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The Changing World of Work

Written by: Cheryl Leitschuh

Article Overview: Do you find that your organization is constantly changing, that you are not sure what organization you are working for let alone your job description? Has your job changed as a result of downsizing, out sizing and rightsizing and that it leaves you with more to do and less time? Do you find that you struggle to put your life in balance and that work is an overwhelming amount of time in your life? Do you question, “Am I in the right job?” If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, you are not alone. The world of work is changing and becoming more demanding. You need to change with it. But how?

The Changing World of Work

In my work as coach, trainer and consultant, I have observed the
changes in the world of work and the impact on the individuals stress,
satisfaction and productivity.

In the 1980s organizations focused on quality. It was about doing the
best for customers and providing quality products and services. The
1990s moved to the era of speed. We are asking to do more, faster.
Faster would be possible if organizations were not in constant change,
and change will be a fact of life in the 21st century. We see very
conservative industries like banking and phone companies merging and
changing, often leaving employees struggling to remember the name of
their employer.

Research shows us that the secret for individuals to deal with constant
speed and change is knowing who you are, your natural talents, what you
desire and how to connect with the new changes.

The changes in the world of work were not just observed by
my work; these changes have also been written about in the leadership
and management publications.

Peter Drucker has been the organizational and leadership expert since
the 1950’s. His early works indicated that the success for organizations
was in establishing an efficient organizational structure and then hiring
individuals to meet the needs of the structure. This made life much s
impler for employees as they were clear on job expectations and how they
operated in the organizational structure.

In Drucker’s current book Management Challenges for the 21st Century
(HarperCollins, May 1999) he acknowledges that the old paradigm no longer works.
Due to the realities of the marketplace, organizations need to be fluid in
their structure and ready to reorganize to meet the economic needs of the
organization. Instead, he indicates that success for future organizations
is to have flexible employees, ready to change as the needs of the organization
changes. Drucker states, “Success in the knowledge economy comes to those
who know themselves – their strengths, their values, and how they best perform.”
The “old” paradigm no longer works.

A new paradigm is critical to the success of organizations in the 21st century.
This paradigm requires that all workers are aware of their vision, the best
role that they play in achieving productivity and success. And, that each
organization understands the talents of their players and assigns them to the
most effective role possible.

Organizations who have moved to this new paradigm are also seeing the economic
results of making this shift. In Fortune magazines article “Happy Workers, High
Returns” (Jan. 12, 1998, p. 81), the magazine looked at the 100 Best Companies
to work for in America. They focused on the question “ Do happy workers improve
corporate performance?” The Gallup organization surveyed 55,000 workers in an
attempt to match employee attitudes with company results. The survey found that
four attitudes, taken together, correlate strongly with higher company profits.

The four attitudes are:
1. Workers feel they are given the opportunity to do what they do best every day.
2. They believe their opinion counts
3. They sense that their fellow workers are committed to quality.
They have made a direct connection between their work and the company’s mission.

A New Paradigm – A New Dilemma

This new paradigm creates an interesting dilemma. Most individual employees have
not been taught how to create a vision for their career. Most employees cannot
clearly identify the best role they play in the work world using your talents and
abilities. In my speaking and training, I will ask the group if they learned how
to create a career vision or focus in high school. Few, if any, hands come up.
College? Maybe a couple of more hands go up. The only response comes when I ask
how many have taken the time to search the answers to these questions themselves.
Most of us have never learned how to create a vision for ourselves, how to operate
from a sense of our strengths and bring our strengths to our work world at every
endeavor. It’s not difficult, but it does take time and an understanding of the
factors necessary to create a clear and complete vision.

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Article Tags: 1980s, 1990s, 21st century, changes in the world of work, coach trainer, employer research, fact of life, flexible employees, impler, knowledge economy, leadership and management, management challenges, management publications, natural talents, organization changes, organizational structure, paradigm, peter drucker, quality products, realities



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