Emotional Connections

Aiden Choles has written a great article on corporate connections, branding your emotional intelligence and getting the most out of your employer brand. Its available at www.mba.co.za.

Challenges facing a young work force

Earlier this week, the North East Texas Workforce Board’s 2006 Revolution Forum discussed issues related to Gen X and Y in the workplace. In that part of the world, young people under the age of 40 account for more than half of the workforce. Issues that were raised by various speakers and experts related to the 20-something workforce include:

• Generation Y workers have high expectations and can be “high maintenance,” they can also become the most productive work force seen
• They have an entrepreneurial spirit – more teenagers than ever before have their own businesses
• When Generation X first entered the work force, the economy was in a downturn and those workers realized that “jobs may come, jobs may go.” They do not expect job security.
• They have also developed a different sense of loyalty, that includes their own lives and families just as much as their jobs.
• Younger workers won’t follow policies and procedures just because they are told to do so.
• Give recognition and reward in the moment.
• They think their co-workers should be sources of learning.
• This generation wants training, social responsibility and ethics in the workplace, and what they seek from older workers is respect, opportunity and wisdom.

Read the report here.

Gen X & Y increasing market share in furniture sales

It might not be the most scintillating heading ever, but its another exhibit in the growing body of research that is showing the importance of the generations AFTER the Baby Boomers. In Furniture Today, the results of new research were recently released. It may not be interesting to everyone, but it is indicative of the fact that Gen X and Y are growing up, and that their new lifestages are pushing them into new consumer segments. They’re not just “kids” anymore – they’re serious consumers.

“The combination of the higher purchase rates and the tendency to buy better beds gives Generation X (defined in this survey as born 1965 to 1975) and Y (defined as born 1976 to 1994) consumers a big edge in the marketplace. Households in Generation Y spent $3.1 billion on bedding last year — tops among all groups — while Generation X shelled out $2.4 billion, the Furni-ture/Today research indicated.

Younger Baby Boomer households spent $2.1 billion on bedding last year, with Older Baby Boomers not too far behind at $1.8 billion.

The two other major demographic groups — the Happy Days Generation (consumers born between 1936 and 1945) and Senior Seniors (born in 1935 or before) — were far behind the younger groups. The former spent $700 million on bedding last year, with Senior Seniors bringing up the rear at $500 million.”

Details of the survey available here.

The Bead4Need Race Against Time

I recently presented at an SABMiller Management Development Programme. One of the groups on the programme have taken the bull by the horns and are leveraging social software and viral marketing for maximum reach on a pretty exciting project. Their objective is to raise USD $10,000 before June 16th by auctioning off 3 unique beaded artworks.

This from their website:

The Bead4Need Team is a group of young dynamic business leaders in the corporate environment that want to make a difference in the lives of many Southern Africans. Ian, Navin, Fenias, Roger, AK and Gerrit are in a similar struggle, a race against the sun, against time.

The Bead4Need Race against Time has one simple objective, “To raise $10,000 before 16 June 2006�. Every last cent of this money will be channelled into The CIDA City Campus that aspires to making a sustainable difference in the lives of the disenfranchised people in Southern Africa.

What’s in it for the Bead4Need Team you may well ask? It’s simple, they are a team in an Apprentice Challenge as part of their Leadership Development Experience. The team wants to be the top of their class and realised that just making money is not what it’s all about. They have a golden opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of many less fortunate than themselves and they want to invite you to be part of this success.

Really great news is that SAB has agreed to double any funds that the group raise through this initiative. I think it’s a great idea, only because CIDA benefits (in other words, this is not about lining SAB’s pockets). So, check out the site, visit eBay and make a bid. Help us spread the word and lets watch this grow.

Organisational DNA – its what your company is made of!

