Only the beginning

I've been focusing my LinkedIn posts around each chapter of my book The Humane Workplace. This is actually the conclusion - copied and pasted in it's entirety - enjoy! 

When I began this journey with NZLEAD over two years ago, I had no idea how it would turn out. It started at a time when I was struggling to reconcile who I was with who I projected to the outside world: a challenge that I still grapple with. Yet, the experience has transcended even my wildest expectations. Have you heard the saying that goes, “Some things happen for a reason”? In my journey, I have been witness to the stories, hopes and ambitions of many others — people who are striving to change the world of work as we know it, to make it more humane, to create a greater sense of community, to flip technology on its head and make it our servant rather than our master, and to transform organisational constructs such as hierarchies, management, and control in the same way.

NZLEAD has acted as an example of, and a conduit for, putting people first in organisations. What we have done with NZLEAD is create a community of practice and learning. In many ways, it exemplifies a new way of working: one that is organic and based on relationships over rules in which people connect over a common purpose and accomplish extraordinary things. It’s a construct that didn’t, and couldn’t, exist without technology (well, not on the scale, breadth and diversity of thought I have seen anyway). It’s a reflection of what work could be like.

We’re entering a new era of work. Actually, that era is already here. Technology is giving us the opportunity to make our workplaces more humane. Because not only are we more connected now, but the world of work is more transparent than ever. At the same time, the economic pressure to perform is greater, and the barriers for visibility and entry into many industries keep going down. We no longer operate in geographical isolation. Technology is creating an environment where being “you” is important for innovation, creativity and sustained business advantage. But it also allows us the freedom and flexibility to manage our work and personal lives in a way that lets us bring the special things about ourselves to work.

To truly capitalise on technology, we need to transform our workplaces: to make people the heart and soul of what we do. Technology is currently driving a lot of the change in this world. In this context, transforming is not just about re-evaluating what we do, but about radically adjusting the power dynamics. This means a significant mind-set shift from technology as a key driver to people — enabled by technology — as axes for significant change. People first, then technology.

What we need to do is let go of control to allow the unique, humane nature of our work to thrive. This is a time when the world around us is the most complex it has ever been; and our need for control and the sense of safety that goes with it is the most overwhelming. But this is also the most opportune moment to let go. Letting go of control means embracing authenticity and transparency, and empowering people. It means letting people choose how best to use technology to maintain their sense of well-being. It means letting people choose how, when, and where they manage their lives and their work. It means letting people bring their whole selves to work and vice versa. It means letting people just be, with any messiness that might be associated with that.

The kinds of organisations we need to create have to reflect the technology itself: open, collaborative, inclusive, and connected. This means transforming what we traditionally understand as work: the industrial models and pseudo-sociological work designs that compound the high-pressure, low control environments that don’t give people room to breathe, let alone behave in ways that are natural to them. It means creating environments where values and purpose align with individuals, where the culture allows people to connect to a cause of their own free will.

This is a significant opportunity for leadership, a type of leadership that requires awareness, mastery of our true selves, and authenticity. And this is, not least, an opportunity for leadership within the people and culture professions. As people become more important for our organisational success, those of us who have people at the core of our roles can be important guides for businesses that are navigating this more humane world of work. But this is only possible if we become equipped to deal with the change ourselves, and take on this mantle of leadership. What we need is pragmatism. There are both good and bad sides to using technology, but the changes have happened so rapidly that we are still grappling with how to use it effectively. Focusing only on the bad creates more of the same, yet the good things are many, demonstrable and powerful.

We can capitalise on this emphasis on people, on community, on connection, and on collaboration. We have an opportunity to do this, to role model it for our own organisations. Doing so means connecting ourselves to other countries, industries, and professional groups; because none of the challenges we face are isolated to a particular domain. It’s in this interaction, this looking outside, forward and around, that learning, performance and growth starts to happen for all involved. We have so much information available at our fingertips, but it’s what we do with that information that counts. That is where your HR practice, recruitment, and learning will become most powerful: where people are liberated to share and connect; where an authentic voice is created, and people are empowered.

In this context, the greatest challenge we have is in simple, human- to-human conversation. It’s easier to write a policy or process; it’s easier to rely on, or blame the technology; it’s easier to shuffle people into a training workshop and tick a box; it’s easier to rely on a process. But bells and whistles don’t matter, and the biggest risk we have is in overcomplicating things. Bring it back to people: use technology to streamline and simplify your profession. At the same time, make it work for you, not drive you. This is your culture: how does it attract people and help them grow?

Creating these things is not easy. It requires leadership and bravery. But the connections between people, and the relationships that come from those connections will change the world of work. These are communities. These are connections we can form through technology. Ultimately though, people come first, and that is how our workplaces will become more humane.

If you're interested in reading more you can grab The Humane Workplace on Kindle and in print.