If you don't modify your human resource systems to match tomorrow's realities, you will lose the competitive edge.
Leaders are debating the changing nature of work and the perceived decline in job security (the lifelong career at a benevolent company is a fading memory) and the erosion of corporate loyalty. Employees are wondering, "If the company is willing to dump me at its convenience, why shouldn't I dump the company at my convenience?"
We tend to focus on the profound impact that these workplace changes have on our lives. But too often we overlook the profound impact these changes have on our organizations.
The new work contract — where employees take responsibility for their own careers and corporations provide them with career-enhancing but impermanent opportunities — can be as difficult for organizations to manage as it is for individuals. We, as leaders, still understand little of how to retain essential high performers in turbulent times.