On growing up

Just a simple acknowledgement could give a 'pillar' of strength to a wearisome 'bright boy'. But too bad, the boy is not getting it from the company who enticed him to do stuffs for them. After he performed his part of the deal, all his communications are now falling from deaf ears. He doesn't know who's to blame. He doesn't know if the company is unprofessional or the people there? Anyway, they represent each other just the same. Lessons learned. Thus, never deal with a subsidiary whose parent company is being accused of bribery and corruption. They may be a different juridical entity from each other yet the core values are still the same. What the leader does, the people do as well by voluntary or by force. Sometimes, it is better to be rude than rue your kindness. The bright boy now is a grown-up man.

Let’s ‘Dudefy’ the Corporate World

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change."  

— Charles Darwin

The corporate world is rapidly changing. The acceleration of all things—as we enter the realm of intelligent infrastructure, mobile technology, and smart automation—offers tremendous pressure for companies to change the way they do business. Thanks to some great dudes for making it happen.

The once mighty hierarchical organizational structure is being run to the ground. The market is being pounded by constant product and service innovation. The hyper-innovative industry is getting smarter and smarter. Virtual office set-up, fast fashion craze, instant business model implementation, and the increasing reliance on multitasking ability are just among the new realities for business. Only those who have the ability to align themselves to high-velocity future trends can survive the new corporate rat race.

Multiple careers

Expect today’s workforce to be completely different in terms of how they view careers. According to Rudolf Melik, author of "The Rise of the Project Workforce: Managing People and Projects in a Flat World", a book that provides a comprehensive reference for enterprises that are making the shift to a service-based and project-based structure, “[The younger generation of workforce] fully expect a career path that will allow for multiple different jobs and careers throughout their lifetime, simply to avoid the boredom and tedium that comes with routine. They want to be provided with a regular stream of new projects and varied assignments and responsibilities.”

This paradigm shift is easy to understand because these are the generation who've seen their parents right-sized, outsourced, re-engineered, and transformed, said Melik in his book. “[These younger generation of workforce] come to embrace the reality that there are no guarantees, nothing is long term, and that much of their success will come from their ability to constantly reinvent themselves,” added Melik. According to trends and innovation expert Jim Carroll in his write-up “Don’t Mess with My Powder, Dude!”, his surveys showed that more than 50 percent of American kids now believe that self-employment is more secure than a full-time job.

In addition, Melik views today’s employees as “fiercely collaborative and extremely team oriented.” These ultramodern employees define themselves by what they like to do, not by what they do for a living. Melik points out that these employees don’t subscribe to the concept of a corporate work philosophy that says you have to come to a certain location every day to do things.

Virtual office

“The concept of nine-to-five will have just absolutely disappeared. It doesn’t mean that we’re going to become a nation of home offices, but I think there will be a lot more choices that people will be making as to where and how and when they’re going to be doing the work and what constitutes the organization,” according to Gyle Konotopetz in his write-up the “Futurist eyes next-generation work trends” published online in Business Edge.

Today’s generation of workers prefer to work on a per project or contract basis, rather than full time. They don’t give a damn whether they have an office or not (although, the concept of SOHO or small office, home office, and hoteling are designed specifically for them). They’ve got their smart phones, tablets, or laptops to communicate and do stuffs. They have their webcams and are always online; thus, they can work anywhere and can collaborate with anybody around the globe.  

“I think they’re just going to shake up the concept of the workplace to a huge degree. The reason that hasn’t happened is because of simple boomer resistance to change,” Gyle said. In addition, Gyle has predicted that broad changes can be seen in the corporate structure 10 to 15 years from now as the baby boomers, who have been very resistant to change, will eventually be out of the workplace. 

           

Flat organization

           

For some time now, the predominant workplace trend has been to go flat—giving rank-and-file workers direct access to top management and even the company president. It is an organizational structure in which middle-management functions have been eliminated. It shortens the time to achieve decisions, and at the same time, brings the decision makers close to the “dudes” and innovators.

