After Some 4 Billion Years…

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by Thomas H. Bodin, president and managing partner of OI Partners—Minneapolis, MN

GIZMOS and YOU

After some 4 billion years it seems the world is getting younger.  At least everybody around me is.  It can’t be that I’m getting older. It’s just that things are just changing SO fast, and these kids - even mine - they can run circles around me.

Blame it on computers.

There is no doubt about it: today’s workplace is different; different people from different places with different educational degrees and different expectations.  If you’re like me and over 40, employees do seem to be younger and - just maybe - smarter.  They grew up with computers.  I didn’t. They know technology. I’m still learning it.

You see, I’m from the “Flash 12:00” generation.  We’re the ones who still can’t program the now-outdated VCR.  We’re the ones who, even though we work everyday in this technological world of PDAs, DVDs, MP3s and Blogs, we can see the impact of technology. We know its benefits, but we haven’t fully embraced it because we don’t really understand it.  No matter what it is, it seems to be always in “continuous improvement,” so even after we think we’ve learned something, it’s bound to change or be upgraded.

Why should you or I care?  Because, regardless of your age, these new workers - generations X, Y, Z - now sharing our workspace, they do understand it and they expect technology to just be there.  So now we’ve got to embrace it and utilize it to it’s fullest to keep them happy and to help them do their jobs better. Not only is it a vital part of their lives, it has become associated with their identity.

In my business, I’ve come to recognize technology is the engine behind what I do everyday.  While I may choose to emphasize the personal attention I provide as a consultant, coach and trainer, in many ways, one of the most critical things I can tell my clients is: When it comes to technology, learn about it, keep current with it, and use it - before someone else does - and takes your business and people away.

Through the power of the Internet and some of OI Partners’ own new ASP-based applications, there are many ways to involve, educate, motivate, coach and retain employees; not only with the standard day-to-day HR administration and FAQ-type employee intranet communications, but also in an employee’s ongoing training and individual development efforts. We’ve seen dramatic increases in employee responsiveness and a significantly higher level of employee commitment expressed through the shared values that result from achieving a positive alignment of the external (corporate) brand and the internal (workplace) brand.  Technology can actually do that.

Technological advancements come from experiences and expertise.  Technology transcends generations and culturally diverse work environments.  Employers who aren’t acknowledging the beneficial impact of ever-changing technology applications can’t blame turnover on their computers.  And - they won’t be able to blame it on their kids either.  They are already telling us.  We need only to look, listen, and act.

Now turn that iPod down.

Thomas H. Bodin is president and managing partner of OI Partners in Minneapolis, MN.