Ep. 13: Wearables in the Workplace

The role of IT inside of an organization is transforming. With all of the new technologies being created and utilized in today's workplace, there are a lot of discussions how best to expand the organizations technology infrastructure. Today’s guest on the Future of Work Podcast is Jim Fowler. Jim is the Chief Information Officer of General Electric.   This podcast discusses how IT and the CIO role in particular, is now one of the most exciting departments of an organization.   From device deployment, to production lines, and even keeping an organization secure by maintain badge security, IT touches many different activities within a company. Not only does IT touch employee facing functions, there is a lot of back end work, such as building new applications, technologies and analytics. Jim describes in detail how GE’s IT department has worked closely with other departments to create new technologies to advance the company for the future of work. Jim has been with GE for over 15 years.  GE is a conglomerate touching many industries from power to aircraft engines to healthcare.  With over 300,000 employees in over 150 countries, Jim and his team lead all of the technology initiatives for the entire company.  Jim discusses how role of IT has changed throughout the years.  The business of IT used to be all about cost, how a company could be frugal in regards to IT to get the job done.  Now, technology is not only necessary to work, but a right for employees to have access to, Jim describes how IT how grown with its recognized value.   What we are seeing around the world, is how products are becoming more software defined. This is especially true for GE.  What you will learn in this episode Trends in Technology How Technology is Impacting the Organization of the Future The Role of the CIO, and How IT roles will Evolve in the Future The Role of Corporate Culture and Leadership Rogue Technologies in the Workplace How GE is Evolving in the Future of Work How Technology is Shaping the Future of Work Cybersecurity in a Modern Workplace Links from the episode  GE.com Jim Fowler on LinkedIn   (Music by Ronald Jenkees)

25 Jan 20161h 9min

Today on the Future of Work Podcast, my guest is Abhijit Bhaduri, the Chief Learning Officer of Wipro Group. Wipro has almost 170,000 employees around the world in IT services. Since Abhijit is the Chief Learning Officer, today’s topic is all around the future of learning and careers.  In his role, he prepares all of the employees in the company for the future so they can be “future ready.” Abhijit’s background has prepared him for his current role in the IT space, as he has to be able work with clients in any field.  As the Chief Learning Officer, he is able to gather information with Wipro’s customers, on where the future of work is going in their fields, and helps prepare their companies for the changes to come.  Abhijit brings his insight to future learning.  He speaks on how future learning will not be driving by others, but by what an individual wants to learn.  Learning will come from our peers, as well as the accessibility of experts and leaders in the fields in which we want to acquire more knowledge from.   What you will learn in this episode How the world of learning has changed and where it is going How Wipro is enabling continuous learning internally Empowering employees to create shared content   The idea that “People Are the Next Big App” Pyramid of Skills Why education is facing challenges Why self-learning is crucial to the future of work   Links from the episode  abhijitbhaduri.com @AbhijitBhaduri Wipro.com   (Music by Ronald Jenkees)

18 Jan 20161h 7min

Today’s Future of Work podcast guest is Ellyn Shook, the Chief Leadership and Human Resources Officer of Accenture.  Accenture is a global professional services organization and has over 360,000 around the world.  Their mission is to help improve the way the world works and lives, and lead the digital disruption on behalf of their clients. Ellyn is responsible for leading the global team of human resources experts, who aim to deliver exceptional employee experiences for Accenture’s people.  Today, we speak on talent practices for the 21st century.  Accenture believes that the growth of their people, leads to the growth of their business. Ellyn has been with Accenture since 1988 and became a partner in 2003. She is also on a number of boards including the advisory board of Women in Business at Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota and the Women's Leadership Board of the Women and Public Policy program at Harvard's Kennedy School.  Ellyn is helping lead how the workplace is changing, not just as Accenture, but around the world as well. What you will learn in this episode Importance of Experimenting and Testing Ideas in the Workplace The 4th Industrial Revolution Customized Experiences for Employees Changes in Annual Reviews, Bonuses, and Career Progression The Role of HR and Evolution How Companies are Moving Away From Multi Year Implementation Programs How Accenture is Crowd-sourcing Ideas   Links from the episode Ellyn Shook on Twitter Ellyn Shook - Huffington Post  Accenture.com (Music by Ronald Jenkees)

11 Jan 20161h 16min

For the first Future of Work Podcast for 2016, I speak with David Rodriguez the Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resource Officer of Marriott International. The topic of this podcast is all around the business impact of employee health and wellness. This is a huge theme that we will see and increase in investment for 2016 and beyond. David provides insight on why Marriott is investing in health and wellness promotions, and the benefits of healthy employees who participate in these programs. With over 400,000 employees in their managed locations, Marriott spans 31 brands, across 100 countries all over the world. They are the largest hotel company in the world, knitted together by their people centric culture.   David has been with the company since 1998, holding the Global CHRO title since 2006. Marriot was founded on the principles that if you take care of employees, they will in turn, take care of customers; employees feeling good about themselves will be inspired to serve others. It is this belief that is utilized for business effectiveness. David shares what Marriott has implemented, and gets personal as he shares how their programs literally saved his life after his battle with leukemia. Tune in to hear that story and much more!   What you will learn in this episode How Marriott takes care of its people How Marriott became a Best Employer Attracting and Obtaining Top Talent How Health and Wellness Programs Are Used to Blend Generations The Role of Leadership in Health and Wellness Programs The Impact of Airbnb on the Hotel Industry   Links from the episode Marriott Careers Marriott Jobs on YouTube (Music by Ronald Jenkees)

