Team Building - Demographic Shifts

Germany is the epitome of a first-world, highly industrialized nation. Its working age population is declining and the fertility rate is below replacement level. Talent shortages, particularly for highly skilled, well-trained workers, are a persistent complaint due to high levels of competition for the limited pool of available workers. Germany's case is continued in other developed nations. The most extreme case is in Japan, where 90 percent of hiring managers reported difficulty finding qualified talent for open positions. With more and more skilled workers aging out of the workforce, finding replacements is a palpable challenge. Ethiopia, on the other hand, is a nation routinely held up as a volatile and developing country. It has an extreme youth bubble typical of African nations, with a major portion of its total population not yet in the workforce and a high national fertility rate. Talent shortages are present now due to the unavailability of a deep pool of well-qualified workers, and the education-business disconnect is likely to hit the millions who are coming from under the youth bubble into the workforce.

Stephen Wise

www.IntegrationProfessionals.com

Team Building - Environmental Factors

Fourth in a series on Team Building.

Along with personnel factors, there are also a number of business environment factors affecting firms' ability to hire and develop quality team members. Just as the world population is evolving, so too is the world work environment, and the speed of change is leaving many firms breathless.

Businesses must increasingly compete on a global scale and deal with staff just as mobile as their corporate leaders. Virtual teams are rising, freeing workers from the confines of the office, which in turn makes it more difficult to control and train talent pools. With lower loyalty levels to organizational leaders, the global, mobile, and virtual workplace can mean a staff free-for-all when competing for talent.

GLOBALIZATION 

The blending of talent pools from around the world brings diversity of ideas, cultures, and practices to the business environment. For some firms, this is a wholly positive experience. For other firms, this is disruptive and difficult to adapt to in daily practice. Yet the shifting demographics of the world mean that globalization forces are more likely to increase than decrease, requiring staffing managers and business planners to adapt or lose at the global talent game. 

RISE OF THE VIRTUAL WORKPLACE 

In the United States, 58 percent of companies consider themselves to be virtual workspaces, according to the Insight Research Corporation.[1] This rise of virtual work and virtual office environments presents a challenge to hiring and developing quality team members. Culture and fit to culture is a prime driver of employee success, but how can this be assessed if the employee will never spend time in the office? What is the role of workplace learning culture over Twitter or via Skype conferencing? How can team member development be instigated and monitored remotely to ensure training and development investments are paying off? These questions and many more are becoming larger and larger issues for recruiters and managers worldwide.

DECREASED LOYALTY/INCREASED MOBILITY 

Adding to the challenge of managing virtual work teams is the challenge of managing less loyal and more mobile workforces. While previous generations of workers were bound to one company for the effective duration of their careers, some 80 percent of modern workers are ready to go work for another firm if it appears more attractive according to research firm Right Management.[2] Over the course of their working lives, the average American worker will have 8 – 11 jobs, and up to five different careers. While this represents greater mobility than other parts of the world, it is not unusual for top talent in developing nations to switch jobs annually in pursuit of pay increases or promotions. Brazil, facing a 7.5 percent annual growth rate, can't keep up talent wise, while India and China face broad-based skill shortages as workers routinely jump ship to pick up the double-digit wage increases that are expected even in a down market.[3] Firms can no longer expect that workers will stay with them throughout their working life. On one hand, this makes organizations reluctant to invest in talent that may head for the door at the first opportunity. Yet on the other hand, firms who can grow talent become less dependent on individual workers and better able to pass knowledge between team members to reduce the impact of a highly mobile workforce.

Adapting rather than complaining about the turnover rates is going to provide smart firms with real talent advantages.

Stephen Wise

www.IntegrationProfessionals.com

Team Building - The Education and Training disconnect

Third in a series on Team Building.

In light of the time spent in educational environments, it is surprising that 73 percent of firms cited a lack of knowledge, skills, and experience as the deciding factor against candidates, according to ManpowerGroup International.[1] While workers are pursuing vast quantities of education, they are not receiving the education they need to be ready for the modern workforce in the eyes of hiring managers. This is clearly a major disconnect between the world's educational systems and its business sectors. The problem is pronounced in highly developed and emerging economies alike,[2] sending millions of fresh graduates unequipped into the markets each year. Many expect that they will receive training on the job, or that their school certificates will be enough to qualify them for well-paid positions.

Stephen Wise

www.IntegrationProfessionals.com

[1] ManpowerGroup International. “2011 Talent Shortage Survey.” Released in May, 2011. Retrieved August 4^th, 2011 from: http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/MAN/1349301451x0x469531/7f71c882-c104-449b-9642-af56b66c1e6d/2011_Talent_Shortage_Survey_US.pdf [2] Kazmin, Amy, Robinson, Gwen, and Weitzman, Hal. “Talent Shortage Adds To Growth Strains.” Financial Times, published May 19^th, 2011. Retrieved August 4^th, 2011 from:http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/5d2888c4-816a-11e0-9c83-00144feabdc0.html#

Team Building - Modern Staffing Challenges

Second in a series on Team Building.

Modern staffing challenges cross industries and international borders. More than 34 percent of nearly 40,000 companies in a 39 nation survey of hiring practices reported being unable to fill positions due to a lack of quality talent, according to ManpowerGroup International's 2011 Talent Shortage Survey. The reasons given for the talent gap included a lack of hard or technical knowledge, a lack of experience, and a lack of proper qualification or certification to do the desired work.[1] Instead of tangible goods, many firms are now in the business of intelligence and services. What drives the bottom line is no longer manual labor – it's mental power that is the engine of growth. Firms depend on analysis, innovation, and creativity to move the bar, and this requires a dramatically different talent force than what was required in previous generations.[2] Pure genius, however, is not necessarily the answer. Firms have to hire intelligent, adaptable workers who can not only keep current with a changing economic climate but also work well with each other in the realities of the present. Soft skills such as communication and sales are in high demand, as are advanced technical competencies and analytical abilities. Without sufficiently adept workers to fill these gaps, businesses struggle to thrive and expand in the knowledge economy. 

Stephen Wise

www.IntegrationProfessionals.com

[2] Harnish, Tom. “Be Flexible To Modern Staffing Challenges.” Open Forum March 25^th, 2011. Retrieved August 4^th, 2011 from: http://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/managing/article/be-flexible-to-modern-staffing-challenges-1