Sparks: Think Beyond Borders: How to Cultivate a Global Citizen Mindset With Solvay CEO Ilham Kadri

What this episode is about and why you should care This week’s episode of the Future of Work Podcast features two very special guests from Skillsoft. Skillsoft is a technology company that produces learning management systems and the content that goes with them.  My two guests are Jerry Nine, the Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of Skillsoft, and John Ambrose, who is the Senior VP of Strategy and Corporate Development.   We speak on self-developing organizations and individualized learning.  Self developing organizations and focus on learning is a huge part of the future of work. Skillsoft was started with the vision to leverage the internet to scale.  Meaning, previously many individualized learning opportunites had taken place through physical methods such as CD-ROM or VHS tapes.   As technology evolved, individualized learning has grown to match.  Starting in soft skills, Skillsoft has created many engaging learning opportunities that can be utilized for all learning styles.  Technology can catapult the way organizations and people preform.  Skillsoft has made it their personal mission to improve the performance of organizations by improving the performance of their employees.  Self-developing organizations are able to make transformations from current internal education and training programs to more compelling and effective for platforms for employees and organizations.   What you will learn in this episode What is a Self-Developing Organization? Broader Shifts on the Changing Workplace Challenge With Current Education Systems Today Evolution of Learning and Development Corporate Culture Employee Accountability in Upskilling Big Data in Learning and Education Links from the episode Skillsoft.com   (Music by Ronald Jenkees)

22 Nov 20151h 3min

My guest for this week’s Future of Work podcast is Régis Mulot.  Régis is the Executive Vice President of Human Resources at Staples.  We speak on why every company should be a platform company.  A platform company partners and incorporates technology from multiple corporations, partners, nonprofits, and educational institutions, to name a few.  While this concept is not new, it is growing and evolving.  Instead of only concentrating on what is going on inside a company, the focus is shifted to building networks outside of the organization. These networks assist in building a stronger, more profitable platform company. Staples is a very large organization, and the 4th largest online retailer in the United States. With over 74,000 employees, Staples has many different lines of business that each continue to grow in the ever changing market.  Régis has over 25 years of HR experience, working all over the world.  He has spent a lot of his time working to support integration of the corporations Staples has acquired, in the US and Europe.  Régis shows how the idea of being a platform company can lead to success.   Knowledge sharing, data, and technology, are all collaboration tools that will be very prominent for the success of platform companies and the future of work. What you will learn in this episode What is a Platform Company? What is an Employee? How the Role of Employment Changing Trends in Data and Analytics Outdated HR Practices Talent and Performance Management Freelancer Economy Non-Competition People as an Intangible Asset Links from the episode Staples.com Regis Mulot on LinkedIn (Music by Ronald Jenkees)

15 Nov 20151h 4min

The Chief Human Resource Officer of the AARP, John Sigmon, joins me today on the Future of Work Podcast.  We talk about what it means to be an employee in the future of work. We discuss the very definition of what being an employee is, and how it is changing.  John describes with personal detail, how an employee would view their career path when it comes to working for a company.  The role of the employee is changing. Organizations need to think differently about the expectation of employees to settle at one company for a long amount of time.  Most positions are changing into more dynamic and flexible roles.  Many distinctions of employee types are becoming less defined as organizations are looking to the future, and changing as fast as the world around them. At AARP, one of their goals is to change the dialog regarding what it means to get older.  In the HR department, John needs to ask if his department is changing as fast as the rest of AARP and other organizations.    His own recruitment to AARP is a great example of how the role of the employee is changing in relation to the organization.  When he joined AARP, he was brought on as an HR business partner.  He was able to work on projects that allowed him to contribute to the success of the organization, thus increasing his own market value. He accomplished this by receiving more jobs that increased his capabilities.  His own story illustrates how his relationship with the AARP has formed into an alliance.  John speaks to how this model fits in with the future of work and pushes the innovation of the AARP.    What you will learn in this episode How the Concept and Role of the Employee Has Changed Millennials vs Older Workers How to form an Alliance with your Employees Treating Your Employees like Family Members Turning Around a Corporate Culture The Shift from Transaction to Employee Relationship Forecasting the Future Employee Links from the episode AARP.org John Sigmon on LinkedIn (Music by Ronald Jenkees)

8 Nov 20151h 1min

This week on The Future of Work Podcast, my guest is Tara Sinclair. Tara is an Associate Professor of Economics and International Affairs at The George Washington University and Chief Economist at Indeed.com.  Together, we look at the talent driven economy, which is the talent pool that is increasing and what that means for the future of work.  The talent driven economy effects everyone, whether you have a job, or are looking for one.  Tara shares her insights on what job seekers desire, and what opportunities and fields we are seeing growth in for available jobs.  At George Washington University, Tara teaches courses in everything Econometrics to Macroeconomics, she also runs their research department that works on developing new forecasting models. Tara’s interest in forecasting for labor market applications lead her to Indeed.   She is able to provide a picture of the current labor market, and how it effects the employers who are looking for applicants. Tara is also able to identify positive trends for the job seeker.   Her fascinating field of study gives us a link between today’s job market and the future of work.   What you will learn in this episode Trends That Are Causing the Fierce War for Talent The Skills Gap The Freelancer Economy Small Vs Large Companies Lower Skilled Workers Labor Market Forecasting Robots and Automation The Silver Workforce and Career Changers   Links from the episode Indeed.com Blog.Indeed.com (Music by Ronald Jenkees)

