Business talk

Many people working in large companies speak business-buzzwords as a second language. Business language is full of pretty meaningless words. I Don’t Understand What Anyone Is Saying Anymore article tells that the language of internet business models has made the problem even worse. There are several strains of this epidemic: We have forgotten how to use the real names of real things, acronymitis, and Meaningless Expressions (like “Our goal is to exceed the customer’s expectation”). This would all be funny if it weren’t true. Observe it, deconstruct it, and appreciate just how ridiculous most business conversation has become.

Check out this brilliant Web Economy Bullshit Generator page. It generates random bullshit text based on the often used words in business language. And most of the material it generates look something you would expect from IT executives and their speechwriters (those are randomly generated with Web Economy Bullshit Generator):

“scale viral web services”
“integrate holistic mindshare”
“transform back-end solutions”
“incentivize revolutionary portals”
“synergize out-of-the-box platforms”
“enhance world-class schemas”
“aggregate revolutionary paradigms”
“enable cross-media relationships”

How to talk like a CIO article tries to tell how do CIOs talk, and what do they talk about, and why they do it like they do it. It sometimes makes sense to analyze the speaking and comportment styles of the people who’ve already climbed the corporate ladder if you want to do the same.

The Most Annoying, Pretentious And Useless Business Jargon article tells that the stupid business talk is longer solely the province of consultants, investors and business-school types, this annoying gobbledygook has mesmerized the rank and file around the globe. The next time you feel the need to reach out, touch base, shift a paradigm, leverage a best practice or join a tiger team, by all means do it. Just don’t say you’re doing it. If you have to ask why, chances are you’ve fallen under the poisonous spell of business jargon. Jargon masks real meaning. The Most Annoying, Pretentious And Useless Business Jargon article has a cache of expressions to assiduously avoid (if you look out you will see those used way too many times in business documents and press releases).

Is Innovation the Most Abused Word In Business? article tells that most of what is called innovation today is mere distraction, according to a paper by economist Robert Gordon. Innovation is the most abused word in tech. The iPad is about as innovative as the toaster. You can still read books without an iPad, and you can still toast bread without a toaster. True innovation radically alters the way we interact with the world. But in tech, every little thing is called “innovative.” If you were to believe business grads then “innovation” includes their “ideas” along the lines of “a website like *only better*” or “that thing which everyone is already doing but which I think is my neat new idea” Whether or not the word “innovation” has become the most abused word in the business context, that remains to be seen. “Innovation” itself has already been abused by the patent trolls.

Using stories to catch ‘smart-talk’ article tells that smart-talk is information without understanding, theory without practice – ‘all mouth and no trousers’, as the old aphorism puts it. It’s all too common amongst would-be ‘experts’ – and likewise amongst ‘rising stars’ in management and elsewhere. He looks the part; he knows all the right buzzwords; he can quote chapter-and-verse from all the best-known pundits and practitioners. But is it all just empty ‘smart-talk’? Even if unintentional on their part, people who indulge in smart-talk can be genuinely dangerous. They’ll seem plausible enough at first, but in reality they’ll often know just enough to get everyone into real trouble, but not enough to get out of it again. Smart-talk is the bane of most business – and probably of most communities too. So what can we do to catch it?

2,693 Comments

  1. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Elon Musk kysyy jokaisessa työhaastattelussa saman kysymyksen – karsii valehtelijat tehokkaasti https://www.is.fi/taloussanomat/art-2000007777573.html

    ”Kerro minulle vaikeimmista kohtaamistasi ongelmista ja kuinka ratkaisit ne”.

    Reply
  2. Tomi Engdahl says:

    The $225,000 Selling Mistake Most Salespeople Make
    https://www.membrain.com/blog/the-225000-selling-mistake-most-salespeople-make?utm_content=152888298&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&hss_channel=fbp-193082674075165&fbclid=IwAR2d8XS69wVIIHzaE8AYJVg1iCtkyzFbzxjSBcHyt6Sr0p1bQ-lW19PYN_4

    I’m going to share the story of a real salesperson and his current, real opportunity, but change the names of everyone involved. I hear stories like this every day but this particular one happens way too often.

