Off With Their Titles!
Today’s organizational principles are based on the idea that the workforce is shaped like a pyramid, with many young people at the base, a medium number of mid-career workers in the middle, and fewer older workers at the top. In reality, the workforce is beginning to look more like a rectangle with nearly the same number of workers at each life stage, writes Tamara J. Erickson, president of nGenera Innovation Network in the journal People & Strategy.
Given this reality, Erickson asks a number of provocative questions regarding organizational design:
Is it time to redesign career paths for lateral moves, with less dependence on promotion? Tie variety, recognition, learning, and compensation to the development of capabilities that are not necessarily related to hierarchy.
Do we need titles and, if so, for what purpose? Titles that clarify the function a person performs are essential; titles that recognize movement up the org chart are less so.
Does a career need to be continuous and linear? Provide employees with the opportunity to leave and re-enter the workforce.
How long should we expect people to stay in one job or even in one company? Redesign jobs to accommodate frequent movement and short tenures per role.
Should we redefine work in terms of tasks rather than time? Have employees put in only as much time as it actually takes to get the work done, and remove the need to keep regular hours or show up at the office each day.
How can you ensure employees are choosing you? Find ways to let prospective employees understand for themselves what it is like to work in your organization, and then encourage the prospective employee to evaluate the fit.
Redesigning Your Organization for the Future of Work, by Tamara J. Erickson; People & Strategy (Human Resource Planning Society, Vol. 31, Issue 4)
Email me for a copy of this paper: Alan [at] AlanMorantz.com
photo credit: Engin Erdogan