Achieved Strategies

This is the second blog post from Lee Scott.  Click here to read part 1.

The stresses that an organization faces range from pressure to provide more value to its customers, the expectation to be more nimble in the face of change and to keep its costs as low as possible – that means it cannot be saddled with expensive non-performing assets. The major category of “non-performing” or “underperforming” assets is employees. However, an “under-performing” employee isn’t limited to the usually lingering dredges that everyone agrees is past their time to go.  Even your super stars can find themselves under-utilized given the high rate of change.

Ownership

Well intended organizations are taking up the mantra that employees need a sense of ownership with their work. But pushing ownership on someone who by definition isn’t an “owner” sounds like pushing a rope.  How can we work around this and still find ways to foster a sense of ownership for our team?

My argument is that organizations can take advantage of individuals who pursue job security through work flexibility. These individuals diversify their portfolio of unique skill sets so they have the capacity to be productive on more than one type of job. By being more marketable and cross functional, they have a higher resilience to sudden shocks because they can switch to secondary strategies seamlessly. An organization that not only accesses its human talent differently, but also fosters and encourages this shift will be strategically positioned for success when compared to its competitors who may not operate so progressively.

The future of organizations is clear: success will be based on who attracts talent in a fluid fashion and brings the talent together to develop and deliver products on an as needed basis. Why not take the next step to let these intrepreneurs become truly entrepreneurs and have all the ownership they want? By cultivating strategic networks of independent agents, organizations can have the talent they need from folks with a history AND a vested interest to serve at their best.

Tomorrow we’ll conclude and look at what intrepreneurs looks like and what you can do to engage this type of workforce.

We’d love to hear your thoughts. Please share them below.