Scott Rose is General Manager of Impact UK
Impact partners with over 400 organisations worldwide across more than 20 industries. Every year we work with over 40,000 individual learners who participate in custom-designed experiential learning solutions. This gives us a great opportunity to identify emerging trends, challenges and potential support.
For the last 12 months we have been inviting prospective and existing clients to join our UK company meeting, either in-person or remotely. Our clients get the opportunity to learn from each other and the broader Impact team, and we learn from our clients and get a regular external view.
So, what are the main themes that we’re hearing?
Change fatigue
One of the most significant themes we’re hearing is the impact of continual change on employee wellbeing and resilience. As organisations navigate constant shifts – whether due to market dynamics, technological advancements, or internal restructuring – employees find themselves in a state of flux and ‘change fatigue’. From supply chain challenges to the energy crisis, economic instability to the climate emergency, these interconnected and layered challenges are becoming known as the ‘polycrisis’ [1], and it's having a big impact on people.
An individual’s reaction to change is unique. But we know that a negative reaction happens when someone expects the change to result in increased workload, uncertainty, and fatigue – especially when the change is rapid and spans the whole organisation or large parts of it. [2]
Change management solutions that we have discussed with our clients focus on the individual rather than a generic organisation-wide approach. This means supporting line managers to adapt their approach to meet the specific needs of their people with understanding, empathy and coaching skills. It also means supporting leaders with their ability to communicate change, engage people as a part of the solution creation, and show vulnerability.
Talent retention
Our clients are telling us that the ‘war for talent’ has now shifted to the struggle to retain talent. The competitive job market, coupled with the evolving expectations of the workforce, make it increasingly difficult to retain high performers.
Following the pandemic, flexible working options, wellbeing, and investment in development have become increasingly important to key talent. Amy Edmonson and Mark Mortensen describe moving away from material offerings (such as a bonus) to designing and implementing an employee value proposition that builds for a thriving and sustainable future.[3]
Through our conversations with clients, the main theme is a customised development programme for identified key talent. Supported by the right processes – such as line manager and senior leader engagement – this drives retention. A well-designed key talent programme should generate excitement and energy, provide stretching challenges, and help individuals understand how their work connects to a bigger meaning and purpose.
Hybrid working
The global pandemic forced the working from home debate to the fore. In our conversations with clients, the legacy of the pandemic on how and where we work has been a strong and consistent theme. Some challenges stem from differences in individual preferences and company policy. Many people managers and leaders are finding it difficult to switch to hybrid models from face-to-face. And all of this is compounded by issues relating to trust and belonging.
Sometimes, we notice that there is not enough flexibility in an organisation’s approach, creating disengagement and frustration. High-profile examples, such as Apple’s 2022 backtracking from their 3-days-a-week office mandate [4], show us that organisations suffer when they overlook what their people want. Conversely, research shows that when young people are asked what they'll miss in a remote future, 74% say the office community and 41% say mentoring.[5]
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to make hybrid work. What’s important is to start with the specific cultural context of the organisation and create a solution from there. Through our experiential learning practice, we replicate the challenges and opportunities of hybrid models, expose participants to situations that require trust building, and create space to try out new skills and behaviours. These are all essential ingredients of a successful learning programme.
Gen AI
The integration of generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) into the workplace presents both opportunities and uncertainties. All the clients we’ve been speaking to are unsure of the role that gen AI will play in their future, yet are acutely aware that it will be transformative.
Gen AI is a tool that is only as good as the information it receives. And the outcomes are dependent on what people choose to do with its responses. Increasingly, successful organisations will be those who use gen AI to enhance human work and interactions, empowering employees to work with gen AI, and making space for core human capacities and human-centred cultures to emerge.
We have been talking with clients about how they might focus on building human-centred cultures, as well as adapting to the rapid change that AI and other technological advances will bring to their organisations. Empowering leaders to adopt a learning mindset and build their capacity for leadership agility are two key places to start.
Summary
The world of work is continually evolving, shaped by the systemic forces we all experience. The four themes we have noticed all have interdependencies and associated challenges and opportunities.
Networks and relationships are key sources of information. Accessing, sense-making and acting upon that information remains an important habit for leaders. There is real value in taking time to engage with different perspectives outside of the organisation, ask bold questions, challenge the status quo, and test out new approaches.
Impact are global experts in experiential learning that is designed to meet clients’ specific cultural contexts and objectives. We help our clients to navigate the complexity of these challenges through trusted partnerships.
Get in touch to talk to us about your organisational challenges
References
[1] https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Global_Risks_Report_2023.pdf
[2] Beare, E. C., O’Raghallaigh, P., McAvoy, J., & Hayes, J. (2020). Employees’ emotional reactions to digitally enabled work events. Journal of Decision Systems, 30(2–3), 235–258.
[3] https://hbr.org/2023/01/rethink-your-employee-value-proposition
[5] https://www.axios.com/2021/07/13/gen-z-remote-work