    Reply
  3. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Ben Thompson / Stratechery:
    Jeff Bezos departs as perhaps the best CEO in tech history, having created three huge businesses: Amazon.com, AWS, and Amazon’s marketplace/fulfillment services

    The Relentless Jeff Bezos
    https://stratechery.com/2021/the-relentless-jeff-bezos/

    Reply
  4. Tomi Engdahl says:

    “Työelämän bändit tuntuvat luonnostaa kasaantuvan niin, että markkinoinnin tyypit soittavat omassa bändissään ja myynti omassaan, puhumattakaan IT:n progebändistä jota kumpikaan edellä oleva ei tajua alkuunkaan. En usko, että näin toimimalla rakennetaan parasta bändiä.”

    Näin kirjoittaa DNA:n laajakaista ja TV -liiketoiminnan johtaja Jarno Haikonen tiimityön tärkeyttä syväluotaavassa blogissaan. Lue lisää linkin takaa!

    ”Parempi rohkeasti metsään kuin arasti p*skaa” ­– Bändi ratkaisee, tuleeko tuutista onnistumisia vai jotain sinne päin
    https://www.dna.fi/blogi/-/blogs/-parempi-rohkeasti-metsaan-kuin-arasti-p-skaa-bandi-ratkaisee-tuleeko-tuutista-onnistumisia-vai-jotain-sinne-pain?fbclid=IwAR3DRXmmYdEa5wruvM2CNAQ7OPPMKU_ELmbAj0ZMT5ODEdAYUsRA5AjeEpo

    ”Hyvä ei synny yksittäisistä onnenkantamoisista vaan pitkäjänteisestä ja tavoitteellisesta tekemisestä. Väitän että tällaisen tekemisen taustalla on kolme tärkeää kokonaisuutta, joita kutsun johtamisen kolmeksi T:ksi – Tiimi, Tarina ja Tekemisen tapa. Ajattelin kirjoittaa kevään aikana näistä kaikista kolmesta, mutta aloitetaan tärkeimmästä, eli tiimistä”, kirjoittaa DNA:n laajakaista ja TV -liiketoiminnan johtaja Jarno Haikonen blogissaan.

    Reply
  5. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Miltä näyttää maailma työpaikkojen jälkeen?
    https://www.dna.fi/yrityksille/blogi/-/blogs/milta-nayttaa-maailma-tyopaikkojen-jalkeen?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=linkad&utm_content=artikkeli_milta_nayttaa_maailma_tyopaikkojen_jalkeen&utm_campaign=all_kampanja_trendit2021_21&fbclid=IwAR0ErhbczglEogMU3b-0gpmZPGAwFuNlqp4Tq9vARm5pLeaVKtgOIUC7A34

    Futurologien tehtävä on visioida, millainen tulevaisuus voisi olla – eli kuvitella mahdotonta ja alkaa tehdä siitä totta jo tänään. Tavoitteena on nähdä tulevaisuus ja yrittää ymmärtää sitä. Maailma muuttuu tällä hetkellä ennennäkemätöntä vauhtia, ja edessä on dramaattisia muutoksia, joita aiheuttavat esimerkiksi ikääntyvä yhteiskunta, tekoäly ja ilmastonmuutos. Miltä näyttää huomisen työ, vai onko työtä enää silloin olemassa?

    Reply
  6. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Lakkaa ideoimasta – ratko esteitä
    https://www.sunprofile.fi/lakkaa-ideoimasta-ratko-esteita/

    Luovan ajattelun tuloksena on syntynyt käyttöömme toinen toistaan hienompia ratkaisuja helpottamaan arkea. Suunnittelijoiden ja tuotekehittäjien on täytynyt asettua Pelle Pelottoman rooliin monta kertaa. Ideointi ja parannusehdotusten käsittely on tuttua kaikilla aloilla. Työtä kehitetään ideoiden ja aloitteiden kautta. Leanin kahdeksan hukkaa selventää asioita ja ilmiöitä, jotka eivät tuota arvoa ja jalosta asiakkaan tilausta eteenpäin. Ideointi ilman päämäärää voi olla hukkaa, jota on joskus vaikeampi tunnistaa. Tunnistamalla oikeat esteet parannustoimet saadaan kohdistettua oikeisiin asioihin.

