Welcome
Welcome to the
latest issue of Bringing Work to Life.
We explored
the following topics in the past twelve issues (all newsletters are
available at
www.elsdon.com/newsletters.htm):
o
Career transformation (Fourth Quarter 2008)
o
Career interdependence (Third Quarter 2008)
o
Demystifying workforce metrics (Second Quarter 2008)
o
Transforming a Human Resources (HR) career (First Quarter 2008)
o
Stewardship and governance (November/December 2007)
o
Finding the peaks (September/October 2007)
o
Career plateaus – what to do about them (July/August 2007)
o
Workforce planning (May/June 2007)
o
Assessing your organization (March/April 2007)
o
Individual change (January/February 2007)
o
Guiding organizational change (November/December 2006)
o
One to one (September/October 2006)
In this issue
we address “Handling Upheaval.”
Handling Upheaval
I remember well our moving from the U.K. to the
U.S. many years ago, just out of college, landing on a Chicago evening
when the temperature at O’Hare airport was about minus ten degrees
Fahrenheit. We came with two suitcases, all the possessions we could
carry. It was sight unseen for us, our first trip to the U.S., knowing
nobody in the country. We were welcomed warmly by new colleagues from
the company I joined. All went well, when suddenly, a few days later,
we discovered that the shipping company moving our remaining (meager)
possessions had declared bankruptcy. It took nine months for our
belongings to come out of receivership. And when they finally arrived
we realized that we didn’t need them. Those two suitcases held more than
we needed, though probably not more than we wanted. And so, now, more
than thirty years later the financial system within which we work and
live, almost collapsed. And many of us now face upheaval perhaps
adjusting to reduced circumstances, perhaps adjusting to job loss. It’s
a time to think about what’s really needed in those suitcases in the
midst of upheaval.
First let’s distinguish upheaval from change.
Upheaval is defined as “strong or violent change or disturbance, as in a
society.” On the other hand the act of change is defined as “to
transform or convert.” Our challenge and opportunity is to move from
upheaval to change. As we explored in the January/February 2007 issue
of Bringing Work to Life, external change leads to an extended internal
transition. This contains the seeds of transformation, a subject we
explored in our last (fourth quarter 2008) issue of Bringing Work to
Life. What can we understand about upheaval to harness it as a
foundation for positive transformation?
Let’s look at different forms of upheaval, focusing
on career aspects. The following figure has two dimensions:
·
Whether upheaval is expected or unexpected
·
Whether upheaval comes from inside (internal) or outside
ourselves (external)
In the upper right, a frequent response to
unexpected, external upheaval is a reactive, instinctive survival
response. For example, in responding to suddenly losing a job many
conserve on spending and focus on securing a new position, while feeling
frightened and angry. It is hard to make, good long term decisions
while feeling panicked. If upheaval is internal but unexpected as shown
in the lower right of the figure, for example when confronting a new
health challenge such as losing mobility due to an injury that affects
work, we may integrate a new lifestyle to nurture and sustain
ourselves. While this may be a source of sustenance, it may also cause
us to retrench. Emotions can extend from deep concern to a growing
awareness of new parts of an emerging self.
When upheaval is internal and expected as shown in
the lower left of the figure, the experience can be transformative. For
example, this may follow the pursuit of an educational qualification and
a corresponding new body of knowledge that we are ready to express.
Exhilaration and anticipation frequently accompany such a shift.
Finally when upheaval is external and expected as shown in the upper
left of the figure, we can plan a path forward. The closure of a
facility with much advanced notice allows for planning an inevitable
transition. While fear and anger may surface, so may anticipation of
potentially exciting and new opportunities.
Navigating through upheaval so that it becomes
transformative means making decisions that are well informed, that take
account of current circumstances and that recognize long term meaning.
Such decisions are most compromised when we are vulnerable and
reactive. When we listen to our calling, which can become present in
upheaval, we can find seeds of transformation that energize, enable and
open new horizons.
How can we access these new horizons? Particularly
when under stress. Let’s take one example, that of job transition. The
following figure explores potential job transitions looking both from
the perspective of function/position and industry/environment,
considering staying with the current or moving to the new in each case.
The easiest job transition is into the current
sector and current type of position. Here others can readily see our
potential contribution. By nurturing and maintaining our network we can
be well prepared to engage with a supportive community that can assist
with this transition. There may be barriers to such movement such as
the short term demise of a given sector. Then taking demonstrated
functional skills to a new sector (lower right quadrant) offers much
potential, again working with our community.
Another immediately accessible option, provided the
sector is not deteriorating dramatically, is moving to a new position in
the same sector (the upper left quadrant). This may require additional
education. Such education is likely a fundamental need in the fourth
type of job transition, the upper right quadrant, to a new position in a
new sector. While this is likely a transformative experience, positive
transformation can infuse any of the four job transition paths.