4 Jan 20161h 10min

Today my guest for the Future of Work Podcast is Alexis Gonzales-Black.  Alexis is the former organizational design lead for Zappos, and is currently the co-founder of Thoughtful Org Partners.  Previously, I spoke with Brian J. Robertson, the creator of the concept of Holacracy.  This concept received fame because of Zappos initiatives around Holacracy.  Alexis is one of the people who helped lead the entire Holacracy transition there.   Alexis was a part if the pilot group at Zappos for Holacracy.  She worked on the implementation team for over 2 years.  Currently, Alexis works with Thoughtful Org, which she co-founded, to help companies explore what the future structure of their organizations look like.  In Holacracy, as an operating system, individuals are not confined to one group or team.  Reaching across the organization for opportunities is available and encouraged. Self-organization can be used as a diversity and inclusiveness tool as well.  Alexis provides great insights to alternative organizational structures. This podcast is a must listen to anyone who wants to learn about alternative organizational structures and how they could work for your company. What you will learn in this episode What is Holacracy? How Self Organizations Work In the Decision-making Process What Zappos has done with Holacracy and Where They Are Going The Difference between Empowerment and Distributed Authority Holacracy and the New Internal Job Board New Organizational Structures Alternatives to Hierarchy Link from the episode Thoughtful Org Partners (Music by Ronald Jenkees)

28 Dec 201558min

Today I bring to you a very special Future of Work Podcast.  I speak with Dr. David Bray the Chief Information Officer of the FCC, the Federal Communications Commission.  The FCC is responsible for regulating interstate communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across all 50 states.  The FCC makes decisions on how industry relates to consumers, whether it be telecommunications, television stations, broadband connections and the internet.  Any wired or wireless device will have a FCC logo on it. Industry standards are provided by the FCC so these devices will not interfere with each other so communication can be done in the United States.  The theme of today’s podcast is how exponential technologies are shaping the future of work.    Dr. Bray is an Eisenhower Fellow.  Each year the fellowship program sends 9 or 10 exceptional people to two countries of their choosing to meet with industry and government leaders.  David had the opportunity to go to Taiwan and Australia to have conversations with leaders in those countries on how they are getting ready for the internet of everything, as well as, security, privacy and the changing nature of work.  At the FCC, David has lead the transformation from legacy information technology to cloud based and commercial service providers. He speaks on the importance of doing this for all businesses for the future of work.  What you will learn in this episode   What are exponential technologies? Why being a little paranoid in today’s business world is a good thing What is the FCC Why it is important for businesses to move their technologies to the cloud Smart assistants and technologies Robots and automation Organizational structure and the human aspect behind work   Link form the episode David Bray on Twitter  (Music by Ronald Jenkees)

21 Dec 20151h 8min

My guest this week for the Future of Work podcast is Hal Halladay, the Chief People Officer at Infusionsoft.  Infusionsoft is a sales and marketing automation company, specifically focused on small businesses.  They have around 700 employees and are headquartered in Chandler, Arizona.  Infusionsoft stands out for having won many awards being a ‘Best Place to Work’ for different topics such as Women and Millennials, and received numerous awards for all around excellence.  As the Chief People Officer,  Hal speaks on why culture is the greatest competitive advantage in business today.  Hal leads a team that helps design many of the things Infusionsoft is implementing to create a great corporate culture. Infusionsoft has intentionally tried to create a culture that engages people to do their best work.  The company was founded on the principle that people come first. At Infusionsoft, Hal leads the people operations team.  This team supports business leaders by providing resources they need. These resources include providing talent, training, as well as processes and systems needed to complete tasks.  This is a different approach as operations is not usually paired with HR.   Combining these departments enables more of these tasks to be provided with a service aspect toward the business leaders in the company, as well as, remove any negative connotations with the title Human Resources.  Infusionsoft made the decision on what their company culture was going to be, they didn’t just let it happen.  Having employees who are doing the work they love, engaged, and inspired, produces better work, which in turn, means happy customers. What you will learn in this episode Why Culture Is So important What is a Dream Manager? Flexible Work and the Freelancer Economy Millennials and Culture What is Native Genius? How Can an Organization Choose Their Corporate Culture? Building a Culture of Care and Connectiveness How to Know Your Company’s Culture is Working Links from the episode Infusionsoft.com (Music by Ronald Jenkees)

14 Dec 20151h 4min

What this episode is about and why you should care My guest this week for the Future of Work Podcast is Dr. J.R. Reagan, the Global Chief Information Security Officer at Deloitte.  We speak on the importance of being social inside and outside of a company.  While Dr. Regan’s title alludes that he would not advocate for being social outside of a company, this is not the case.  There are advantages to using multiple types of social media that can benefit a company and individual employees.  While there are many traditional ways of completing tasks, working and doing the same tasks just because of tradition is not the most beneficial.  Using internal social tools can assist in modernizing an organization and connecting with the emerging workforce.  At Deloitte, Dr. Regan’s responsibilities are to protect the firm’s information across more than 150 countries, inside and outside of the company, for over 210,000 people.  Dr. Regan reflects on the previous notion that being social at work is taboo, and would cause employees to become unproductive.  Today, social assists in spreading ideas, and flattens our world. Many social platforms have become standard business tools. Dr. Regan highlights how using some of the social media platforms internally can be used as new communication devices in an organization.  Using social media platforms externally, can bring networking opportunities and even help save time when communicating in our personal lives.  Being social is now becoming a natural part of daily lives and embracing it, brings many benefits for our careers and the future of work.   What you will learn in this episode How Can People Be Social Inside a Company How Can People be Social Outside of a Company What It Means To Be Social The Benefits of Being Social The Role of Innovation and Social How to Become Social   Link from the episode https://twitter.com/ideaxplorer (Music by Ronald Jenkees)

7 Dec 201556min