    Reply
  7. Tomi Engdahl says:

    How Great Leaders Bring Out Others’ Self-Confidence
    https://www.forbes.com/sites/georgebradt/2019/11/05/how-great-leaders-bring-out-others-self-confidence/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Malorie

    Leaders inspire and enable others to do their absolute best together to realize a meaningful and rewarding shared purpose. Great leaders add bringing out others’ self-confidence by emphasizing confidence-building in their approach to the direction, authority, resource, and accountability aspects of delegation.

    “They can because they think they can.” – Virgil

    Why people follow leaders – John Maxwell in “The 5 Levels of Leadership”

    5 – PINNACLE – Respect – Who you are and what you represent.

    4 – PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT – Reproduction – What you have done for them.

    3 – PRODUCTION – Results – What you have done for the organization.

    2 – PERMISSION – Relationships – They want to.

    1 – POSITION – Rights – They have to.

    Bring out self-confidence in others by adding an emphasis on confidence-building to the way you delegate and trust across 1) direction, 2) bounded authority, 3) resources, and 4) accountability.

    Direction. Providing direction helps others follow. Start with the problem you need solved or the opportunity you can take advantage of. Be clear on the objective – what they should accomplish. Then, let them determine how to get it done. Finally, bring out their self-confidence by empowering them to do it their way within appropriate guidelines or strategic boundaries.

    Authority. It’s counter-intuitive to some, but bounded authority is more confidence-building than is blanket authority. Strategic boundaries for tactical decisions give people confidence in their ability to make those tactical decisions without worrying about others second-guessing them.

    Resources. A big part of how is resources. Instead of giving them the resources you think they need, ask them what they think they need and then help them assemble those resources or make things work with the resources available.

    Accountability. The key here is assuming success. Have confidence in the people to whom you delegate. Show them your confidence in them and in their approach. Recognize and reward them for their achievements at milestone steps along the way to bring out their self-confidence.

    Reply
  8. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Before the pandemic, 20% of workers worked from home all or most of the time. As of late 2020, more than 70% of workers were doing all or most of their job from home.

    The Post-Coronavirus Workplace: What The ‘New Normal’ May Look Like
    http://on.forbes.com/6183HiJuh

    When we finally get through the coronavirus pandemic, what will the “new normal” look like when it comes to how we work? More specifically, what changes did we see in 2020 that are likely to stick around for the foreseeable future? And despite all these changes, what employment issues or concerns are we still going to worry about even if the coronavirus is no longer a threat?

    One of the biggest changes has to be the dramatic increase in remote work. Before the pandemic, 20% of workers worked from home all or most of the time. As of late 2020, more than 70% of workers were doing all or most of their job from home. 

    But this doesn’t necessarily mean the new normal will include as many people working from home or that this number will continue to rise. One reason for this is because many workers would prefer a hybrid working arrangement where they can work at home and an office.

    Reply
  9. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Pelkäätkö turhautumista? Niin kannattaakin!

    Turhautuminen on salakavala työntekoon vaikuttava tunne. Kaikki ei ole hyvin, muttet oikein tiedä mistä kiikastaa. Nykytilanteesi ei tarjoa sitä, mitä oikeasti haluat. Tiedät, että kaikki ei ole ok, muttet tiedä miksi. Työ ei enää tunnu mielekkäältä, ja alat epäillä onko toiminnallasi enää merkitystä.
    Turhautuminen tulee aluksi melko huomaamatta, ja ihminen itse ei välttämättä edes huomaa sitä. Ärtymys, ilottomuus ja tosikkomaisuus peittyvät kovan työnteon alle. Haitalliset vaikutukset näkyvät aluksi lähinnä lähipiirille ja kollegoille.

    Turhautuminen pohjautuu usein vertailemiseen. Vertaat aikaisempaan tilanteeseesi, jolloin koit työn iloa ja toiminnallasi oli merkitystä. Koit kuuluvasi yhteisöön ja täytit siellä oman paikkasi.

    Vertailet myös muihin ihmisiin, erityisesti heihin, joilla näyttää menevän hyvin. Sosiaalinen media on vaaran paikka, jos turhautuminen on saamassa sinusta otteen. Sosiaalisen median käyttäjä löytää koko ajan referenssipisteitä ja vertailukohtia, joilla selvästi menee paremmin kuin itsellä. Ei tarvitse seurata näitä referenssipisteitä kauaa ennen kuin oma tilanne alkaa tuntua surkealta.

