(1 votes, average: 9 out of 10)
Loading ...The intrapraneurial factor
I was speaking with Professor Moren Levesque from the University of Waterloo yesterday, who specializes in issues around entrepreneurship. She identified a trend that is beginning to affect enterprises that is related to her area of study, one which CIOs would be wise to consider.
Increasingly, attitudes among younger employees within large organizations are of an entrepreneurial nature. Having been immersed in technology their entire lives, their minds move at a pace consistent with that of the digital age…in other words, lightning fast. As a result, they are apt to be a tad more restless than their parents were, eager to put thier ideas for new products and services into practice, and not afraid to bolt somewhere else if their current employer isn’t giving them the opportunity to do so.
In order to retain such staffers and not see their investment in them go to waste, executives, including CIOs, must be willing to give them perhaps more latitude and freedom that typically accorded younger employees. If not, management should not be surprised to see a few resignation slips on their desks.
This adjustment will perhaps not be easy, but it looks like offering this kind of latitude is one aspect of an IT employment landscape being turned on its head.
Posted on August 30th, 2007 by Greg Enright and filed under Innovation |
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October 1st, 2007 at 8:23 pm
I am a young IT professional (26) and I work in a large corporate environment, I also consult to small and recently a medium sized business. IT employment is knowledge based, if I don’t feel satisfied and fully compensated for my knowledge/time I will soon move on. Organizations seem to be missing the value of the IT knowledge bases that employees possess.
November 7th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Mike’s response would look rigged if it were any more of a textbook case of a GenY techie commanding the universe to revolve around him.
How shall we extoll him?
1) Mikey, MD’s & some Lawyers are professionals, you are a technician
2) It’s rather telling that you ‘consult to’ SOHO businesses rather than ‘with’. This seems like what used to be called asynchronous communication, with you doing all the talking. I take it that you moonlight, or perhaps interleave the large corporate calls with your sideline calls. This used to be a capital offence in Big Biz, unless you were in the para-public sector.
3) As to your moving on, if you don’t get a big fat raise, I wish disgruntled employees good luck when they treaten to withdraw their services (and maybe improve atmosphere around the office).
4) It’s entirely possible that in your whole little life, you will never understand that IT exists to improve business efficiency and ROI — not the reverse. Also, perhaps 90% of your IT skills will be unmarketable, a lot sooner than you may think.
Au plaisir,
Ancien Hippie
November 7th, 2007 at 6:29 pm
I have to agree with the statement. I see this present in my own children. Our current business practices of old that call for constant analysis to make the smallest step could be our downfall.
Especially when I see offers for new jobs being text messaged and people leaving on the spot for something allot less frustrating and more creative empowerment. We the older generation have on thing to realize we created the faster paced world and the younger generation are living it, what have we done to bring us old farts along.
Or do we like to hide behind “It’s entirely possible that in your whole little life, you will never understand that IT exists to improve business efficiency and ROI — not the reverse. Also, perhaps 90% of your IT skills will be unmarketable, a lot sooner than you may think”
With that quote what good will it do you to complete a ROI when your staff leave you half the way through for something a little less boring.
I will step out of the way for the younger generation when the time comes.