Organizational innovation:  Agile leadership needed as we embrace the ‘new workplace’

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After two years of social distancing and remote work, employers are learning some very significant things about the “new workplace.”

Forbes,[1] for example, cites a 2021 Future Forum Pulse survey[2] that queried over 10,000 knowledge workers spanning six countries. The survey revealed that, “76% of employees do not want to return to full-time office work.” Additionally, “76% of employees want flexibility where they work, and 93% want flexibility when they work.”  We also think of innovation in terms of technology, it seems, but the most impactful innovations happen at the organizational level and can focus on how to rebuild and balance new hybrid communities and organizations.

There is no question that technology is the backbone of our abilities to work remotely and stay connected and productive. Without technology, none of this would be possible. After investment in video equipment, securing internet connectivity and using digital management tools, however, it can be argued that the real innovation is how we use these tools to stay connected.

Amanda DeVito, Butler/Till’s senior vice president of Marketing and Growth, recently shared some advice with me. She said, “Executive leaders have the power to make the decisions to make change. But more often than not, they struggle with change … There is a sense of loss of control, excess uncertainty, it can be overwhelming, and surprise — as a leader, you just don’t want any surprises.” She adds that leaders now “talk about self-awareness, vulnerability, empathy. These are no longer soft skills, these are power skills, needed to not only survive in the way the world is today, but to thrive.”

These “power skills” help leaders address the disconnect they sometimes experience with their workforces. By letting go, they can create a sense of belonging. DeVito has a great analogy of how critical Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) is now. While diversity and equity are like being invited to the party, inclusion means you are being asked to dance. Then you get to belonging, which means you actually have input on the playlist of dance tunes.

We were forced into this awakening due to the pandemic, but it also aligned with fast-approaching demographic milestones. In their article, “What Millennials Really Want in the Workplace,”[3] CBRE.com explains how 75 percent of the workforce will be made up of millennials by 2025. Meanwhile, Axios.com shares an animated map of the United States in “America’s Majority Minority Future”[4] that shows how non-white Americans will be the majority by 2045.

Meanwhile, Danny Beckett Jr., on Entrepreneur.com discusses the cultural shifts that are expected in his article, “The Millennial Takeover: How the Generation is Shaking up the Workplace.”[5] Millennials are looking to “mission-driven brands” that align with their values, they choose “empathetic leadership” over power dynamics, while “disruption” and change are familiar to them. Technology is the easy part inasmuch as it is what millennials grew up on, so perhaps it is natural their focus is different, he writes.

With the changing workforce and one of the tightest labor markets in history, companies have been forced to meet their employees’ growing demands for flexibility and work-life balance. Thus, HR managers are finding expanding roles within their organizations. A company’s culture and HR policies now define brands and shape its ability to attract and retain employees. Human resource managers are finding their way into strategic planning meetings to help organizations recruit and retain top talent as well as define company marketing and communications initiatives to support this messaging. They can also implement a wide array of programming from remote work policies to “Grub-Club Wednesdays.”

Educational programs in support of these changing roles, such as the MS in Organizational Leadership and Innovation at RIT, are also enhanced to not only include traditional subjects such as benefits and compensation, but also to focus on technology and the future of work, leading distributed teams, and following workplace analytics in support of recruitment and retention.

Companies such as Constellation Brands have seen their talent acquisition initiatives flipped upside down, going from nearly zero remote recruiting events, to now nearly all virtual events and career fairs. And while some companies have not been able to adapt as quickly, they find they can cast a wider net when not restricted by travel. Now they can visit more places and more distant locations — virtually.

Mark Brown, manager of University Relations at Constellation Brands, explained, “We’re able to attract a larger pool of talent, and then from that pool, identify even a larger population of top talent from there.” Without travel restrictions, they can better attract that talent now — reaching more people and bringing in additional subject matter experts to speak with top talent throughout the recruitment process.

While at first there was concern for the viability of the Constellation internship program during the pandemic, it has actually thrived. Once having attracted top talent, they have been able to retain it through programs such as flexible-work plans, where employees pick what schedules work best for them. They have adjusted salaries for interns based on the cost of living from where they work remotely. Perhaps most effective may be the syllabus they developed for their internship program that was designed based on an intern survey where interns expressed their desire for a good work experience, connectivity to upper management, and “to have a good time.”

Companies are also now seeing more employees move to Rochester. Either they now have the flexibility with remote positions to move home, or they choose Rochester as their new homes. Helping to grease the wheels a bit, Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce has announced the launch of Greater ROC Remote, an incentive-based program that seeks to attract remote workers to the Greater Rochester region. Greater ROC Remote offers program participants up to $10,000 in relocation incentives, up to $9,000 in additional homebuyer grants, and tailored programming upon their successful relocation to the Greater Rochester region.

As leaders, we know that our ability to attract and retain top talent is our most important strategic advantage. Developing a comprehensive plan that allows us to recruit this new post-pandemic diverse and talented population — and then retain them through a new hybrid engaging, fun, connected community — is our key to success. Continuing to collect and monitor qualitative and quantitative business and employee trends and data, staying open and responsive to changing workplace expectations, and striving to be innovative in developing connected communities will define our success as new organizations that thrive in the future. We must not only hold on, but embrace, the constant tug of millennials pulling us to new places — it’s going to be a fun ride!

Jacqueline Mozrall is dean of Saunders College of Business at Rochester Institute of Technology.

[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/edwardsegal/2021/10/05/the-great-disconnect-many-more-employers-than-workers-want-to-return-to-offices/?sh=650526271ad3

[2] https://futureforum.com/pulse-survey/

[3] https://www.cbre.com/insights/articles/what-millennials-really-want-in-the-workplace

[4] https://www.axios.com/2019/04/29/when-american-minorities-become-the-majority

[5] https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/353284