    Turhautuminen nostaa päätään erityisesti silloin, kun koemme, ettemme pysty vaikuttamaan omaan tilanteeseemme. Päätökset tehdään muualla, eikä meitä kuunnella. Tilanne muuttuu koko ajan monimutkaisemmaksi, ja ikävä tunne voimistuu. Yritämme kovasti kontrolloida tapahtumia, mutta hallitsemattomuus johtaa vähitellen voimattomuuteen.
    Vaikeinta on turhautumisen epämääräisyys. Kyseessä on tunne, johon on vaikea saada otetta, eikä meillä ei ole perinteisesti ollut keinoja tunteiden ymmärtämiseen saati käsittelyyn. Onneksi löytyy yksinkertaisia keinoja ottaa ensimmäisiä askeleita ahdingosta ulos.

    Lue lisää keinoista
    https://www.torfinnslaen.com/ahaa

    Reply
  10. Tomi Engdahl says:

    8 Essential Skills of an Effective Facilitator (and How to Improve Them!)
    https://workshopper.com/post/facilitation-skills?utm_campaign=Cold-traffic-TIER2-0221&utm_source=fb&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=Cold-traffic-TOP-0221-CONT-facilitation-skills&utm_term=Cold-traffic-TIER2-0221-LAL&ad_id=23846994281990040&fbclid=IwAR1lrEsDJ3-EZAl86eqo6xhBFVzuhtoyPVYOxpt3C0eris_V_gF5t689alE

    Having a skilled, effective facilitator guide a meeting or a workshop can make a world of difference to the meeting’s outcomes and team’s efficiency! A skilled facilitator can get a group to focus on the challenge at hand and help them make better decisions faster.

    Best of all, anyone can become a great facilitator if they have the right tools, techniques, and skills down.

    Reply
  11. Tomi Engdahl says:

    KUN KAIPAAT MUUTOSTA TYÖHÖSI, MUTTET TIEDÄ MITEN SEN TEKISIT

    IHMEELLINEN AHAA-KÄYRÄ JA KOLME MINITYÖKALUA

    KOKENEEN YRITYSVALMENTAJAN ENSIAPU, KUN TARVITSET HELPOTUSTA EPÄVARMUUDEN, TURHAUTUMISEN TAI RIITTÄMÄTTÖMYYDEN TUNTEESEEN.
    https://www.torfinnslaen.com/ahaa?fbclid=IwAR3ZuqmGGph940XbJVX9OwXs91T4Zg2mnqPGNb6ciW1IlHt-R2ROlZWrixQ

    Reply
  12. Tomi Engdahl says:

    What can Star Wars teach us about emotional intelligence?
    Managing emotions is something many of us have done plenty of over the last 12 months. But how can we increase our emotional intelligence (EI) and be in complete control of our emotions? For starters, don’t be like a Jedi…
    https://www.ericsson.com/en/blog/2021/2/star-wars-emotional-intelligence

    Reply
  13. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Examining the ‘pipeline problem’
    AI Now researcher analyzes the history behind the excuse for the lack of diversity in tech
    https://techcrunch.com/2021/02/14/examining-the-pipeline-problem/

    Reply
  14. Tomi Engdahl says:

    The Positive Impact of Sharing Negative Emotions
    When we share common anger with someone, we’re fostering a sense of safety and community.
    https://psiloveyou.xyz/the-positive-impact-of-sharing-negative-emotions-57699f6daa82

    Reply
  15. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Oletko joskus kokenut olevasi epäpätevä, tai jopa huijari? Lue Arton tuorein blogi siitä miten ohjelmistotuotanto ja huijarisyndrooma liittyvät toisiinsa ja miten voit oppia päihittämään näitä tuntemuksia.

    Generalist Specialization and The Impostor Syndrome
    https://dev.solita.fi/2021/02/12/generalist-specialization-and-the-impostor-syndrome.html?utm_medium=paidsocial&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=fi-dev-arto-blogi-2-2021&fbclid=IwAR0zD9fY4EQK6tG-waHaWltxR-o4hyqA9lIPnf6ARH5rh1NxrVuBiYPMmoI

    I don’t know how to do this. This is all too overwhelming. Why did I want to do this? Everybody else knows what they are doing. They will soon discover how out of my league I am here.

