Thursday, May 17, 2012

Facebook, Connectivity and Human Resources

Facebook goes public with $104 billion valuation.



This week I was a keynote speaker at the British Academy of Management special interest group (SIG) on Human Resource Management conference at Cranfield University.

Here are three things that I think Human Resource Managers need to think about in the future.

1. Personalization of I.T. --  Corporations used to work really hard to set up networks and workstations for their employees. Now employees want to join networks anywhere and don't want to be tied to 'work stations.'

2. Some do, some don't get overwhelmed by connectivity, so making a one-size fits all policy may not work.  And, unless you can change the culture of your organization, having an email-free Friday is not the answer to hyper-connectivity.  Just like money does not motivate everyone, connectivity approaches will have to recognize individual preferences and values.  Experiment to find what works for you, your team and organization.

3. Increasingly, being connected is not just something we do, it is who we are. Shifts in identity are big and can be very powerful, but like culture change, they often come with a clash of cultures and require time for transition.

For references, check out the Reading List.

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