The world is changing in many areas.
Financial world, environment, retirement age, medicine.... and above all how we work and will work.
The company Free-Style Bürodesign AG, a successful designer of working environments, has started a regular series of lectures in Zurich to show entrepreneurs, CEOs and senior executives changes in the world of work in short monthly presentations and thus help to bring about paradigm shifts in good time and thus provide their customers with an information advantage.
Yesterday, a product manager from Microsoft gave a presentation on the changes in team collaboration, workplace design, working from home and other areas. Management structures are changing, the young, best talents expect a pleasant, creative working atmosphere and new results-oriented remuneration and values. As birth rates have fallen, we are seeing an increasing shortage of good young talent. There is already talk of a "war of talent".
All of this came up in the presentation and how Microsoft is taking this into account and shaping it in its own company. Those who listened carefully were able to learn a lot and translate the information to their own company.
I found it very interesting that several entrepreneurs only noticed one piece of information. They mainly focused on the possibility of employees working from home more often thanks to technology and picked out this point to say: "That's not possible in my company." An example: "We're a hotel, so everyone has to be there all the time!"
may be true on the surface, but I always heard: "I don't want anything to change. I don't want to see any changes."
That's right, you might say, how is homework possible in a hotel? I simply agree with you on this point, although bookkeeping and much more could perhaps also be done from home in the hotel industry. I'm also getting at something else.
As is often our first reaction, it doesn't work for us. Can't work for us.
If you react like that, you might not see where the competition will come from next.
In such a case, it would be a good idea to ask the speakers how they think the behavior of young people and modern technology could affect a hotel.
Then you might find opportunities that you haven't seen before. For example, simply thinking about what changes are needed in the hotel room itself, what internet speed, what changes young people will "need" in the lobby, business center, check-in and room service area, etc. in the future.
Gosh, what competitive advantage could you get if you allow yourself to ask the simple question, in which areas could these changes be important and beneficial for me? (Interesting book on this: PEAK by Chip Conley.)
But what happened once again, the defense of the old point of view and the old beliefs.
It reminds me a little of a sketch by Karl Valentin:
Liesl Karstadt: The wiser gives in.
Karl Valentin: Don't give in!
If you live near Zurich or occasionally pass by there, simply write an e-mail to Free-Style AG that you would like to be invited to the next lectures on the working worlds of tomorrow: http://www.free-style.ch/
Maybe we'll see you there one day.
Look forward to the future, you decide what yours looks like!
Sincerely
Wolfgang Sonnenburg
winning for life
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