    Sound familiar? Maybe not. Not everyone suffers from Impostor Syndrome. But it is quite common in our field of work. I’ve had those thoughts myself, and many times have also seen others go through moments like this. It’s not typically a permanent condition, but join me for a bit and let’s talk about it.

    Why do we feel like impostors?
    Creating quality software in 2021 is hard. There are so many facets to consider in addition to just writing the code.

    Reply
  16. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Tulevaisuudessa entistä suurempi osa tekee hybridityötä
    https://www.dna.fi/fi/yrityksille/blogi/-/blogs/tulevaisuudessa-entista-suurempi-osa-tekee-hybridityota?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=linkad&utm_content=artikkeli_tulevaisuudessa_entista_suurempi_osa_tekee_hybridityota&utm_campaign=all_kampanja_trendit2021_21&fbclid=IwAR3jHtiHE6Hwoj_K1bLy–wdl_nGwuAX3veVVNa_FZ4KQJ2_NEJtCN6cjkQ

    Tapamme tehdä työtä oli murroksessa jo ennen koronapandemiaa, mutta kulunut vuosi on kiihdyttänyt tätä muutosta entisestään. Monissa yrityksissä oltiin jo pitkällä modernien työvälineiden hyödyntämisessä siinä missä osassa niitä lähdettiin kiireen vilkkaan opiskelemaan kevään mittaan. Tällä kaikella on myös vaikutuksia, jotka näkyvät konkreettisesti tulevaisuuden työssämme.

    Reply
  17. Tomi Engdahl says:

    For parents, workplace flexibility might mean a midday run, so evenings can be spent with their children. For others, it could simply be taking an hour in the afternoon to go to a yoga class and recharge. To see what this looks like for your employees, you may need to throw out the rulebook.

    What PwC Learned from Its Policy of Flexible Work for Everyone
    https://hbr.org/2019/01/what-pwc-learned-from-its-policy-of-flexible-work-for-everyone?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=hbr&utm_source=facebook&tpcc=orgsocial_edit

    Our company has come a long way over the past decade by truly instilling a culture of flexibility across the firm. We now have the ability to work in a way that fits our personal lives and, if that means taking an early morning video call at home in our sweatpants, then so be it.

    You need to toss out the rule book. To build a culture of flexibility, you must first reimagine what flexibility means today. Remember, to create behavior change, you need to allow for variance and creativity and agility. In other words, be “flexible” when creating a flexibility culture. A policy guide or a formal program can work against you. It seems counterintuitive, but having rules in place actually hinders the development of a truly authentic culture. At PwC, we loosely call it “everyday flexibility.” It isn’t something we mandate that all teams adopt; it’s a mentality and a way of life that should be individualized for each person.

    Everyone deserves the same degree of flexibility. Flexibility is not related to a generational need. Every employee, at any age, benefits from and is looking for its availability. A culture of flexibility will not be created, adopted, or embraced unless the origination stems from an understanding and belief that every single person in the organization deserves the same consideration and flex work policies.

    When it comes to flexibility, trust is not earned. It is not uncommon for managers to tell me that they believe in allowing employees to work flexibly, if and only when they’ve been with the firm a certain amount of time and earned that trust. This is when I remind people that we place our trust in employees from the moment they start working for us, so why wouldn’t that same theory apply when it comes to flexibility? If you trust an individual enough that you hired them to join your organization, you also should trust them to get the work done when and where they prefer, as long as they meet deadlines. I challenge all managers to take this approach.

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  18. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Kuinka edetä yrityksen perustamisen jälkeen, osa 1
    https://talented.fi/fi/blog/kuinka-edeta-yrityksen-perustamisen-jalkeen-osa-1/

    Kuinka turvata oma toimeentulo yritystoiminnan alkuvaiheessa? Mitä kannattaa ulkoistaa varmistaaksesi lain puitteissa toimimisen? Entä milloin ja miten YEL pitää hankkia? Yrityksen perustamisen jälkeen on liuta toimenpiteitä, jotka täytyy tai kannattaa tehdä. Tämä juttusarja toimii hyvänä muistilistana kyseisistä asioista. Ensimmäisestä osasta löydät vastaukset muun muassa edellä mainittuihin kysymyksiin.

