The prevalence of knowledge workers and the knowledge workforce is actually just three decades old, and we all know change is mostly slow and painful. But the truth of the matter is what worked for success in the 1990’s will absolutely not work in the 21st century, for two very big reasons. First, our front line workers are now highly educated, and more times than not, professionals in their own right, and management and leadership skills of the 1990’s will not fly with the new front line staffers. And second (and perhaps more importantly), the nature of the work itself – knowledge work – brings with it innate stresses that organizations are only now starting to recognize and respond to.
Knowledge workers, the knowledge workforce, and the nature of knowledge work itself are not going away, and for the most part, will not become any less stressful. The Knowledge workers of organizations in today’s era of knowledge and connection are here to stay. What must change is how we support and train our leaders and managers, and how we lead and manage our workforce. The technical aspect of the knowledge economy is set and leaders must respond and evolve accordingly. Most organizations understand that the performance of their knowledge workers at the individual level, whether it’s the front line, mid-management, or executive suite, can make or break the business.
Performance management has traditionally focused on clarifying and measuring organizational objectives and outcomes, as well as setting goals and monitoring results of our human resources. For the past two decades the spotlight for management and leadership training has been on team and work-group dynamics as more and more we become organizations of knowledge-based technicians and professionals that must combine collective expertise to achieve goals and objectives. The corporate world is very aware of the power of a great team – the power of a group people to attain the unattainable – the power of a group of professionals with diverse skills to reach a higher potential than any single individual could ever attain on their own.
The challenge today is to provide people with the tools and mind-skill to look beyond the complexity, the chaos, the lightning-fast unrelenting change, and the uncertainty of today’s work environment, to stay focused on a healthy mindset and team goals. The Skill of Positive Presence is the innate ability in every individual to adjust for and create a positive and energized mind-set. It is a new and deliberate way of thinking and behaving that makes the connection between human energy and behaviour and is easily practiced and developed right on the job. For many, it is just a lot of common sense, but for others it is a slow and gentle process that requires the help of both team mates and leaders. For many, it is a learned skill that is unique to every individual. It is also the intrinsic skill that drives what we call the influential-leader behaviours of collaboration and connection.
CORPORATE HARMONY is grateful to Dr. Michael E. Frisina for his contributions to this entry.
Catherine is the President and CEO of CORPORATE HARMONY, providing virtual solutions for leadership development and organizational culture change. Her leadership and coaching experience as a Project Manager in an ever-changing, fast moving technological organization with unrelenting demands drove her to the realization that a positive mindset and strength-building behaviors are essential for today’s complex and chaotic organizational systems. CORPORATE HARMONY’s virtual platform of programs, coaching and performance measurement, is an innovative online technology of tested proprietary content. The world-class content of CORPORATE HARMONY’s Positive Presence Program develops the skill of ‘Positive Presence’ and the necessary ‘Positive Presence Behaviour Competencies’ for maintaining a positive and energized mindset and increased performance in today’s complex work environment, and leading to a culture of collaboration and connection. Catherine’s vision for Corporate Harmony is to bring the skill of “Positive Presence” to the corporate world as it becomes more complex, ambiguous and chaotic. Catherine is uniquely positioned to impact organizations’ productivity and long term success, with her powerful vision of eliminating bad stress from every workplace around the globe, bringing purpose into the people equation to promote healthy, productive and meaningful work cultures and turn the tide on the neglect of mental health on a global scale. Catherine is author of the book: “CORPORATE HARMONY – The Performance Link for Today’s Modern Organization” Catherine can be reached at: Catherine.Osborne@corporateharmony.ca or go to ‘contact us’ on our website www.corporateharmony.ca. Catherine is available for consultation, and can be reached by 519-695-3407.