GUEST POST by Mitch Zenger, Future of Work Advocate
The Future of Work is Transforming
A common thread runs through the Future of Work narratives describing how ‘work’ is transforming into something very different from the work structures we have seen evolve over the past 100 years. What we do at work has transformed from simple outputs, tasks, and transactions into complex outcomes, solutions, and customer experiences.
The work environment or feeling at work has transformed from a competition against the people around us into a community where we work together in collaborative teams.
As a result, the technology we use to track work has transformed from driving the productivity and contribution of every individual into technology that inspires potential and accelerates collaborative growth to create a great team culture.
Teams Are Struggling to Transform
Many teams are not thriving as they struggle to navigate this complex transformation. We have patched together several creative and helpful ways to motivate teams and encourage them to continue along this journey. Some teams become very successful and are used to showcase the potential benefits of great teamwork inside of an organization. We don’t talk about the thousands of teams that have to deal with narcissistic leaders, passive-aggressive behaviors, and disconnected methods to reward and recognize outstanding team contributions.
I often step back and ask myself these basic questions:
- Why are some teams successful while other similar teams fail miserably?
- Do other leaders see this as a problem that requires fixing?
- Is there a way to dramatically increase the probability of team success?
I have concluded that we will never be successful in achieving this transformation if we continue to bifurcate employee performance into two separate sets of needs: individual needs and team needs. We must change our focus down to one set of needs to achieve consistent results.