at the University of Virginia, high performers of an organization focus on building quality networks rather than large social networks. They may not know everyone, but the people they know, they know very well, and they invest in these relationships before they’ll actually need them to get their work accomplished.

    Well connected Professional Community
    Well-Connected Professional Community

    Companies will increasingly take note of how connected current and prospective employees are in their professional communities, and seek to retain and promote individuals who demonstrate an ability to grow their networks and their reputations and standing in the community. Inside the company, the number of links to your internal company social website, the feedback from hundreds of people rather than the current dozen or so used on 360-degree instruments, and the number of times people link to you, could indicate a leadership score, and set you up for promotion. Look for reputation capital to be a more critical factor in both hiring and promotion decisions.

    What’s happened in the last year:

    The launch of these two new companies in helping people build their reputation capital: cubedual and klout.

    Questions:

    Is reputation capital important to you?

    Given the importance of reputation capital through social networking, should employers restrict/monitor social networking by employees?

    Does your company rate reputation capital as important? Would they recruit or promote new employees based on their reputation capital?

    • Share/Bookmark
    Posted in 20 Predictions, 2020 Workplace Book, Millennials, Reputation Capital, Social Media | Tagged , , | Leave a comment