We are ever more likely to encounter external
upheaval in the future as events in one place are intimately
interconnected with events in many places. What was local is now
global. We are interdependent on both an individual and a community
level. We have seen it in financial markets and we see it in the
decisions within multi-national organizations.
Here are some suggested steps to deal with upheaval
from a career perspective:
In such a path it is possible to transform upheaval
to hope, reaching for a calling that otherwise might be hidden.
The Economic Precipice
It is perhaps not surprising that those economic
policies of the recent past, which have led to income inequality
equaling that of the 1920s, just before the great depression (as shown
in the following figure), have brought us to a similar economic
precipice.
Source: Sam Pizzigati, Institute for Policy
Studies, Washington D.C., June 2008
Laboring under the euphemism of trickle-down
economics we have systematically transferred wealth from the poorest in
our society to the richest. This violates a fundamental ethical premise
of most major ethical systems. There is a reason for the existence of
these ethical principles as they support the growth and vitality of a
healthy society.
The following figure shows one consequence of our
slowing economy, a rapidly escalating unemployment rate:
Source: BLS News, 12/5/2008
When we also factor in those part-time workers who
want full-time jobs (“involuntary” part-time workers) and jobless
workers who want a job but are not actively seeking employment
(“marginally attached workers”) we find that the total number of people
who were underemployed in September 2008, exceeded 17 million people,
11% of the workforce, a 14 year high, as shown in the following figure.
This is before the effect of the latest economic meltdown.
Source, Economic Policy
Institute Snapshot, 10/15/2008
Another measure of changing circumstances comes
from comparing the number of unemployed workers with the number of job
openings as shown in the next figure.
Economic Policy Institute Snapshot, 9/17/2008
By July 2008 we reached a high of 2.6 workers per
job opening as shown in the following two figures. We are early in the
early stage of a trend that suggests the ratio will move much higher.
Economic Policy Institute Snapshot, 9/17/2008
This is driven by a trend of declining hiring rates
as follows:
Source: BLS News, 12/9/2008
The slight drop in the separations rate (which
includes voluntary separations, layoffs/discharges and other separations
such as retirements) reflects the growing challenge people face in
changing jobs voluntarily in a slowing economy. However, an emerging
offset is a steep increase in layoffs as shown in the next figure:
Source: B.L.S. News 11/21/2008
The spike in September 2005 is due to Hurricane
Katrina.
We have been tracking the relationship between
annual change in unemployment rate and annual change in real gross
domestic product (GDP) per capita as shown in the next figure:
The black diamonds show actual data from 1947 to
2000. The solid line is a best fit to these 53 years of historical
data. The purple squares are observed data points since 2000. Fallout
from the awful events of 9/11/2001 is seen in a disproportionately high
unemployment rate in 2002. Otherwise subsequent data points track the
historical trend line well. As we move into a recession and GDP growth
slows more we can expect to see increased unemployment as we move to the
left in the figure. This speaks to the importance of effective economic
stimulus to minimize the decline in economic growth. The following
figure shows the influence of various potential stimulus approaches:
From Economic Policy Institute Snapshot,
10/22/2008
We come full circle to recognizing the fundamental
principle of supporting all in our society, not simply the wealthy and
powerful. Additional spending on food stamps, extending unemployment
benefits and infrastructure spending are the most potent stimulus
approaches. Actions such as making the Bush income tax permanent are
relatively inconsequential. Let us hope the new dawn that began on
November 4 in the U.S. will open a path based on our ethical, human and
social responsibilities. In doing so we will secure a better future for
all.
Quotes
“When someone deeply listens to you
your bare feet are on the earth
and a beloved land that seemed distant
is now at home within you.”
John Fox, from When Someone Deeply Listens to You
“We can make our minds so like still water
that beings gather about us that they may see,
it may be, their own images,
and so live for a moment with a clearer,
perhaps even with a fiercer life
because of our quiet.”
William Butler Yeats, from Earth, Fire and Water
Both quotes are from Leading from Within, Edited by
Sam Intrator and Megan Scribner.
Elsdon Organizational Renewal (EOR) Recent Mentions
·
Reviews of
“Affiliation in the Workplace: Value Creation in the New
Organization.” Ron Elsdon. Praeger, Westport, CT (2003)
o
Harvard
Business School
·
HBS Working Knowledge: Organizations
o
Global Diversity Institute
·
Global Diversity Institute - The Journal of Diversity Praxis
o
Journal of Asian Economics
·
ScienceDirect - Journal of Asian Economics : Ron Elsdon, Affiliation in
the Workplace: Value Creation in the New Organization, Praeger
Publishers, Westport, CT (2003) 280 pp. (hardcover), ISBN 1-56720-436-8,
$49.95.
