Managing Organizations: FLEX-Workers Requires New Skills

It’s a new world order. Today’s organization can easily include employees who utilize various flexible work options: telecommuting full or part-time, remote working, compressed workweeks, or flex hours. This means that managers need to manage performance, design workflows, reward and recognize, and develop employees in new ways. How can managers, exceptionally experienced baby boomers, learn the techniques, tips, and practices needed to manage such organizations? Learn from the real-world experience of the speakers as well as the latest industry data.

Learning the new skills for managing organizations that include employees who utilize flexible work options, for some, can be un-learning what has made them successful thus far. The learning solutions include education, mentoring/coaching, and experience – both in-person and virtually, some synchronous and some asynchronous. Job-aids are also helpful. A strategic plan to meet the varying needs of this varied target audience is critical.

Learning professionals are crucial to enabling the organization to operate in the new world order of flexible work options. First and foremost, learning professionals need to bring awareness that new skills are required. Too many times, managers trivialize, ignore, or are entirely ignorant of the impact of managing such an organization.

Employing holistic learning solutions, i.e., education, mentoring/coaching, and experience – both virtually and in-person as needed by the learner, is critical.

Real-world trainers and mentors/coaches are critical. Today’s managers find credibility in learning from those who “have been there done that” versus trainers or coaches who read a script. Context is king.

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