    Reply
  19. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Women in business: What we can learn from Hilda Ericsson
    https://www.ericsson.com/en/blog/2020/8/what-we-can-learn-from-hilda-ericsson

    This month marks Hilda Ericsson’s 160th birthday. As wife to LM Ericsson, the company’s founder, she rarely received recognition for her contribution to the company’s growth in its early years. Here, we discuss her influence, the progress of women in business, and the challenges that still lie ahead.

    Reply
  20. Tomi Engdahl says:

    RIBS: The messaging framework for every company and product
    https://techcrunch.com/2021/02/23/ribs-the-messaging-framework-for-every-company-and-product/

    While everyone is different, I’ve noticed that the very best stories have something in common: They pass the RIBS test. I’ve talked a lot about this over the years, and it’s stood the test of time and trends.

    The test is designed to tell you if your story is memorable (will it “stick to your ribs?”) so you can turn it into a compelling message. It looks something like this:

    Relevant
    Inevitable
    Believable
    Simple

    Relevant
    Before you can come up with a good story, you need to think about the audience. Who are you trying to reach? Are you solving a problem they care about? What matters to them about that problem? Why does your solution deserve attention?

    The test is designed to tell you if your story is memorable (will it “stick to your ribs?”) so you can turn it into a compelling message.

    Reply
  21. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Each of the four quadrants describes a different kind of organization, with different approaches to strategy, talent, and work:

    Work in the Future Will Fall into These 4 Categories
    https://hbr.org/2016/03/work-in-the-future-will-fall-into-these-4-categories?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=hbr&utm_source=facebook&tpcc=orgsocial_edit

    Each of the four quadrants describes a different kind of organization, with different approaches to strategy, talent, and work:

    Current state. Work resembles today, with similar technological connections and work arrangements, relying heavily on regular full-time employment. This quadrant might include work where employees are colocated and the operations and workers are easily accessible through physical connections. This could be work that requires a specific time and place (like hospice care) or work that occurs where it is prohibitively expensive or illegal to connect workers to the cloud, such as technical work in secure facilities, clean rooms, oil rigs, retail locations, etc. It could also occur when such work arrangements are required by political, regulatory, or social norms.

    Today, turbo-charged. Technology evolves, but management and workplace arrangements evolve more slowly. Traditional work relationships are supported by faster, better, and cheaper technology and systems such as personal devices and cloud-based human resource information. This quadrant might include call centers operated with traditional employees but in remote locations or working from home, like JetBlue’s. IBM’s “Watson” AI collaborates with employed oncology physicians to assist with research. Many of today’s HR technology products focus here by automating traditional employment systems and work relationships through devices and cloud-based learning, smartphone apps, remote performance observation, etc.

    Work reimagined. Here, new employment models evolve to include platforms, projects, gigs, freelancers, contests, contracts, tours of duty, and part-timers, but largely supported slower-evolving technology. We see this scenario today in freelance platforms such as UpWork, Tongal, and Gigwalk. It also includes innovations within employment systems, such as including freelancers, contractors, and part-timers in organizations’ employment planning systems, augmenting traditional recruitment systems to constantly track and communicate with passive job seekers using existing social tools, or staging innovation contests using today’s social media platforms.

    Uber empowered. An accelerated cycle of technology advancement and more democratic work arrangements fuel one another. New work and technology models include on-demand artificial intelligence, extreme personalization, and secure and accessible cloud-based work repositories. These repositories will reside outside any single employer and provide a searchable location where work and workers can be identified and matched using a common lexicon. They will contain worker capabilities and qualifications, organization work requirements, constantly updated work histories, knowledge and learning sources, and reward systems. IBM’s Open Talent Marketplace allows managers to deconstruct work into short-cycle events

    All four quadrants will be a part of the work ecosystem for at least the next 10 years, with organizations moving from one to another depending on the strength and timing of the five forces and their effect on the organization.

    One way to use the map is to apply it to your entire organization, asking questions such as, “Is there a better quadrant to be in?” or, “Should we aspire to the upper right hand quadrant?”

