Thursday, May 26, 2011

The Free-Agent Workforce: Leading in 3D

Article first published as The Free-Agent Workforce: Leading in 3D on Technorati.

I was talking to a group of leaders recently about a change initiative that was clearly falling apart before their eyes.  One of the more senior managers in the group was lamenting about how much harder this change was from another similar change he presided over several years ago.  The group felt like they were pulling all the right levers, but none of them worked anymore.  Something big had happened inside their workforce. fighter jet

This leadership team was facing a phenomenon I’m seeing more and more – managers trying to “steer the ship” to get results, only to realize they are flying a plane instead. And if you ask any Navy pilot, the big difference between sailing and flying is that a plane moves in three dimensions, where a ship only travels in two.  Up and down isn’t an option on the water, but it’s everything in the air.

In the same way, there’s a new dimension to the workforce that fundamentally changes the levers you use to manage and lead - the free-agent perspective of knowledge workers.  Increased access to information and a stronger sense of purpose and self-determination, coupled with a lack of trust in the traditional organization, all add up to a mindset in the workplace that “we’re all just here for a little while.”  blue jean manifesto

Authors like Seth Godin and Daniel Pink have been writing about the Free Agent Nation phenomenon and its implications since the late 90’s, but the main focus has been on “going 1099,” not free agency inside the organization.  In an excellent new Kindle book called The Blue Jean Manifesto, Julie Maloney does a great job of describing the new knowledge worker mindset and the strategies these workers are beginning use to manage their careers as a series of projects inside the big house.  I was struck not just by the implications for workers, but the huge impact it has on how those workers are managed and led.

There’s a lot of data to back up Maloney’s claims about the new workplace.  For example, a recent study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that between the ages of 18-44, people change jobs/companies an average of 11 times. I personally know a lot of folks that average more than 1 manager per year, even while staying in the same job. 

So with employees changing managers faster than they can wear out a pair of sneakers, what’s the impact on how they regard you as a leader?  Put on your 3D glasses, and you’ll see a new set of questions your people are asking themselves:

  • You may not be the one writing my review next year.  How much does your opinion matter?
  • Your Big Bet Change Initiative may take longer to implement than either of us will be in our jobs.  Is it easier just to keep nodding but passively resist?
  • New positions resulting from organizational churn are like cool shiny objects floating around the organization every day. How long should I tolerate this heavy-handed manager who keeps trying to control me?
  • Cutbacks in the company healthcare plan and the increased use of long-term vendors make it seem like taking a contractor role could be more lucrative – and even more stable.  Why should I stay with the company at all?

The good news is that leading this free-agent workforce can be a lot more fun than traditional management.  And the skills you need for this new era have been proven out over many years, because they work with just as well with “lifers” as they do with free agents.  In my next post, I’ll cover the core elements of this approach.  But for now, take a look at yourself and the team you lead as a collection of people who may just be passing through on their way to the next assignment.  Seeing that third dimension is the first step to navigating this new world of work as a leader.

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