Arlington, Va. — Dec. 10
CEB, a member-based advisory company, has released its annual “Executive Guidance” report, which indicates that the majority of executives are seeking performance gains of 20 percent from their employees to achieve business goals in 2013.
However, only 5 percent of employees have the ideal mix of core skills and competencies to deliver the results required. And since only 32 percent of executives plan to hire to meet their goals, companies will need to develop and transform existing workforces to achieve high performance and greater productivity, according to the study.
In a study of more than 20,000 employees, CEB determined that the convergence of a sluggish economy, globalization and a host of other business challenges has fundamentally changed workplace dynamics. Employees must work differently to survive where frequent organizational change, knowledge work and increased collaboration are the norm.
To thrive under these conditions, employees must be immune to the complexities of change, willing to collaborate with a broad range of individuals and be able to apply sound judgment in increasingly knowledge-based roles.
Executives seeking to develop and transform their employee base to realize business goals in the new work environment should:
• Accelerate Skill Development Through Guided Stretch Roles: Promote learning on the job by designing stretch roles to drive collaboration as well as business objectives.
• Adjust Employee Roles to the Demand and Supply Sides of Collaboration: Redefine employee roles to emphasize collaboration and broader organizational impact.
• Reorient Managers to Guide and Empower Knowledge Workers: Focus managers on removing complications that arise in a less routine, more ambiguous work environment.
• Target Technology Investments to the Evolving Needs of Knowledge Work and Collaborative Teams: Improve mobility, data usability, collaboration platforms and customized applications by building back from specific employee needs, not broad business objectives.
Source: CEB
