Surviving in the new economy

The nature of employment is changing.  Jobs are disappearing and they won't be replaced, at least not with full time employment.   Most people will become contractors or temporary staff - flexible workforces engaged in "staff augmentation".  Many jobs will disappear entirely.  Economist call this structural job loss.

Individuals and organizations need to acknowledge, understand, and ultimately embrace this fundamental change in our working lives.  This change is so foundational that it will literally be "sink or swim" for many people.

Over the last twenty plus years we have seen the change from long-term employee/employer relationships, to a more transient work life, and now to the rise of the 'contractor'.  The contractor isn't an employee, but they do all the things that a traditional employee would do without the real and perceived benefits of being an employee.

The NY Times had an article on this very topic a few weeks back - In Job Market Shift, Some Workers Are Left behind.

As this change gathers steam, organizations can minimize the negative impact on individuals and the organization by working at leveraging the collective knowledge of their employees, contractors, consultants and customers.  This can be accomplished by providing processes that enhance knowledge flow, technology that facilitates both knowledge capture and reuse, and developing work environments that encourage greater interaction and a sense of belonging.

 

Passion, Curiosity, Learning

If you have never read the book "Hackers" (Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution) by Steven Levy I highly recommend it.  Originally published in 1984 it describes the passion and insatiable curiosity of the pioneers of the personal computer.

[amtap amazon:asin=0141000511]

Now, 25 years on, Levy revisits the "hackers" and how they have changed the world.  Lest you think otherwise, a hacker is someone good, not a rogue criminal as used by the news media.

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/04/ff_hackers/

"...hacking’s values aren’t threatened by business — they have conquered business. Seat-of-the-pants problem-solving. Decentralized decision making. Emphasizing quality of work over quality of wardrobe. These are all hacker ideals, and they have all infiltrated the working world."

The same values described in the quote above from Steven Levy embody the same purity, freshness and altruistic vision that the early Knowledge Management community embodied.  KM, just like the term Hacker was misappropriated and exploited to sell product.  It is OK to make money via KM, but when the outcome becomes all about money and not value creation, that is where I believe a line has been crossed.

As practicioners of KM we should constantly be learning.  Our passion and curiosity should drive us to be leaders within our organizations, to help make connections that generate and add value personally and professionally.

 

Generational Shift

There has been lots of conversations lately about generational shifts in communication methods.  This presentation from Dr. Pete Markiewicz is very informative.  The communication methods and approaches to work will become more evident as Millennials make their way deeper into the global workforce.

The Millennial Generation, technology and work


There are those that cross the generational boundaries of communication.  As an example I would fall into what the presentation terms GenX but many of my communications modes are "Millennial".  I am adapting, sometimes slower than my children would like, but I am adapting.  There are those that have no interest or even understanding that they need to adapt.  Not just adapt to survive, but adapt so that there is a cross generational polination of ideas and knowledge transfer.

[amtap book:isbn=0971260605]

Informal Learning

Check out Jay's book, [amtap book:isbn=0787981699]

Good Reading

Check out two really good books from Jay Cross of internettime.com fame.

I was spending some time catching up on my reading tonight and realized I had not plugged a couple of really good books from Jay Cross at Internet Time.  The first book is Informal Learning and the second is Implementing E-Learning.  Check them out, I think you will find either of them incredibly valuable.

I first met Jay several years back at the S.F. Bay Area Knowledge Management Roundtable that I led.  Jay has some incredible insights into not only KM but e-learning.� You will want to read both of these books.  You can find links to Amazon in the Reading section of KM News.