Trend Watch List

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Continuing our look forward towards 2010 and beyond we turn our attention towards the evolving trends that will affect your talent and workforce strategies in the coming years. These trends represent an overarching theme of the individual in an environment of rapid change and continual learning. Training has to be fast, timely, targeted and relevant. One way may businesses may accomplish this in 2010 and beyond is via audio push. Audio push, differs from podcast in that the delivery is immediate and the whole process transacts over your phone with only SMS and phone service. As more employers demand proof of timely skills sets, more job seekers will look for short certification programs to gain and prove these skills. Certification programs are evolving and we are tracking it. We have not forgotten that the talent pipeline for the majority of American industry is broken. In 2010 we will be tracking efforts by governments, organizations and companies alike towards turning this negative trend around with a future workforce checkup. Speaking of your employees, there may be fewer of them. Freelancing is on the rise to the extent that the employee of the future may not be an employee at all, but an independent contractor. Employees that are not moving towards freelance status in the coming years will need quite a bit more to stay with your organization more than a year. Incentivizing employees to drive innovation, effectiveness, and the bottom line has to be personalized. In 2010 we will be tracking the evolution of freelance as the norm and incentive solutions forms. Each of these evolving trends are part of the larger complex landscape of your talent and workforce efforts. Stay tuned throughout 2010 as we explore each of these and more to develop ways for your business to get ahead.

This week, we turn our attention towards the powerful combination of trends that are converging. In this article, we cover how social media, the talent war and global workforce attitudes are converging to affect your talent strategy and how you can create advantage. Even as the internet was developing, talent was becoming harder to find. As we enter the innovation economy the need for a new kind of talent has unleashed the dogs of war across every industry. The evolving innovation economy is not the root of the talent war, but it is the element that would escalate talent shortage towards an all out battle for human capital. Meanwhile, social media emerged as a means to fill a need for the secret sauce of innovation - people. A virtual flood (pun intended) of job candidates but a need to find just the right one has led to the emergence of some unusual recruiting methodologies. Ambush interviews, networks raids, lurking on candidate blogs and more are now common place techniques for pulling in that hard to find innovative talent. At the same time, generations X and Y are becoming your mainstay workforce with the attitude of the disposable worker. Your challenge used to be making sure you did not give your employees a reason to leave...now work every day to give them a reason to stay. Growing disinterest in technical disciplines within the United States and worsening performance against global peers is spurring more organizations to search globally. Social media, the talent war and global attitudes did not beget each other, but have now converged and are both exacerbating and enabling solutions among themselves. Being at the center of these trends can mean a number of things. Decide what it means for your organization. Focus, measure and track your results and you are on your way to coherent and talented teams.

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Your competition is tapping your talent pipeline. In previous articles we have detailed where the pipeline is broken, why, how to fix it, the role of attitudes, and much more. We turn our attention now to the one other force responsible for your lack of workforce talent - that of your competition siphoning off the pipeline at every stage possible.

In the K-12 range, a multitude of companies are making efforts to develop their own pipelines. We have highlighted several via the Spotlight Awards but there are hundreds more; 18 from the Aerospace Industry Association alone whose members support an average of 26 educational programs each. The college level of your talent pipeline is perhaps the most common and accepted place to find new talent, and one that your organization likely is tapping already.

Now consider the talent that you already have in-house. This part of the pipeline is perhaps the most vulnerable. Other organizations will tap your current staff in many ways including: social media, ambush interviews, and the newest style of corporate raiding that we will call “network raiding.”

In the social media age, there is no such thing as a secret. This fact has let to two more unusual forms of recruitment. The first emergent form of recruitment is the ambush interview. The ambush interview begins as a legitimate business meeting for a legitimate purpose and devolves by design into a serious discussion of whether or not the talent in question would consider jumping ship. On the other side of the coin, a popular tactic is to lure away one or two and have them lure more in turn, a.k.a. the Network Raid.

For a positive advantage, you have two options: raise the talent yourself, or let your competition raise the talent and siphon off of their pipeline. Organizations that are focused on the short term (perhaps planning a grow-and-sell strategy) will prefer to pick off great talent from other organizations after they have put in the effort to educate and train them. For stable brands in it for the long haul, it is cheaper and more effective to have your own pipeline rather than siphoning off of your competitors.

