Imagine a lattice. Picture the myriad of interconnected patterns in that lattice.
Careful now, don’t pass out.
Now imagine a simple ladder. We climb up, we climb down.
The way career development happens these days isn’t the up and down ladder – it’s more the fluid and flexible combinations of opportunities to develop.
Those of you who are pushing the progressive HR agenda get this.
The way work gets done is definitely based more on autonomy, accountability, personal responsibility and self-managed productivity these days – adaptability is critical.
According to a great article in Talent Management Magazine titled The Corporate Lattice:
In mathematics, a lattice is a three-dimensional structure that extends infinitely in any direction. In the real world, lattices can be found everywhere from a garden’s wooden trellis to the metalwork on the Eiffel Tower. A lattice is an adaptive construct chock full of options. These options can be organized in three ways:
- Ways careers are built: Rather than employ a series of linear career paths, lattice organizations offer more flexible options to grow and a multitude of opportunities to develop. The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning is using this strategy to address the nursing shortage. It has created alternate career paths intended to draw more individuals into certified nurse assistant roles, gateway positions that open up a variety of future opportunities.
- Ways work gets done: Lattice organizations don’t subscribe to the expectation that all employees need to sit at their desks clocking face time from 9 to 5. Instead, they offer options for when, where and how people do their work. Capital One’s efforts to equip its associates with the technology to work from anywhere — while reconfiguring office space to accommodate a range of needs — is indicative of this.
- Ways participation is fostered: Instead of static, top-down communications, lattice organizations nurture transparent cultures, providing multiple ways for people to offer thoughts, ideas and feedback. This can be seen in Best Buy’s Blue Shirt Nation, an internal social networking site that encourages employees to share and discuss their unfiltered customer service experiences and ideas for improvements. These examples of the changing world of work can benefit both companies and workers alike.
The new corporate lattice isn’t your father’s ladder.
Now, get back to work. When you want, of course.
(Kevin W. Grossman, Guest Blogger)