Thats right, its the thing that makes your company tick, its what makes you unique and what makes you the same, like human DNA, organisational DNA is unique, but in some cases make things the same. As humans, we all look alike (mostly, we have two arms, two legs etc) but there are such specific differences that tell us apart. The same is true in companies, or is it? Many companies tend to “clone” competitors. They tend to copy their market and guess what, dolly is reborn in the coporate world. So how does a company change this pattern. Well, they need to take a long hard look at their DNA, organisational DNA that is! In a great article from strategy+business this methaphor is discussed in detail, but to give you some insights, the article states that there are 4 areas that companies need to focus on to change their DNA. They are as follows:

• Decision Rights: How and by whom are decisions made in your company and who truly makes them, ESPECIALLY those decisions that go beyond the org chart
• Information: What metrics are used to measure your organisation? How is activity coordinated? how is knowledge transferred?
• Motivators: What objectives, incentives and career alternatives do people have?
• Strucutre: What organisation model does you company follow?

Seems simple right and guess what, it is! But get this wrong and you may wind up needing glasses to see the future of your organisation.

Phones for Boomers

A few months ago, we commented that phone companies wanting to connect with Boomers should stop innovating, and start listening to their customers. Read that post here. Thanks to Pete Schumacher, my mate at Net#work BBDO, here is a company that was listening…

While most cell phones tout an abundance of bells and whistles, two companies are focusing on the substantial market for simpler phones. Founded by Arlene Harris, a telecoms veteran, and her husband Martin Cooper, who helped develop the first portable cell phone for Motorola in 1973, GreatCall is a new wireless company that will target baby boomers and their parents. While the network isn’t yet operational, GreatCall’s Jitterbug, a combination of handset and service provider, will soon start shipping phones. Manufactured by Samsung, the phones have big buttons, a bright screen, easy to read text, and loud and clear sound. One version (Jitterbug OneTouch) is simplified even further, its number keys replaced by three emergency buttons: one for 911, a second for Jitterbug’s operator, and a third for a personalized direct dial number.

… Continue Reading

Baby boomer Britons reject traditional retirement

“Research conducted by Heyday shows that Baby Boomers in Great Britain (those born between 1946 and 1965) are intent on reinventing retirement with many people no longer following a traditional pattern of working up until the state pension age and then retiring full time. The findings of its survey of 1,770 people show that 58 per cent of those in their fifties and sixties who are currently working want to continue to work in some capacity beyond retirement and one in 10 don’t want to retire at all.

…But while calls for a new type of retirement may be growing, it is clear that employers are not listening. As separate research by recruitment company Executives Online has found, many firms are too keen to retire their senior executives when they reach the age of 50 in favour of fast rising management trainees and younger staff.”

More details available here.

Mike Stopforth – blog guru – earning fame

Our very own Mike Stopforth, Web 2.0 expert and tech guru, is earning a great reputation around South Africa as a consultant who really understands the impact of technology on how people will act, react and interact with each in the future. Its the power of interactive software that Mike explores.

But don’t take my word for it – check out what Clive said at Moneyweb this past week.

Where to now?

I’ve always said that the people who sell bottled water, especially in countries that have perfectly good water in their taps, are genius. They’ve taken what is essentially a very cheap commodity and applied sufficient marketing spin in orer to increase the price, by thousands of times, and then sell it to the very same consumers who can buy it for next to nothing. In another world it’d be like me buying a BMW from BMW for R500 000, applying sufficient marketing spin to sell it to my friend who owns the very same model BMW for R500 000 000. It’s great business if you can get it.

But then I come accross this post. A post about Seven Eleven Japan, who have launched ‘canned oxygen’. I kid you not. If these guys can pull it off, and there’s no reason they can’t based on bottled water why they can’t, then they become king of my list of people I wish I was.

Suck it up baby!

Technorati Tags: canned oxygen

What’s an Xer to do

I spent the day with a group of Xers on Tuesday. And a smart bunch at that. Toward the end of the session there was some free-wheeling that happened and some good conversation started up. I was contacted by one of the group who re-raised some of the issues. I said I’d post her thoughts (below in my own words) to see if there was any response or thoughts from anyone else.

• The discussion centred around gen x’s general lack of hanging around. So where boomers have created forums and searched for solutions as a group, xers look for solutions as individuals and if nothing is found they move on. In a business context it means that less is being done in groups to search for solutions and a lot more movement is taking place. The implications for business is fairly obvious. Should xers be concerned with this behaviour?

• And her other question was (in her words)

what I can do about my need for my change “fix”?

If I’ve got it wrong then I’m sure I’ll be corrected in one of the comments.

Technorati Tags: Generation X, Xer, change