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Link: http://tinyurl.com/r8bvly

It seems like great talent is getting harder and harder to find. Few industries have felt the pinch more than those who need technical minds to survive. Something has gone wrong. The pipeline that used to turn future talent into today’s talent is broken. In this article, we travel down the pipeline to find the break. There is advantage to be had for organizations that act now. The university end of the pipeline appears to be in tip top shape. However, there are not enough people emerging from technical majors because students do not choose those majors. The pipeline is in tact, but it is empty. High School shows a similar story. Let’s look at middle school. Decisions made by these 11-14 year olds are making the difference between staying in the technical pipeline and leaving it forever...and they are choosing to leave it forever. The full damage to the technical pipeline is not seen until you look all the way back at the shattered remains of what once ran through the pre-school and elementary years. Today, the technical talent pipeline of today does not really begin until the end of Middle School when most future talent has already chosen a different path. The pipeline that used to exist before middle school was destroyed in the early 1970s when we lost our culture of importance. Few in...few out. To turn these trends into an advantage for your organization, I recommend a two-pronged approach. First, It is not too late for the millennials and beyond. Establish your own pipeline that begins in pre-school and continues through college. The reward is a pool of talent that competes to work for YOU instead of the other way around. Sadly, It is too late to increase the amount of technical talent in generation X and generation Y. For those generations, offer education and experiences within your organization to grow the talent you have and those diamonds in the rough that you will discover. This combination of strategies will keep you in sufficient talent to weather the innovation economy and beyond in grand style while your competition takes loss after loss in the great talent war.

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The Self Tending Mushroom Alert, or STeMie, is bestowed on individuals, organizations and countries who choose to delude themselves rather than face reality. Albeit harsh, the STeMie serves an important role in showing us what not to do. Grab your shovels as we award this month’s STeMie to the American Parent in the category of Education Trends.

Few people have spent more time deluding themselves about their children’s future than the American Parent. For decades, a “they” mentality and a culture of low standards in math and science performance has brought about significant declines in our overall technical capacity as a nation. The attitude of the American Parent (and teachers, and daycare providers alike) is at the center of problem and the solution to the declining technical capability of the United States.

How did it come to this? Somewhere towards the beginning of Generation X, our culture stopped thinking that math and science are important. We allowed ourselves to think that some people are just not good at math or science because it made us feel better about our own failures. In short, it became uncool to be good at math and science. We put ignorant people on a pedestal and listen to every word they say because it makes us feel smarter.

There is not one parent in the country that would believe that their child is “just not good at P.E.”. After all, they have a body now go out there and use it! But the average American Parent allows their child to come home and declare that they are “just not good at math,” relying instead on THEY. Somewhere out there in their generation there are some smart kids and they will study math and science and create wonderful things.

I have good news and bad news and you can decide which is which. Every child has a brain. Now expect them to go out there and use it. There is no THEY. Your child is the brilliant one who is capable of amazing ingenuity. If your children are “just not good” at math and science it is because you ”just don’t put in the effort.” Maybe you didn’t do well in math or science and you are embarrassed about that...Maybe you don’t like math...maybe you just hate science..Maybe you don’t understand the varied methods that your child brings home in their homework. You don’t have to like it. You don’t have to understand it. You don’t have to have done well in the classes. You just have to care that your child does.

The lesson for individuals and organizations across the United States is both simple and critical. The solution to the education crisis in the United States begins with creating a culture of importance in the home. A culture of importance is what you create when you say to your child, “Whether or not I did well in these subjects, it is important to me that you do.” Your opinion matters. Now use it for your own future and that of your children and grandchildren.

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In this article, we turn our attention outward to look at cultural attitudes towards math and science worldwide and what it means for us. Cultures which strive for continual improvement are synonymous with innovation and success. Four of the top seven performing countries have a 90% rate of belief that technological advancements bring social benefits. Another interesting find is that students in the large majority of the top performing countries study within systems where 80% of schools have at least two other schools competing for students leading to higher emphasis on academics.

The important conclusion from these results and others is that attitudes matter. A secret sauce of attitudes would seem to be the perfect recipe for high performance and high interest. All of this emphasis on attitude might make you wonder why it is so important.

Attitudes affect vocational choice and national research funding in every country. If no one wants to be a scientist and no one is funding research, there will be no work done. The result: we will not have the medicines, we will not have the gadgets and we will not have the know-how. In short, we will stagnate while others race ahead...And it all comes down to attitude.

To turn global attitude trends into an advantage for your family is quite simple: start today to form a culture of importance within your home and within your family. It doesn’t matter if you failed every math and science course you took. Decide that it is important to you that the children in your life learn as much as they can. Then, let them know!

