Executive pay has rocketed since the early 1980s as a result of changes in policy, culture and the globalisation effect on the economy. In the 1980s the government introduced tax breaks for share options to encourage entrepreneurship and risk-taking, marking the beginnings of a cultural shift. ... Continue Reading ...

It’s not easy being an HR executive. Just when you are about to applaud the cultural compatibility of a proposed merger someone starts talking about upstream synergies in the value chain. Or you unveil an innovative executive training programmed and boardroom colleagues question its net present value and pay-back time calculation. Or there is a crisis and the company needs to cut costs, so your desk is their first stop, since surely training, recruitment and work-life programmers are easily expendable?... Continue Reading ...

Last week in New York I was astounded to hear a business head from one of the multinationals, who - just off the flight from Shanghai – remarked that in her business right now, turnover rates for young people is approaching 80%.... Continue Reading ...

It has been a fascinating week. Sometimes the world seems to stand still – whilst other times it lurches forward at alarming speed. This has been a week when the world seems to have accelerated as we saw four of the trends we are watching in the Future of Work Research Consortium lurch forward. They are part of the portfolio of 32 trends we are tracking, and which we believe have the potential to significantly shape the world of work over the next two decades.... Continue Reading ...

Have you ever worked for a company that changed its structure, and you couldn't quite figure out why? Me too. Ages ago I was working for a consulting company that was organised by function. But then management at the company decided the firm really should be organised by industry and went about the process of reorganisation.... Continue Reading ...

Who will lead our organisations in the future? As the trajectory of the five shifts which will shape our work is becoming clearer – so to are the competencies that will sit at the heart of leadership effectiveness.... Continue Reading ...

Downsizing has always been a popular practice in the corporate world - even for firms not in distress. But today, with many companies in distress, downsizing efforts are on the rise. So I thought I might as well look into what we know about the effects of such efforts from academic research to see when they can be a good idea.... Continue Reading ...

My HBR article on the End of Middle Management this month continues to bring in a postbag of interesting views. Here is Noah Barsky and Anthony Catanach from Villanova School of Business in Pennsylvania, USA. Their interest is particularly in the impact that technology itself has on the management of projects and the redefinition of the role of routine management. ... Continue Reading ...

I bumped into a girlfriend this week on the flight back to London after a New York meeting. Immediately she began to tell me about her 26-year-old son’s work hours. That week he had not made it home until after 1.00am in the morning and was needed in the office by 7.00am. She was proud of the salary he is earning, but also aghast at the pressure he is under. ... Continue Reading ...

An interesting couple of days in London with HR Directors from Europe and the USA. Listening to their stories plus commentators on risk and on the outlook for China, it’s becoming increasingly clear to me that whilst many of the aspects of the future of businesses is very positive (as many of my earlier blogs will attest), the future is also about both volatile and risky. Here is why:... Continue Reading ...

Last year one of the most interesting ideas that came out of the Future of Work Consortium was that by 2020, five billion people will be connected with each other through their hand held devices. Linked to the Crowd, individuals will have access to most of the digitised knowledge of the world; and using low-energy batteries, even those in the poorest places will be able to join the crowd. ... Continue Reading ...

As I move back and forth from Europe and the USA, to Singapore and India – one of the questions I encounter is ‘what are the differences between Asia and the West?’ The subset of this broad question is– are employees different (more cooperative, more skillful, more educated, more determined?) – are leaders different (more authoritarian, more inward looking, more specialised?) – are companies different (more hierarchical, more global, more innovative?) This question becomes ever more crucial as we look forward to the next couple of decades.... Continue Reading ...