Bottom up for innovation

I watched TedTalk entitled, 'How to Manage for Collective Creativity?' by Linda Hill and there are a few things I'd like to talk about today ka...it's a 'TipTalk' kaaa:))!

Linda Hill was sharing her experiences analyzing what actually happened in the field, studying the most creative companies like Pixar and Google about leadership and innovation.

From my own understanding, I think her work shows that leadership should nurture the culture of conflicts, diversity, and experiements ka. I also learn that visionary leadership is needed at the right time as even vision could make all the efforts in alignment, it could dilute the wealth of creative ideas and possible collective efforts from staff at all other levels. You may want to watch it at your leisure na ka.

What I learn and then link with our Thai context na ka:

• Thai people are very creative from our commercial and ads na ka but our government service and in some other circles, including universities(?) aren't quite so ka.
• We talk and learn a lot about leadership but it turns out to be mainly 'top down' with 'order only' in many situations mai ka?
• We don't really have the true understanding and exercises how to handle diversity to maximize its advantages for our creativity and innovation.
• Our leaders may not need to learn too much about theories of leadership but how to be open with their ears and minds while serving as facilitators to welcome ideas and help come up with different patterns that may fit with the tasks of organizations.
• More freedom should be given to staff at all levels for them to feel more free to express what they think. But it needs to start from home and school lae ka!

In quite a few homes and communities, we still see our deeply rooted culture of being submissive and polite, making it hard for people of all generations to discuss together productively. Being 'good' followers/staff could mean not talking back or not asking questions. Definitely, we need to balance it out not to be like some westerners who could be unnecessarily aggressive (from the eyes of Thais).

Each of us needs to break the traditions to become a good model for our modern world lae ka!

Happy Monday na ka.

Trends at Work (con't)

Hi, all! Let me share more from the article, "Trends at Work: An Overview of Tomorrow's Employment Ecosystem" by Timothy C. Mack na ka.

Another interesting issue is about the workplace ka.

I heard from several people in my circle and from a TV program about the initiatives to have temporary offices for rent from hours to months to accommodate the fast speed of mobility and technology advances together with physical and virtual cross-border jobs. 

This author mentions about the future workplace and workers and some are as follows (in my own words ka):

• New highly skilled workers demand more workplace flexibility and accept longer-hours work.
• Workers and managers stress more importance on simplifying workloads for critical innovation opportunities.
• Health and wellness will be on the radar of managers to heighten workers' productivity.
• A growing number of less expensive employees will be recruited through social networks.
• About one-third of Americans turn to be freelance contractors or consultants.

Many implications can be drawn from these trends, especially how to produce highly skilled and healthy workers with creativity and innovation plus independence and interdepedence.

The world of work and learning will change enormously na ka and we're still stuck with meetings, arguments, new policies/projects, and one-size-fits-all standard imposition again!?! Our kids will be in trouble surviving in the competitive arena lae ka!

"Gloom" (frustrated and upset)  mai ka?

Trends at Work

Happy start for this week laew chai mai ka?

Again and again, many times I feel I have lots to share and....I just let time pass by since I now have much less pressure to get things done ka! Decrease in efficiency!?!

Thanks to the US Embassy that has continued sending me new articles and this time, one struck me ka...what I wrote as the subject today.

This article, written by Timothy C. Mack, is from The Futurist November-December 2014 ka.

Some examples the article gives about new product development, leading to new markets and new jobs are

- a growing security industry as the 'haves' want to protect their holdings;

- perceived value of handicraft items due to the abundance of identical products;

- information overload leading to a new lifestyles of solitude and simplicity;

- sleep psychology driving sleep-enhancing products industry......etc.

The article cites McKinsey & Company, pointing out that 85% of new jobs require new problem solving and strategic skills. Among others, the skills I find interesting include enhanced mental flexibitly and increased decision speed, combined with the ability to test and validate both complex assumptions and interactive dynamics.

What attributes of employees would 21st century managers value? Here they are ka:

- intelligence more than mere experience

- commitment and loyalty to organization and task ownership

- work ethic, including a desire to lead

- personal integrity, particularly when facing difficult ethical dilemmas

- teamwork and likability-- smart and hard-working people who like to work with the smart and other hard-working people.

While this article is about the trend in the US, it drives me to think that there are so much more we need to think of our future, so much more to reshape our thinking to be more aware and alert to be better prepared for the unknown tomorrow, so much more to take actual actions ourselves to learn and link with the expected and the unexpected, so much more to pave ways for our Thai kids and adults, particularly the mass who may be far behind lae ka.

These trends are terrifying if we, Thais, continue doing what we've been doing kaaaa!