1 Nov 20151h 3min

This week’s guest on the Future of Work Podcast is William Davies.  William Davies is the author of a book called The Happiness Industry: How the Government and Big Business Sold Us Well-Being.  He is also the Senior Lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London. This is a very interesting topic, as engagement, health, happiness, and wellness are all topics that many companies are discussing and investing millions of dollars in. In William Davies’ book, he argues that we should be cautious when putting all of our investments in happiness and engagement.  His point of view will make you question if we are a bit carried away with this movement and focus on happiness.  William Davies works on combining the history of ideas and a critical sociology of political and economic institutions. He is very interested in the way our economy is governed, and is shaped by theories of markets, individuals, and in the case of his book, theories of the mind. The ideas and methodologies used by experts, are used to correlate how we think and how it effects the economy, also how we run our organizations.  His book is a critique of the way our vision of happiness is becoming more and more powerful in how we transform the workplace and govern our private lives.  What you will learn in this episode: What is Happiness? How is it Measured? What is the Different Between Engagement and Happiness? Commoditization of Happiness What Impact Happiness Should Have on How We Work? How is Happiness Measured? Paradox of happiness The Rise of Stress in the Workplace Effects of Manipulation in the Workplace   (Music by Ronald Jenkees)

25 Okt 20151h 13min

This week’s episode with Sree Sreenivansan, who is the Chief Digital Officer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Digital transformation in the workplace is a massive topic, everyone from Chief Human Resource Officers, to people in Innovation and Technology are talking about it. Chief Digital Officers are emergent titles; they are springing up everywhere as we move forward in the new digital workplace.  Sree shares what he is doing and thinking about when it comes to the Digital aspects of work.   Chief Digital Officer’s tasks can vary from company to company.  At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sree leads a team that produces all audience facing technologies.  Emails, social media, videos, applications, and development are all part of accomplishing not only the daily tasks at hand, but the goal of his department.  Sree looks at his position as helping to make connections between the physical and the digital content, as he describes, the “in person and online”.  He believes that if you can do that, you will have a successful enterprise. The future of all business is making that connection between the physical and digital.  It is important to build that virtuous circle.  There is a powerful image that highlights this, this example is in regards to the Met.  If you get people to follow your stuff online, and they love what they see, they can get inspired to visit the Met in person. After they visit in person they love what they see, and they are convinced to stay connected on social platforms.  This can be applied to the digital goals of many companies, digital content provided by a business can inspire a visit or a purchase of a product.    What you will learn in this episode: What is the Digital Workplace? What are Trends Driving the Digital Workplace? What is the Difference between Employees and Managers in this New Workspace? What is the Future Going to Look Like? Best Practices Biggest obstacles Internal Side of Digital and Social Platforms External Side of Digital and Social Platforms (Music by Ronald Jenkees)

18 Okt 20151h 8min

What this episode is about and why you should care My guest for this week’s episode of the Future of Work podcast is Sophie Vandebroek.  Sophie is the CTO of Xerox and the President of Xerox Innovation Group, she also has her PHD in Electrical Engineering from Cornell.  Sophie shares her extensive knowledge with us today, including her fascinating perspectives on Innovation. We dive in to her personal and corporate history, which is a very inspirational and relatable story. We look at the Five Best Practices for Innovation, focusing on who is going to be effected by the results of your company’s Innovation, the end user.  We also go into great detail on how to establish an Innovation culture, providing the resources for the proper research and development, and allowing flexibility and freedom to test and try many different solutions for products and services that will fulfill the needs of the consumer. Xerox is a great example of a company who, is well known for some of their products.  They are constantly looking at the future of work, and have grown and adapted themselves to encompass so much more.   Included in their business, are their Innovation labs located around the world.  Sophie explains how Innovation has changed in her tenure, the best practices she has acquired for successful Innovation research and forecasting.   The acceleration of Innovation is great.  We have advanced so far in technology, with the internet, mobile devices, big data analytics, the room for Innovation in the Future of Work is endless. What you will learn in this episode Innovation Best Practices How Innovation Has Changed Trends in Innovation How Millennials are Impacting Innovation How to Drive Innovation The Role of Robots and Automation The Scale of Innovation Implementation of Innovation   Links from the episode Xerox.com   (Music by Ronald Jenkees)

12 Okt 20151h 4min

Today I sit down with James D. White, the CEO of Jamba Juice. We speak about what the culture is like at Jamba Juice, what the CEO values most at his company. Jamba Juice has spent a lot of time cultivating their corporate culture, and specifically focusing on heath and wellness. We look at the role of technology and trends that are shaping this shift towards organizations spending more time looking at health and wellness. The goal of this podcast is to look at how creating an effective corporate culture centered on a brand's key values is so important to organizations around the world. The corporate culture at Jamba Juice is centered on their core values. Health and Well-being runs through Jamba Juices's veins. If you can actively engage individuals inside of a company to build a culture they want to live in, you have a much higher chance of being successful. Personal investment of the individuals of your company, helps move the culture and performance of the company as a whole ahead. Many conventional businesses put on constraints, and its easy to stay inside these standards, even when moving from one company to another. It is really important to look at the company's mission, and create the culture rooted in it's own beliefs. What works for one, may not be what is best for another company. There is a large shift in people who want to work for a company that they feel connected to. Using feedback to source your information first hand, you can capture the spirit of each employee, creating the benefits that not only provide a passion to their work, but a corporate culture that drives a happy and productive workforce.   In this episode you will learn: What is Corporate Culture  What makes an effective Corporate Culture. How employees connect to a company The Future of Work employees and what they are looking for in their future employers Achieving an engaged workforce The importance of community The trends shaping the happy and engaged workforce How to create a great Corporate Culture Technology in Corporate Culture The purpose driven company   (Music by Ronald Jenkees)

5 Okt 201556min