Managing Generation Y
July 6, 2009 by Simon Oates (Admin)
Filed under Productivity
‘Generation Y’ is the affectionate name given to the demographic cohort that was born between 1980 – 1995, although specific definitions do vary. This group hence forms today’s teenagers and twenty-somethings – a group highly sought after by large recruiters, and whom form the solid base of employees for many multinationals. The problem of how to lead this generation is a hot topic.
What Are Busineses Doing To Attract Generation Y?
As competition has increased among the large graduate recruiters to attract the best ‘Generation Y’ talent, they have been fighting among themselves to paint the best picture of their own workplace. Of course, promises have to be met, and so in painting their company in this brighter way, they have indirectly led to progressive changes in the workplace. These new changes to the working environment include:
1. More flexible working hours for a better work/life balance. (Example – ‘The Big Four‘)
2. Guaranteed acceptance onto management training programmes after preconditions have been met. (Example – Enterprise Rent a Car)
3. Extensive induction training.
4. The opportunity to rotate round departments and roles. (Example – Unilever, P&G and Johnson & Johnson)
5. Higher reliance upon internal promotions to fill vacancies.
It is clear that the recruiters believe that generation Y care less about salary and traditional benefits, and more about the pursuit of an interesting, fulfilling and and less stressful job than their parents. This trend definitely seems to be following the general shift away from Fordism factory workers, and towards independent, respected and empowered workers, that has been taking place in the last century.
What Are Businesses Are Doing To Lead Generation Y?
When it comes to leading ‘Generation Y’ – new leadership styles have evolved to compliment the new ‘people -orientated’ workplace. These have manifested into:
1. Annual reviews taking a more personal development focus, rather than productivity. Managers are trying to adopt more of a ‘coaching’ and ‘supportive’ role. Managers are told to encourage and train employees so that in the future they are able to take their place.
2. A more democratic and team-based way of working – where ‘on-the-job’ training is becoming more popular, and instructions on how to actually ‘get the work done’ is now coming from from experienced teammates more often than the manager.
Do These Methods Actually Work?
The evidence isn’t very clear on this issue. Despite all these new intiatives and opportunities that ‘Generation Y’s parents dreamed of, these young workers are extremely likely to leave a company they join after a short period of time (every 4-5 years on average), which is a far higher rate of turnover than their parents, the ‘baby boomers’.
I believe that this is happening for 2 main reasons. Firstly – only a fraction of companies are actually fulfilling the promises made to potential job candidates. The hype that recruiters drum up is unsustainable and almost impossible for companies to deliver on. This it doesn’t surprise me one bit to discover that graduates are continually drawn to the ‘greener’ grass on the other side of the hill.
Secondly, and this is linked with the first reason, managers are going about implementing these intiatives in a reluctant way and unsatisfactory way. Either managers are attaching too many ‘novelty’ intiatives to rudementary and meanial jobs – such that the employee feels like it’s all a show, or managers are only introducing leadership techniques as part of a ‘token’ effort.
For instance, I’m in disbelief at the number of times I’ve heard managers undermine their human resource counterparts with phrases such as “Now, I’ve been told by the people above to tell you that …”. This sort of attitude in implementing policies if effectively negatating any positive effect they were supposed to bring.
Therefore I would argue that, while it appears that ‘Generation Y’ workers are extremely unappreciative of the benefits and perks that exist today – these so-called perks only exist in policy and paper and aren’t created or supported with sincere intention from managers. In fact – this move towards pseudo-policy is alienating our Gen Y workers, and this may be able to explain why they are constantly on the move.
My Recommendation
Changes that companies have made to their leadership and human resource strategies have been well thought out, and do add good value to the role a company could offer a graduate. However I believe that to be able to lead Generation Y effectively, the focus must then be on educating and training managers to sincerely back these new efforts.
Leadership Theories – The Ultimate Guide
April 26, 2009 by Simon Oates (Admin)
Filed under Productivity
You may be looking for: The Ultimate Leadership Guide
Many leadership theories have been suggested since time immemorial. Early leadership theories focused on the behaviour and qualities of successful leaders where as later theories gave more importance to the role of associates and followers. Some of the leadership theories are as follows:
Great Man Theory. According to Great Man theory, a leader is born and cannot be made. This theory believed that leaders are people who have inborn exceptional qualities and are destined to lead. Here the term “Man” is used since leadership was considered as a concept that would be primarily dominated by males. Great leaders would arise only when there is an urgent need of it. It also suggests that leadership qualities are inherent.