o
Greenwood Publishing Group
·
Affiliation in the Workplace — www.greenwood.com
·
Chapter titled
“How Can You Grow Your Practice with Purpose?” in National Career
Development Association Monograph, “Starting and Growing a Business in
the New Economy” Edited by Sally Gelardin, 2007
·
Webcast for
Human Capital Institute (and associated white paper)
o
Building Workforce Affiliation to Keep Your Best and Brightest Talent
·
http://www.humancapitalinstitute.org/hci/research_community_product.guid;jsessionid=8C417EAC34880D6A38E82D4FBE2598C4?_webcastID=74366
·
Recorded
Webinar for Project Management Institute
o
“Becoming Career Fit in Turbulent Times”
·
http://pmi-issig.org/Default.aspx?tabid=319
·
“Building a
Strong Workforce Through Affiliation.” Chapter 26 in “On Staffing:
Advice and Perspectives from HR Leaders.” Eds. Nicholas Burkholder et
al, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken NJ (2004)
o
http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0471410691,descCd-tableOfContents.html
·
“The Growing
Divide Calls for Advocacy.”
o
Article in March, 2007, NCDA Career Convergence magazine
·
http://209.235.208.145/cgi-bin/WebSuite/tcsAssnWebSuite.pl?Action=DisplayNewsDetails&RecordID=947&Sections=&IncludeDropped=1&AssnID=NCDA&DBCode=130285
·
“Reaching for
Our Deep Gladness”
o
Article in May, 2005, NCDA Career Convergence magazine
·
http://209.235.208.145/cgi-bin/WebSuite/tcsAssnWebSuite.pl?Action=DisplayNewsDetails&RecordID=625&Sections=6&IncludeDropped=&AssnID=NCDA&DBCode=130285
·
Mention in
article on cost of turnover
o
East
Bay Business Times, April 2005
·
Turnover costs exceed employers' estimates - 2005-04-25
·
“Worklife
Survival: Finding a Fit”
o
Article for HR West, February 2005 (Northern California Human Resource
Association)
·
http://www.nchra.org/StaticContent/Download/EXT0205007.pdf
·
Interview in
the education field “Affiliation as a Unifying Principle in Education”
o
Career Pro News
·
Affiliation and Education
·
MBTI Step II
workshop
o
CCDA News, April 2005
·
Local Chapter News
·
Review of ICDC
Global Issues Forum
o
CCDA, January 2005
·
ICDC Global Issues Forum
About EOR: Our Value Contribution
We enhance
your workforce, leadership and organization by:
·
Using
proprietary approaches to understand workforce and leadership challenges
·
Creating
tailored action plans and solutions to strengthen workforce and
leadership practices
·
Building
individual capabilities and contributions
We enable you
to focus on external results and building value, confident that your
organization and leadership are operating at peak effectiveness.
Our Mission
To support
your organization by enhancing performance, productivity and
effectiveness through revitalized workforce relationships and leadership
practices.
Our Approach and Values
We tailor our engagements to the needs of each organization with a
process designed to surface critical issues, identify root causes, build
effective solutions, monitor progress and implement.
With a scope that ranges from system and organizational interventions to
work with individuals, our focus is on the heart of the relationship
among the individual, the organization and the community. We believe
that organizational and community prosperity are built on enabling each
person to fulfill his or her potential.
Our Services
We work with
individuals and groups in your organization to drive performance and
development for both the short and long term. As a result people will
choose to work in your organization and will prosper there.
We bring
solutions when you need to:
·
Reverse
declining revenues and performance
·
Revitalize
your workforce
·
Stem the loss
of key talent
·
Redirect your
organization to new areas
·
Stop losing
customers or market share
·
Penetrate new
markets
·
Combat
aggressive competitors
·
Handle major
change
·
Break down
communication barriers
·
Energize your
leadership team
·
Successfully
build on an acquisition or merger
Our
proprietary services include:
·
On-site career
services that support the development of your workforce, build strength
in depth, increase individual fulfillment and affiliation, and
accelerate productivity growth
o
On site career counseling
o
Individual and group delivery
o
Metrics to guide on-going system enhancement
o
Integrated with the needs of your organization
·
State-of-the-art tools to take the pulse of your organization and then
move to action
o
Web enabled systems
o
Experts to gather and analyze information, moving your organization to
action
·
Individual
leadership coaching to give you world class leadership capabilities
o
Leaders who know themselves and their aspirations, build their
capabilities and become catalysts developing others
·
Workshops to
build interpersonal skills in your organization so that:
o
Communication is timely, concise, accurate and personal
o
People listen to each other
o
Negotiations are quick and effective
o
Differences create rather than destroy value
o
Teams move forward, get results and quickly commercialize new products
and services
o
People understand and link their motivations to your organizational
needs
o
Your teams understand what it takes to create a committed, energized
workforce
o
People use their time well
·
Systems that
make it easy to drive performance and build capabilities by:
o
Linking objectives throughout the organization
o
Strengthening key competencies
o
Making sure you have the bench strength where and when you need it
o
Giving people tools to take charge of their own careers and development
and have a major long term influence on your organization
·
Proprietary
simulation and modeling techniques that let you explore how to maximize
the value of your workforce
o
Move from guessing what might happen to looking in depth at the
financial impact of different approaches