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  22. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Making the Hybrid Workplace Fair
    https://hbr.org/2021/02/making-the-hybrid-workplace-fair?utm_campaign=hbr&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook

    How Hybridity Positioning Affects Power
    First, hybridity means that, due to where they’re positioned, employees have different access to resources and different levels of visibility — both key sources of power and influence.

    Resource access differs depending on whether the employee is located in the office or outside of it. Employees in the office have ready and quick access to technology and infrastructure to support their work. They tend to have faster and easier access to information, and that information tends to be more current and broad (including informal water-cooler conversations), which provides them with an edge when it comes to the rapid changes of today’s environment.

    In contrast, employees who work remotely often find their weaker technological setup and infrastructure (slow connections, inability to access certain resources from home, a less sophisticated home office setup) makes it more difficult to demonstrate their competence. Not being present for informal interactions leaves remote workers feeling out of the loop and last to know. Being remote may also lead employees to feel more isolated and lacking the relationships and connections that provide social support.

    Visibility level, or being seen by those in power, is also shaped by an employee’s location — especially their location relative to their boss and senior managers. Working in the same space as the boss increases the likelihood that employees’ efforts and actions will be recognized and top of mind. Employees who are seen in the hallways are likely to come to mind when it’s time to staff an important new project, and their actions on that project are likely to be recognized, resulting in credit for a job well done. Even if the boss is working remotely, when an employee is based in the office, it increases the likelihood that their actions will be seen by others and reported to the boss indirectly. When working remotely, no one sees the late nights or early mornings or how hard employees are working to deliver on their obligations.

    When working remotely, no one sees the late nights or early mornings or how hard employees are working to deliver on their obligations. Credit for a collective output is likely to be unevenly attributed most to those who are there in the office and more visible.

    How Hybridity Competence Affects Power
    Not all individuals are equally skilled at operating within a hybrid environment. The ability to effectively navigate in a hybrid environment is itself a skill and therefore a source of power. Hybridity requires employees to be ambidextrous — able to balance between and navigate across both worlds — in a way that fully co-located or fully remote working don’t.

    Employees who are strong at relationship building, both face-to-face and virtually, have an advantage in hybrid environments, as do those who are willing to ask for, find, and claim the resources they may not have easy access to.

    Employees with good network and political awareness are able to recognize advantageous positions and situations, and those who establish strong relationships that can transcend the gap between face-to-face and remote working can use informal connections to replace missing information. Hybrid environments reward employees who think and act adaptably and flexibly, who are able to organize and coordinate across a complex and dynamic environment, and who are able to establish and provide evidence of their own trustworthiness when working in a context of low visibility.

    The Managerial Challenge
    While employees need to ensure that they’re visible to their managers and can access the resources they need for their work, managers similarly need to make sure they stay informed about what their employees are doing and facilitate their access to those resources.

    Managers who are co-located with their employees have more information about what and how those employees are doing.

    Reply
  23. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Purpose isn’t magic — it’s something we must consciously pursue and create. With the right approach, almost any job can be meaningful.

    To Find Meaning in Your Work, Change How You Think About It
    https://hbr.org/2017/12/to-find-meaning-in-your-work-change-how-you-think-about-it?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=hbr&utm_source=facebook&tpcc=orgsocial_edit

    Sign In
    Career Planning
    To Find Meaning in Your Work, Change How You Think About It
    by John Coleman
    December 29, 2017

    Sam Austin/Unsplash
    Summary.
    For most people, purpose at work is built not found. Working with a sense of purpose day-in and day-out is an act of will that takes thoughtfulness and practice. How do you consciously endow your work with purpose? First, connect work to service. Ask yourself, who do I serve? Connecting your day-to-day jobs — consciously and concretely — to those we’re ultimately serving makes completing that work more purposeful. Next, craft your work – and make work a craft. Shape your tasks to make them more meaningful, and dedicate yourself to learning perfecting key skills in the role. Then, invest in positive relationships by developing collegial relationships at work. Finally, remember why you work. Identify the person or group of people in your personal life that your work is in service for, and keep them in mind when you work through even the most tedious of tasks. Purpose isn’t magic — it’s something we must consciously pursue and create. With the right approach, almost any job can be meaningful.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/09/nyregion/09sewer.html

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  24. Tomi Engdahl says:

    How Pandemic Fatigue Attacks The One Job Of Leadership You Can’t Delegate https://trib.al/vKyeQmd

    Reply
  25. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Is Your Company “Future-Ready”? 9 Keys To Building A Resilient Organizational Culture
    https://trib.al/e1eGafz

    The pandemic—both the global health crisis and the resulting economic fallout—has been a sobering reminder of the importance of resilience. As individuals, as organizations, and as a society, we all need to make building resilience a priority. And we need to do so before crisis arrives at our doorstep, not after. While we cannot anticipate when or how unexpected challenges will appear, we can anticipate the qualities that will help us meet those challenges. A new McKinsey paper calls this set of qualities being future-ready. 