Trait Theory. According to Trait theory, few people are born with qualities that are suited to leaderships. People who transform into good leaders posses right combination of leadership qualities. Through this approach, people with such leadership qualities could be separated and then people with such qualities could be recruited or selected into leadership positions. This approach was commonly used in military and is even today used to recruit candidates for commission.
Self Investment Theory. From visiting organisations, I’ve found that the happiest employees and managers regularly invest in themselves and their personal leadership training. People have often sought out useful leadership books and learning material that will help them along the path to happiness and leadership. These days, many e-courses tend to be rather disappointing, but I’m pleased to recommend one e-course that is still respected by leadership professionals such as myself: The 11 Forgotten Laws. It’s generally seen as an essential and core ‘crash course’ in the laws and secrets you need to know to further your leadership & career and even help find happiness in other areas of your life. Its an excellent base upon which you can build your personal development.
Contingency Theory. This leadership theory focuses on variables that are related to environment and that would determine which style of leadership is suitable for a particular situation. It says that it is impossible to determine which leadership style will suit best for any situation. Success depends on qualities of followers and other variables.
Situational Theories. This theory suggests that on the basis of situational variable, leaders should choose the course of action. Diverse styles of leadership will me more suitable to make certain types of decisions
Behavioral Theories. This leadership theory believes that great leaders are not born but are made. The prime focus of this theory is on actions of leaders. The focus is not on internal states or mental qualities. This theory believes that people can become leaders through the process of teaching, learning and observation.
Participative Theory. This theory defines ideal leadership style. An ideal leadership style takes into consideration the input of its associates. Such leaders encourage contribution and participation from group members. The leader also has the right to say no to any suggestion of other team member.
Management Theories. This collection of leadership theories gives more importance to the role of organization, supervision and most importantly the group performance. This theory is based on the system of punishment and reward. Managerial theory is often used in many companies. When employee’s performance is very good, he or she is given a reward. If the employee’s performance decreases below a certain level, he or she is punished.
Relationship Theory. This theory also called Transformational theory focuses on the connections that are formed between followers and leaders. These leaders inspire and motivate people. They also help group members in case of any difficulty. Such leaders focus on performance of of members of group. These leaders have high moral values.
Path Goal Theory. This theory focuses on what leaders should do to motivate and inspire people so that the employees can perform well.
How To Avoid Distractions
April 8, 2009 by Simon Oates (Admin)
Filed under Productivity
There are many distractions that we face each day. From televisions to telephones; from computers to fax machines, it seems like there is no end in sight. It’s a wonder that we ever accomplish anything on a daily basis! Nowhere else is this especially true than when we are at work or are trying to get work done. At some point, we will all work in an office environment that is too noisy and is filled with distractions such as client meetings, phone calls, lunch breaks, coffee breaks, office gossip and technological malfunctions. So, considering all of this, how do we maintain our productivity?
Perhaps the most important part of being a productive person is being able to stay focused on the task at hand. Just the other weekend, I was reading a book at the kitchen table while some people were watching the television a few feet away from me. The television was blasting at full volume when someone approached me and asked me how I was able to concentrate on a book with all of the noise. I simply told them that I was shutting the noise out in order to focus. Being able to shut out distractions isn’t something that comes naturally to most people. It takes some measure of practice to be able to put into action. There are many ways that you can increase your work productivity. Let’s start with your desk area. If you’ve ever heard the motto “simplicity is better,” then you should pay attention. Simple is always better. Clear any clutter from your desk area because clutter equals distraction. If you are not a neat person by nature, this will take some effort, and you may want to get a more organized person to help you out at first. Invest in a small filing cabinet or desk file organizer. Put loose pens, pencils and paperclips in an appropriate holder. Even the number of sticky notes should be minimized. Instead, try to write messages to yourself in a small notepad that can be left on your desk in an inconspicuous area. There are also software programs available, which can set up audio alerts or pop-up alerts to let you know of something that is due or that you need to be reminded of.
On your computer desktop, create folders to help you organize information. Your computer desktop background should have no more than one vertical line’s worth of folders and/or other information on it. Try to keep all of your files tucked away, off of your desktop. Yes, you can minimize clutter on your computer! Regarding your email, creating filters is key. Creating email filters will help you more quickly sort through what needs to be read first versus having to scan through emails to find important information. Also make sure you set up your spam filters accordingly and occasionally check your spam folder to make sure that it is functioning properly. If you work in a small office that is chatty, try approaching the source of the chatter outside of the office or separately so as to not embarrass that person. If you feel uncomfortable, then approach your supervisor about the situation so that it may be resolved. Stay focused, keep things simple, and you should have no problem being more productive!
Guest Author: Brenda Williams
http://www.wakeforlaw.com