For businesses and organizations, foster a culture of importance within your communities and among your employees. Perpetuating a culture where math and science are important is a critical factor for filling your talent pipeline.

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Link: http://tinyurl.com/cja7uy

The spotlight award is given to individuals and entities that demonstrate a keen understanding of emerging trends and who successfully turn those trends into an advantage over and over. Spotlight award recipients are examples to learn from and a great place to get ideas for your own trend POV. This month’s spotlight award goes to Intel Corporation in the category of Education Trends.

Intel is pursuing a powerful portfolio of programs to, “help teachers teach, students learn and universities around the world innovate-particularly in the areas of math, science and technology.”

With nearly a dozen programs to tackle many of the major aspects of early and higher math and science education, it can seem overwhelming. Why would any company do so much? The major reason is in the sad fact that no company or organization in the United States can depend on our current educational system and culture to produce sufficient technical talent for the future. The fact that Intel recognized over a decade ago is that any organization requiring technical talent to thrive has to fill the pipeline themselves.

Beyond positive results and philanthropy you have to ask what is in it for Intel. After all, Intel Corporation is a technology manufacturer. They make computer chips. They are not in the education business. They funnel a lot of corporate profit into the endeavor but they do not profit from education or education research...or do they?

No company is THAT philanthropic without an expected ROI. Looking a little deeper, we see that there is indeed quite a bit in it for Intel: direct lines into a large worldwide pipeline of technical talent AND increased worldwide positive brand image and awareness.

There are several aspects of Intel’s program that any organization can emulate even if your budgets are small. The important features of Intel’s education outreach programs include:

1. budgeting a consistent percentage of profits each year towards educational outreach programs,
2. designing activities that tap into their unique workforce,
3. designing activities that promote the skills their organization will need in the coming decades
4. benefiting students, parents, teachers and administrators alike,

We are thrilled to award this month’s spotlight award to Intel Corporation as an example that every organization can follow and wish to offer our heartfelt thanks to the people behind the education initiative for the inspiration they provide worldwide.

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Link: http://tinyurl.com/d4t9xa

In the January 2009 Trend Watch List article, ”Trends in Math and Science Performance,” we noted that “An important trend is that the United States was in a similar position in 2003. Not an upward trend, not a downward trend, but a trend wherein other countries continue to out-perform the US and still others are racing forward while the US stagnates in ineffective education...The impact of stagnant and ineffective math and science education is a severe lack of technical talent in the current and future workforce.”

This problem is significant and not likely to be resolved in time for Generation X...perhaps there is a fighting chance for the Millennials (second half of Generation Y). In the February Trend Watch List article, ”Cultural Attitudes Towards Math And Science In The US,” we noted that, “Major differences in math and science performance between countries can be traced to a cultural issue – one of parent and teacher attitudes towards math and science and its importance...To turn this trend into an advantage, your organization needs to reverse the trend.”

In this article, we review past research and detail why early childhood is the last frontier and best possible stage to foster and enjoyment and importance of math and science that will lead to a larger, more capable emerging workforce.

There is no shortage of research blooming from every corner on the subject of literature-based mathematics at the early childhood level and its impact on the emerging workforce. But introducing concepts early is not enough. Effectively stemming the decline to produce the technically savvy workforce required for the coming decades will require TWO specific remedies.

The definition of success is quite easy to reach. We will pass the turning point when every school has sufficient resources to introduce higher order math and science at the preschool and early elementary level and when every parent and teacher says honestly and often to the children in their lives, “Whether or not I did well in math and science, it is important to me that you do, and I will do what I can to help you.”

Individuals can create an advantage from this trend by fostering a culture of importance with the children in your life - your own children, your nieces and nephews, your cousins, your neighbors, your friends. You have the power to influence - so start using it to positive effect.

Companies and organizations have an equally powerful chance to influence young minds, and an entire workforce to gain. Consider the talents within your own organization. What experiments, talents, information and demonstrations can you and your organization bring to local schools to make a difference? It is rare that a single undertaking can be a win for both the organization and the community, so get started today!

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This month’s STeMie goes to a reporter, radio host and nightly cable news anchor who, as a result, will probably not invite me on any time soon; the illustrious Lou Dobbs. Lou Dobbs is the anchor and managing editor of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight.