           

In the book “The Art of Possibility”, the conductor Benjamin Zander describes the flat organizational structure as “leading from any chair”. According to Zander, the system has produced many of the most innovative products and services that people use these days. There is a problem, however, of leadership gap—the traditional route to leadership has been shortened. Also, there are chances of loose control because there are too many subordinates under one manager.

In the web article of Scott McDowell “Why Flat Organizations Don't Create Great Leaders (& What To Do About It)”, he proposed that effective management can be achieved by cultivating leadership in the flat organization, i.e., hiring someone with a strong drive and execution, rewarding leadership, institutionalizing mentorship, among others. By encouraging autonomy and self-direction, a flat organizational structure strives to tap into employees’ creative talents and to solve problems by collaboration.

            

Less aggressive companies opt to establish communication hubs—like the so-called brown bag and town hall meetings—that would serve as a venue for top executives to reach out and talk to rank-and-file employees.

Smart casual

Smart casual is a loosely defined dress code that is casual, yet smart. It is a multi-purpose outfit that is acceptable for formal occasions, dating, or casual social gatherings. Oxford Dictionaries define it as "neat, conventional, yet relatively informal in style, especially as worn to conform to a particular dress code.”

Global men's fashion business Topman emphasizes the flexibility of smart casual by stating that an individual's personality and comfort level of clothing choice defines the dress code. On the other hand, women’s magazine Fashion Central defines a woman's smart casual from an employment perspective by emphasizing the importance of understanding the workplace's environment and culture.

Smart casual outfit can include a mixture of jeans, chinos, blazers, sweaters, dress shirts, or a pair of decent sneakers or leather shoes.

In Japan, the Cool Biz dress code, which is part of the austerity campaign launched by the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) in the summer of 2005 as a means to help reduce the use of air conditioning to save on electricity consumption, advises workers to wear trousers made from materials that breathe and absorb moisture. Additionally, workers are encouraged to wear short-sleeved shirts without suits or neckties.

Speaking of suit and tie, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson regarded the suit and the necktie as having no place in today’s corporate world. In an interview published in a column at leading business magazine Entrepreneur, Branson believes that suit and necktie don't serve any practical purpose and office workers have been complaining about how uncomfortable they are for generations. The workers feel like they’re putting nooses around their necks every day. Branson further said that the suit and tie is an anachronism; there is no viable argument why gentlemen should wear ties. For Branson, a sweater and corduroy trousers are his standard business attire.

Aside from Branson, U.S. president Barrack Obama, U.K. prime minister Tony Blair, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, among others, are frequently appearing in public without necktie.

            

The author of “The Smart Creative's Guide to Dressing for Work” Dr. Christian Jarrett said in his article that clothes affect people’s mindset and alter how they feel about themselves. Dr. Jarrett cited a US research published in 2007 by saying that employees described themselves as feeling more productive, trustworthy, and authoritative when they wore a business suit at work, but more friendly when wearing casual clothes. Voila! If that is the case, then wearing smart casual could bring the best of both worlds in smart dressing.

Flexible schedule

           

The Boston College Center for Work & Family conducted a two-year research in collaboration with six large U.S. companies: Amway Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Honeywell, Kraft Foods, Lucent Technologies, and Motorola Inc. The research project is aimed at assessing the impact of workplace flexibility.  Results from this study of 1,353 employees and 151 managers suggest that, in most cases, greater workplace flexibility is a win-win situation for both companies and the individuals they employ.

           

Accordingly, workers who are given opportunities to do their job more flexibly are more dedicated and productive, are more satisfied with their jobs, and are better able to manage their lives outside of work. On the other hand, companies that allow flexibility in the workplace (e.g., flextime schedule, telecommute arrangement, on-call basis, etc.) are finding that their commitment is paying off as manifested by increased in productivity, better quality of work, and lower employee turn over rate.

Employees using daily flextime are more likely to say that this flexibility has a positive impact on their productivity, quality of work, and their plans to stay with the company. For individuals, the findings are equally exciting. Employees working flexibly are more satisfied with their jobs, more satisfied with their lives, and experience better work-life balance.

Way forward

More and more corporate executives are coming to realize that it’s time to throw out the old ways and try some things that are new. Those who are slow to react will be having a hard time to catch up in the new corporate rat race. Those who are unwilling to take good and calculated risks will be facing more uncertainties. Those who are afraid to embrace changes in the workplace and marketplace will just be expediting its corporate extinction.

