Goals: transcending limits

Synopsis: [You might view the earlier post “Goals: the involvement with outcomes ” before this.] Choice depends on personal beliefs and not the status quo. ‘Social influence’ today, may be sourced from anywhere in the world.


The choices we make aren’t from a singular reference point, but develop from several that may even be mutually unrelated.

Homogeneity wiping out

Utilities that individuals or groups contemplate depends on their personal beliefs and not really on the status quo of the organization.

Globalization facilitates this drastic motivational change. Social homogeneity is wiping out everywhere, and so is predictability of behaviours.

Linked through technology

The outcomes anticipated make sense only to the actors. Today, social influence may be sourced from anywhere in the world. Organizations may have no idea what these might be!

Technology ushers in the age of information. Social influence is characteristic of this Internet-supported reality. No longer constrained by, or restricted to political borders or geographical boundaries, it now simply spans the globe.

Influence transformed

Hence cultural and technological change has forced into organizations and societies.

Common assumptions have been that ‘the input’ into any transaction, relationship or system is roughly equal to ‘the output’ in dimension and intensity.

But the reality today is something else. The ‘info link’ in social networking is ever increasing, ever varied. For example, developing social trends don’t change their proportions arithmetically; they expand in geometric progressions.

Consider this -

Q: If we have a series of numbers in the order 2, 4, 8, and so on, what will be the 10th term?
A: Not double digits, but in four figures – 1024.

Similarly, the nature and power of social influence too has transformed.

Global reference

The latest of generations to join the organizational workforce, the Millennials, appear to have a profound affinity for the Internet and for diversity.

They tend to think as global citizens, beyond limits of country, race or culture. Hence they are most responsive to rapid change. They carry forward the global reference.

For instance, they don’t seem to follow trends. They create them instead, finding obscure content on the ‘Net and popularizing them. Nodal interlinks over the network keeps the process churning worldwide.

Transcending

Perhaps ‘generation next’ are evolving a new need – the need to transcend the limits of homogeneity. They thrive on change, and architects it, in fact, enhancing roles within and outside the system.

Organizationally, it may be better to follow new generational leads and open our minds to global citizenship. Both employers and employees need greater flexibility of thought to accommodate multiple reference points.

Motivate involvement

Organizational members need to accept increasing diversity in their midst without prejudice. They also need to realize that rising attrition clearly indicates the lack of employee involvement with organizational decisions.

In the global workplace, the use of phrases like ‘your cultures’ or ‘your countries’ now appears limiting and archaic. It constrains generating collective involvements in new environments.

Unless the workforce motivations are carefully understood and addressed, productivity remains the unresolved concern.

Comments/opinions anyone??