Posts

Mind the (Digital) Gap!

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The recent crisis saw many workers obliged to change to digital working methods from one day to the next with very little time for preparation – in fact in many cases there was a scramble to even acquire the necessary hardware before shops were closed down for several weeks. Employees were literally thrown into a major change. In many cases, companies had probably previously rejected/postponed such changes on several occasions with the reasoning that the company’s processes and staff were not yet ready for such drastic change! All change specialists know that successful change needs to be well-prepared, so how could it be possible to achieve so much at such short notice? One answer is that under a crisis situation most people function in a sort of overdrive modus and rise to the moment, coping with challenges in the face of which they would normally have paled. Here the word to note is “coped”; they adapted, they fitted in, they showed great flexibility, but that does not necessarily mean that the outcome remains suitable as a long-term organisational structure.

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Where Will We Be Working Next Year?

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This is not a geographical or recruitment question! It is far more a question of trying to predict the future of the office as we know it and how further changes are going to affect the world of office workers. Many of you will be surprised to know that the first idea of remote working was launched in the 1970’s by NASA engineers as a means of combatting the oil crisis, so what has happened since? To gain an understanding of this you need to assess a vast range of criteria ranging from the history of technical progress to the influence of social criteria such as prestige and office politics, the complexity of which means that it is difficult to ascertain where the future lies.

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How is Your Team Coping with the Challenge of the Crisis?

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“Be prepared” is the well-known motto of the scout movement, in actual fact most of us like to prepare ourselves for what is in store, it is an automatic mechanism to cope with a specific situation. However, when a crisis like Covid-19 strikes it is virtually impossible to prepare oneself, there is no comparable “data” to process, which of course causes a feeling of great uncertainty in addition to the wide range of health issues and economic worries already being experienced. The need to get one’s bearings becomes even greater and so the spiral turns and anxiety increases. There are several potential sources of reassurance ranging from the family, to the work environment, some people even turn to social media or expert advice. No matter the choice of source, it must be able to “deliver”, as otherwise the situation may become even more serious.

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[29/07/20] Webinar BrainBreakfast : Votre organisation vous donne-t-elle le droit à l’erreur ? Découvrez la « no blame culture »

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MindForest est heureux de vous inviter à son BrainBreakfast virtuel « Votre organisation vous donne-t-elle le droit à l’erreur ? Découvrez la « no blame culture » », qui aura lieu le mardi 29 juillet 2020 de 9h00 à 10h00 en ligne !

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No Diversity Without Inclusion!

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“Gratitude is an antidote to negative emotions, a neutralizer of envy, hostility, worry, and irritation. It is savoring; it is not taking things for granted; it is present-oriented.” – Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky

Although everyone is familiar with the term gratitude, as with every expression there are a multitude of ways of interpreting its meaning, particularly in a professional context. As Dr Lyubomirsky says it can play a major role to counteract and prevent negative emotions, which are generally toxic und rarely beneficial. Gratitude is far more complex than a quick “thank you”, in fact if expressed in a superficial or inappropriate way a thank you can actually have a far more negative impact than most would believe. In order to express gratitude, one must have a clear understanding of what the challenge comprised what its completion really entailed and the employee’s starting position. Did the employee go that famous extra mile to complete the task, go beyond what they would normally have delivered – exceed expectations?

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Digital Workplace Culture – The Future is Now!

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Are you envisioning to go digital with your company? Then you have probably set up a transformation strategy and have it planned through. Well done!
Yet have you also taken your current organisational culture into consideration? If not, then your transition towards a digital future will most probably be in danger.
Did you know that a recent McKinsey (2016) study has shown that the biggest hurdle companies have to face when going digital is actually their own culture?

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[08/06/20] Amcham Webinar with MindForest: Digital Workplace Culture – The Future is Now!

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Amcham and MindForest are delighted to invite you to the first Luncheon webinar “Digital Workplace Culture – The Future is Now!” which will take place on 8th June 2020 from 12:00 to 13:30 via Zoom. Speakers Lene Pedersen (Senior Consultant) and Lisa Obringer (Consultant) at Mindforest and Amcham Chairman & CEO, Mr Paul Schonenberg.

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Culture – Collaborators – Clients – the 3 C’s that Spell Company

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Everyone is currently talking about digital transformation, as this is indeed the next logical step forward, but one should not forget that every lasting construction needs good foundations without which it will not withstand storms or any other unexpected events. Taken in a corporate context, this means building on the existing structure, on the lessons learned, on the effectiveness of your teams and their past achievements in order to cocreate the next steps. In doing so, some elements will be retained, some transformed, others replaced following analysis of needs in comparison with the current situation and expected future challenges, then it will be possible to start to define where the journey is leading. At the outset it will be difficult to maintain an overview of all the different elements, but this is where an existing strong corporate culture can make a vital contribution, particularly if teams are used to being innovative and adaptable. As with any change project, by explaining the why, teams will be inspired to strive for solutions to ensure the long-term sustainable future of the company and therefore their jobs.

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[20/05/20] Webinar BrainBreakfast: Will Your Company Culture Make or Break Your Digital Future?

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MindForest is delighted to invite you to its virtual BrainBreakfast “Will Your Company Culture Make or Break Your Digital Future?” which will take place on 20th May 2020 from 9:00 to 10:00 online.

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“No Employee is an Island!”, Belongingness in the Digital Age

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As the poet John Donne already stated in the 16th century:

“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent.”

This quote can easily be transferred to a business environment, as it reflects a basic need that most human beings experience. The need to create inter-personal links and to feel part of something bigger. Five centuries later, in 2019 Cognizant conducted a survey in partnership with Microsoft. The aim was to gain a better understanding of employee perceptions about belonging at work. They surveyed more than 10,000 employees from 17 countries allaround the world, 92% of whom expressed the overall importance of feeling a sense of belonging at work.

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