They have learned that the way forward is not by relying upon their company's solid foundation and traditional way of doing business. They have realized that to deal with the high-velocity future, they must do away with their unyielding, slow-to-respond corporate norms, but instead introduce some new policies to make their companies attuned to the times.  

Running one’s business in this fast-paced world is as important as managing the affairs of today's “agile” workforce, who is sometimes temporary, always transient, part-time in nature, tech-savvy, and multi-skilled in background. The increasing specialization of knowledge, rapid career evolution, relentless market and business change, and globalization have led to an ever-growing reliance on project-based “workforce for hire.”

In the keynote speech made by global management guru and leading futurist Jim Carroll for the Monster Government Solutions Human Capital Management Conference in 2010 in Washington, D.C., he mentioned the shift from continuity to flexibility and the importance of attraction, not retention in the workplace. Carroll said that the depth of the baby boomer skills exodus is of such a degree that there's a need for a lot of flexible work policies in order to retain them, but at the same time, there is a need to play into the unique career attitudes of the younger generation. He further believes that lifestyle, not loyalty is what made workers happy and contented at work.  

           

Welcome to the era of corporate dudes.

REFERENCES:

Branson, R. (2012). Richard Branson on Office Ties and the Company Dress Code. Retrieved from http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/223670#ixzz2W3Xi25Aq

Carroll. J. (2012). Trending in 2012: What’s to Come in the Year to Come? Retrieved from http://www.jimcarroll.com/2012/12/trending-in-2013-whats-to-come-in-the-year-to-come/#.UbkfzpyeQa8

Jarrett, C. (n.d.) The Smart Creative's Guide To Dressing for Work. Retrieved from http://99u.com/articles/14510/the-smart-creatives-guide-to-dressing-for-work

Konotopetz, G. (2006). Futurist eyes next-generation work trends. Retrieved from http://www.businessedge.ca/archives/article.cfm/futurist-eyes-next-generation-work-trends-13793

Melik, R. (2007). The Rise of the Project Workforce: Managing People and Projects in a Flat World. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Project-Workforce-Managing-Projects/dp/047012430X

Coursera - Writing II: Rhetorical Composing

Ohio State University

Assignment X: Revising Rhetorically

By Ludwig Ritchel A. Kalambacal

23 June 2013

The Corporate Dude

"I do defy old-fashioned business norms. I do defy worn out company conventions. I dudefy the corporate world."

“My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I’m happy. I can’t figure it out. What am I doing right?” — Snoopy (Charlie Brown's dog)

To "dudefy" is "to transform into a modern day dude", as defined in the UrbanDictionary.com.

Originally, its root word "dude" was used to describe a "fancy-dressed city folk who went out west on vacation". In this usage it first appears in the 1870s, according to TheFreeDictionary.com.

After more than a century, in the late 1990s, the infamous comedy film "The Big Lebowski", whose main character nicknamed "The Dude", became a classic cult. As a result, the word "dude" got a negative connotation—as a "lazy person" or an "unemployed slacker".

But thanks to the "Dell Dude" commercial advertisement in the early 2000s for it somewhat gave the "dude" a facelift. The ad campaign was a huge success and not only helped bring prominence to Dell computers, but to the self-proclaimed dudes of that time as well.

The phenomenal "Dell Dude" ad paved the way for dudes to penetrate the corporate world. "Dude" became an office buzzword, an everyday expression of strong feeling, and a fashion statement.

Today's dude is no longer bound by a set of stereotypes from past generations. He is now becoming more self-aware in learning new and better ways in a rapidly changing world. Today's dude is all about blazing new trails, trying new methods, and challenging the old school.

Coursera - Writing II: Rhetorical Composing

Ohio State University

Assignment 3: Making Visual Argument

By Ludwig Ritchel A. Kalambacal

18 May 2013

"Fifty Shades of Grey" sans the passion and romance

The controversial "Fifty Shades of Grey" is a top-seller erotic novel by British author E. L. James. It is notable for its explicitly erotic scenes — between a college graduate and a young billionaire — featuring elements of sexual practices involving bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism.

