Last Saturday ModelMinds was mentioned in Holland’s biggest newspaper ‘De Telegraaf‘. Naomi Raja Boean, a new ModelMind, was interviewed by Arnoud Boer about her vision on the needs of generation Y working within organisations. In this post unique insights on the trends behind the news-article…

The one-hour interview was about what young generations do: their living and working patterns and how these could match those of current and new organisations. Let me postulate and deepen some of my observations:

1. Young people in organisations can be the ideal radars for business on new and upcoming trends, especially as they are curious and eager to learn. Giving the space for young generations to share their insights can give you a competitive advantage. Young can-do energy also creates more involved, committed employees.

2. People my age (and younger) are continuously moving online and offline, in and between several (social) networks. For the new generation of workers it is normal to know a lot of people. And it is general practice to synchronously work with people from many different branches and countries. Labelling the new entrepreneurs, I would say they are flexible workers. They can quickly come up with ad-hoc teams (out of their trusted network, for challenges they want to take on). Although I believe it is not only the young generation Y that moves amongst networks, it is worth noting that they are growing up being totally immersed by its (to them obvious) presence.

3. The implications of people comfortable to move and organise themselves through networks, is that the notion of what an organisation entails changes. Organisations are no longer machines, no longer a system that can be predicted and planned up front. Nor is it any longer realistic to say that the organogram represents ‘how’ the organisation works. Instead, I see organisations as living systems, in which people move through different teams. This place recognises diversity as a big strenght. It is about creating opportunities, about adapting quickly. And above all, it is the place where relationships are KEY. No longer keeping people close with legal contracts. Rather, creating a culture of openness and building commitment through trust and letting go.

4. A sharing culture emerges in this world. It builds upon the notion that success is not being measured by targets and status but by learning, relationships and impact. It is about shaping opportunities, by sharing ideas and knowledge in close collaboration. It is with co-creation that the network gets stronger, and the space for innovation grows, and both people and companies can flourish, inspiring each other, for a better world.

 

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