After a recent episode of his CNN show, I knew he was a perfect candidate for a STeMie in the category of Education.mHe goes so far as to suggest that large companies like Microsoft are deviously plotting to import foreign post doctoral students for cheap labor...insert Bill Gates and an evil laugh here...and that this results in lower pay for scientific jobs thus deterring our own citizens from pursuing scientific careers.

He fails to understand the reality behind these statistics, however, which have formed from the sad state of pre-college math and science education in the United States and the higher quality of such in thirty five other countries around the world.

The lesson for Lou Dobbs is: it may be time to get some new researchers on staff. Granted, in the media world, “bad news is good news and good news is not news.” Nonetheless, taking a victim mentality via tabloid quality expose to protect yourself and your audience from the reality of our educational failure is unacceptable. Your viewers deserve better...they deserve the “TRUTH” that you so vehemently promise each night but, in this case, failed to deliver.

The lesson lesson for Trend Watch List readers is: compete on a global scale, or suffer the consequences. No good will come from blaming our poor educational system on foreign states or evil corporations. We need to face the reality and start doing something to turn it around.

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Link: http://www.trendwatchlist.com/extended

Major differences in math and science performance between countries can be traced to a cultural issue – one of parent and teacher attitudes towards math and science and its importance. In this article, we look as the state of cultural attitudes towards math and science in the US specifically and how companies and organizations can help reverse the trend for an advantage.

Many parents push back on updated teaching methods because they are not what they know themselves. Keep in mind, these are Generation X parents of Generation Y and Millennial Children. We were among the first wave of the lost technical generations. It is no surprise that our fear of not understanding makes us less open to our children learning new ways to solve problems. There is nothing wrong with the method…the problem is the parental attitude, and often that of the teacher as well.

Many teachers across the country also push back on any new method of instruction. Largely for the same reason…fear. I have seen it first hand in my teaching experience. Imagine a room full of soon-to-be elementary school teachers of which 80% are quite literally in fear of math. They are teaching your children and grandchildren today.

Students in the PISA test (see January’s Trend Watch List Article on Education) echoed their parents’ sentiment that science (including mathematical science) is important and should be advanced. But only 1% take up a mathematics major when they reach college in the United States because they do not see the subject as relevant and useful to them personally.

To turn this trend into an advantage, your organization needs to reverse the trend. Consider what you can uniquely do to affect attitudes, reach children at all ages, and educate parents and teachers on the importance and use of math and science. It is not only good for your community; it fills your future talent pipeline AND builds brand awareness with the upcoming generation and their parents!

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Link: http://www.dramyvanderbilt.com

Performance in Math and Science for High School students is a critical indicator of both current educational effectiveness and future workforce capability. More important than the trends themselves are the implications for individuals and organizations nation-wide. The United States trails 35 other countries in math and science performance (23 of which are considered “rich” countries) and has for years.

An important trend is that the United States was in a similar position in 2003. Not an upward trend, not a downward trend, but a trend wherein other countries continue to out-perform the US and still others are racing forward while the US stagnates in ineffective education. Look again at the worldwide list of countries that out-performed the US. You will see some of the poorest countries in the northern hemisphere. It strongly suggests that increased educational funding is not a factor in an effective technical education.

The impact of stagnant and ineffective math and science education is a severe lack of technical talent in the current and future workforce. Retirement is near for the boomer generation. A smaller and smaller percentage of technical degrees are awarded each year to US citizens. There goes Generation X. Add to that the waning pipeline cut off by the above noted lacking math and science education at the K-12 level. There goes Generation Y.

To create advantage from this trend, your organization must develop unique methods for locating, attracting and maintaining that technical talent. Moreover, you must prepare a pipeline of technical talent starting from the early elementary and even preschool levels. In later articles we will detail how Education affects the talent war and what you can do to affect your position in that war to a positive end at each stage of the pipeline.

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Link: http://www.dramyvanderbilt.com

The United States has fallen far from the lead in math and science education over the last decade and it could not have worse timing. As the boomer generation retires and fewer and fewer technically savvy graduates are produced, this country will see a sharp decline in our capacity to innovate. As the world moves to an innovation economy, our country will move to the end of the line. It is already starting and the trend to watch is this: will the US wake up to reality and make a move to end this decline; or will we watch, as WE become a third world country over the next ten years. In 2009, I will be reporting on the organizations and businesses who have chosen to do something to end this decline; what they are doing and what effect it is having. As a cultural issue, it starts with individuals, parents, companies and our society. I will be tracking the national discussion that is soon to emerge and will show you how you can start to make a change for your children, and for your future talent pool.

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