But the said novel is not all about kinky romance and strange seduction after all. The book also exudes some business sense such as these remarks by one of the main character Christian Grey: "Business is all about people . . . I employ an exceptional team, and reward them well . . . It really is all about having the right people on your team and directing their energies accordingly . . . The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership."

Moreover, readers would find amusing the legally bizarre, but unenforceable, non-disclosure contract (NDC) between the billionaire Christian Grey ("Dominant") and the newly-grad Anastasia Steele ("Submissive"). A recommended template for those who are planning to embark on . . .  uhumm . . . an indecent proposal.

Effective Feedback Mechanism

A feedback mechanism is a good way of resolving issues, amending operational flaws, and maintaining office coordination.

We always think it is professional especially if we are executing it in the "language of business" and using trite words "please" and "kindly" to mask the rudeness of compelling a peer or colleague in the same of office or another department.

"Professional feedback", however, sans departmental courtesy is a show-off, especially if we involve the upper management into it. In some cases, such flamboyant gesture can be construed as "office bullying", if not "corporate saber-rattling".

To help us determine whether or not a feedback is effective, let us assess such using the following quick questions as our guideline:

• Does the feedback resolved the issue?
• Does the feedback corrected the procedural flaw?
• Does the feedback encouraged departmental coordination / cooperation?
• Does the feedback maintained harmonious work relationship in the office?

Future workplace trends

A premier outplacement consulting firm in the United States, Challenger, Gray & Christmas, have looked into the future to forecast what you can expect from the corporate world in the years to come. Some forward-looking and relatively new notions have been enumerated here. Curious? Read on to find out how and where you work today may be different than tomorrow.

1. Four-Day Workweeks

The rising costs of fuel and other commodities are driving some companies to allow their employees the opportunity to perform all their tasks in a fewer days (well,that would mean more weekends, yahoo!). As per observation by the outplacement firm, about 23% of companies are now offering a condensed workweek, typically consisting of four 10-hour days. With the latest productivity-enhancing tools, this scheme would work well as some employees are able to get their work done in a shorter period.

2. Shape Up or Pay Up

As more and more people are becoming health-conscious, the likely trend in the future is that expect employers to take serious interest in their employees health and well-being though mandatory corporate wellness programs. As the outplacement firm predicts, office equipment such as Steelcase's WalkStations, which allow workers to walk on treadmills while at their computers, will catch on worldwide. Moreso, expect health-oriented company policies to be introduced that will penalized unhealthy behaviors of employees. In fact, few companies in the United States have adopted such policies that requires employees who allow health risks, such as tobacco use, obesity or high cholesterol, to go unchecked will pay more for their company health insurance.

3. Company-Sponsored Degree Program

The outplacement firm believes that large corporations will begin to create their own degree programs with precise coursework centered around their company culture and goals, eliminating the need for extensive on-the-job training, and saving both the company and the employees thousands of dollars.

4. Worldwide Recruitment

The expansion of the global economy will likely lead to a global talent pool where companies will aggressively pursue the best available workers, regardless of where they reside. In fact, corporations in Europe and Asia have already increased their efforts to recruit foreign talent. (Yet another reason to keep your passport current.)

5. Borderless Office

In order to maximize employee interaction and teamwork, many companies will eliminate the isolating cubicle and redesign their workspace to feature common areas, conference rooms, and tables, as opposed to individual desks. With the wireless technology, this concept would gain ground as employees can now work in different locations in the office with their laptops. Such would increase opportunities for telecommuting.

6. Working Offsite

The image of a hulking headquarters building will fade as fast as old newspapers in the years to come, according to the outplacement firm. In an effort to cut real-estate costs, become more eco-friendly, and attract the growing number of employees who want increased work-life balance, more and more companies will adopt a "work wherever you want, whenever you want" policy. Some companies are already embracing this forward-thinking notion, including AT&T, Best Buy, and Sun Microsystems, the latter of which estimates that it saved US$400-million in real estate costs over a six-year period. (But such concept have long been practiced in some marketing companies, investment houses and brokerage firms in the Philippines.)

