Talent Management - September 2008 - (Page 34)

recruitment & retention assessment & evaluation compensation & beneﬁts performance management learning & development succession planning [performance management] by Ron Lawrence Managing Performance in the Knowledge and Innovation Worker Age Clinging to dated work models that anchor employees to desks and ignore more ﬂexible work options can alienate workers. Exploring ﬂexible work options, on the other hand, can offer talent managers signiﬁcant productivity and cost gains. I nﬂexible work arrangements such as 8-to-5 shifts are about as modern as Charlie Chaplin’s assembly line in the classic movie “Modern Times.” The model of industrialage factories in that movie was later applied to ofﬁces, creating workhouses with endless rows of desks occupied by drones wearing visors and counting things. While it’s still necessary to have workers in assembly plants and clerks on department store ﬂoors, today’s knowledge and innovation (KI) workers don’t need to be conﬁned to cubicles eight hours a day to create value. Companies cling to the old workhouse practices because managing people is easier when one can see and touch them every day. Unfortunately, this illusory management practice encourages the wrong performance measurements such as attendance and visibility rather than productivity and creativity. Today’s KI workers tend to rebel against command-and-control structures and thrive on autonomy, ﬂexibility and self-determination. In this environment, they can become more creative, responsible and productive team members, offering companies that embrace alternative work arrangements an advantage over those that insist on antiquated schedules and practices. Flexible Arrangements Beneﬁt Everyone Gregor called Theory X in his book The Human Side of Enterprise. It’s based on the notion that the average employee lacks ambition, shies away from responsibility, dislikes work and does not care about organizational goals. Therefore, workers must be watched or they will take advantage of the employer. Conversely, McGregor’s Theory Y says workers are responsible and self-directed to meet work objectives if they are committed to them. That commitment depends on rewards that bring self-fulﬁllment beyond the basics of food and shelter. Theory Y ﬁts today’s KI workers, who are not drones but self-motivated professionals who don’t need to be chained to a desk. Flexible working arrangements can include ﬂexible work hours, alternative schedules or work settings, telecommuting, job sharing and similar nontraditional ways to work. Statistical data and research on the use and effectiveness of ﬂexible work arrangements demonstrate many beneﬁts to employers, employees and the community at large. For example, they: 1. Increase individual autonomy and employee engagement. A 2006 study published in the Journal of Managerial Psychology surveyed multiple organizations and found perceived organizational support for ﬂexible arrangements predicts both job and organizational engagement. Employees are more engaged when they have more autonomy and control and greater ﬂexibility in how, when and where to be productive. 2. Increase retention and productivity. A 2007 study in the Journal of Employee Relations investigated 34 September 2008 The assumption that management needs to keep an eye on workers so they don’t goof off is what Douglas Mc- talent management magazine www.talentmgt.com http://www.talentmgt.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Talent Management - September 2008

Talent Management - September 2008 Editor's Letter Contents Human Performance: Stop Wasting Money on Training Leading Edge: No Whining, No Excuses Learning Connections: Do You Get It? The Untapped Resource Reinventing HR Doing Compensation Right: The Winning Spread Managing Performance in the Knowledge and Innovation Worker Age Stop-The-Clock Time Management Preparing for the Future in the Public Sector SAS: Connecting People, Process and Products Talent Transformation at Textron The Price of Finding the Right Gen Y Candidate Advertiser's Index Editorial Resources Full Potential: Do What You Love, Love What You Do

Talent Management - September 2008

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