    Reply
  26. Tomi Engdahl says:

    THE ART OF FEEDBACK
    https://www.valagroup.com/2021/02/the-art-of-feedback/

    Giving feedback – criticize or praise?
    Giving feedback is one of the most important skills in the workplace. It gives one a chance to look back and learn from mistakes as well as to continue doing what works well. Well executed feedback will eventually help the whole organization, not just the individuals. But giving feedback, especially negative, can be a difficult task. On the one hand, getting it right might inspire people to learn and improve. On the other hand, get it wrong and you might even create enemies.

    Reply
  27. Tomi Engdahl says:

    The real reason your employee is quitting.

    How Do You Know If You Work for a Toxic Manager? They Will Do Any of These 8 Things Daily
    http://on.inc.com/45cy761

    One study finds that 50 percent of employees leave their job to get away from their manager.

    Over the years, I have observed firsthand many counterproductive behaviors in middle and upper management. Eight traits I have recognized as toxic really stand out.

    1. Managers who only look after themselves.

    2. Managers who steal the spotlight.

    3. Managers who are never wrong.

    4. Confused managers who don’t know the direction they’re headed.

    5. Managers who like control.

    6. Managers who are bullies.

    7. Managers who are missing in action.

    8. Managers who are narcissists.

    Reply
  28. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Psychological Tricks You Can Use To Get People To Do Whatever You Want
    https://www.iflscience.com/brain/heres-some-psychological-tricks-you-need-know-about-0/

    Have you ever left a shop, a chat with a friend or a meeting at work and felt like you’ve somehow been duped? It’s possible you might have been swayed or swindled by some subtle psychological impressions you weren’t consciously aware of.

    This infographic, created by Business Insider, shows you some simple psychological tricks to help you avoid these pitfalls and even mold minds yourself.

    https://www.businessinsider.com/psychological-tricks-to-influence-people-2015-11?r=UK

    Reply
  29. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Move from burnout to inspiration.

    Here’s What Successful People Do When They’re Feeling Unhappy at Work (Hint: It’s Not ‘Stick It Out’)Move from burnout to inspiration.
    https://www.inc.com/laura-garnett/heres-what-successful-people-do-when-theyre-feeling-unhappy-at-work-hint-its-not-stick-it-out.html?cid=sf01002

    We all have days at work when nothing goes right. Usually, we shrug it off and hope that tomorrow is better.

    However, when those days start blending together, and you notice your energy for work dwindling week after week, you may start realizing that it’s not just an “off” month–you’re unhappy at work.

    This isn’t uncommon. In fact, according to Gallup’s most recent engagement survey, only 34 percent of Americans are engaged with their work–which means 66 percent aren’t.

    Reply
  30. Tomi Engdahl says:

    10 Science-Based Productivity Hacks for a Fulfilling Workday
    https://www.eetimes.com/10-science-based-productivity-hacks-for-a-fulfilling-workday/

    Whether you work from home, in an office, or drive a delivery van, there are simple productivity hacks that apply to just about any job. Sure, some more than others, but the following tips and tricks can be customized to help ensure that you’re getting the most out of every workday.

    Create a Workspace
    Use Ergonomics to Set Up Your Desk
    Set and Stick to a Routine
    Reduce Clutter
    Hydrate
    Listen to Mozart
    Take Breaks
    Enjoy a Healthy Snack or Drink
    Work Outdoors
    Practice Mindfulness

    5 Data-Backed Ways Working Outdoors Can Improve Employee Well-Being
    https://www.forbes.com/sites/alankohll/2018/06/25/5-data-backed-ways-working-outdoors-can-improve-employee-well-being/?sh=77148d5f4eb8

    Reply

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