7. Free Agency

The move to hiring temporary and contractual employees, freelancers and consultants is beneficial for both companies and workers, as stated by the outplacement firm. Companies will save money (e.i., overtimes, de minimis benefits, insurance premiums, retirement pays, etc.) and can add support on an as-needed basis, while free agents will enjoy flexibility in terms of time management and project assignment and higher earning potential. According to market research firm EPIC-MRA, about one-third of the United States workforce will be comprised of free agents by 2012. (This free agency concept has been a long-time practiced in the sporting world, but now expect white-collar workers to follow such lead.)

An insight to "creative conflict"

Management imposed creative conflict is the reason why Japanese auto maker Toyota has remained one of the most durable companies across the globe, according to organizational development expert Reylito Elbo in his column In The Workplace published today in the newspaper Business World.

Mr. Elbo quoted the authors of the book Extreme Toyota, who said:

"Toyota strives to remain 'extreme', a state of disequilibrium where radical contradictions coexist, pushing it away from the comfort zone to create healthy tension and instability within the organization... This tension becomes the catalyst for movement forward."

Indeed, creative conflict can happen in many organizations, without the employees knowing it. They are usually implemented by strategic top management. They allow middle managers to debate their different views and perceptions in a constructive way to produce the best option for the company.

One rule that must be observed though, no matter how fierce the debates are, is that the attack must focus on the issue, not on the person. Hence, participants in this tense exercise must be mature enough, not to be too sensitive and onion-skinned when they receive criticisms.

As such, not all conflicts are bad. Sometimes they are beneficial to the organization especially if the top management wants to view a particular subject on all angles, 360 degrees, with regard for objectivity.

To quote Mr. Elbo's final statement:

"This is the best management approach than having the CEO making the decision in the interest of harmony, which could backfire."

ABS-CBN's Change Agent

I want to share with you an interesting article that I've read from the Inquirer.net Blogs. It touches on change management and organizational development - two of the most sought-after topics by executives nowadays.

The article revolves on the exploits of Maria Ressa as head of news and current affairs of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation. She is the tomboyish, but eloquent immediate superior of Ces Drilon. If you watched Channel-2's documentary program last Sunday evening titled Kidnap, she's the one who's wearing a pair of round eyeglasses, who lead the ABS-CBN's negotiating team in talking with the Abu Sayyah kidnappers of Drilon, et al.

Going back to the topic, Ressa catalyzed change in the broadcasting firm upon joining the company in 2005. Way back then, ABS-CBN's news programs were overtaken by those of GMA in the ratings game.

The organizational streamlining that she launched when she came on board had spared no one. There were no sacred cows, indeed, as it affected even veteran journalists and vice-presidents of the prestigious firm. That only shows Ressa's tough character as a manager and unbiased leadership. she's fair and square in dealing with people that no one is indispensable under her wings.

She became the most unpopular, even hated, person in the organization due to her undertakings. But her actions paved the way for the company to regain its composure and get back on track once again. For that, she slowly gained the trust and confidence, not just by her bosses, but by the organization as a whole.

Ressa revealed the steps she took in bringing change to ABS-CBN were some fundamental but important pointers she learned from Harvard Review. The eight steps can actually be applicable to any organization, as well, she added.

Indeed, I find them very useful. So, I decided to post them here in my blogs for your quick reference:

1. Establish a sense of urgency, since people will be more willing to change if they understand the need for it.
2. Form a guiding powerful organization. You’ll need trustworthy and reliable lieutenants to ensure the job is done.
3. Create a vision because you can’t lead if you don’t know where you’re headed.
4. Communicate the vision to all members of your organization.
5. Empower others to create the vision and, as much as possible, get rid of hierarchies and titles.
6. Plan for and create short-term wins. Celebrate wins with the members of the organization.
7. Consolidate improvements. Produce still more change.
8. Institutionalize the new approaches. Articulate connections between new individual behavior and the corporate results it brings. Also, start creating a succession plan.

As a parting shot, catalyzing change in the work place is an arduous task, and only effective and capable leaders, like Ressa, can handle such a big challenge very well.

*Source: http://www.blogs.inquirer.net