Within one week, Jeremy Lin, has gone from a relative unknown to a global sensation. In the same week, he went from near unemployment to a sporting sensation now referred as “Linsanity“.
Interestingly, about 1 ½ years ago, the Hoops Analyst blog nearly predicted his imminent success. When analyzing his college performance, particularly 2-point field goal percentage and his RSB40 (a combined score of rebounds, steals and blocks per 40 minutes) he ranked among the elite. These numbers are important as they highlight the potential for future performance and “show NBA athleticism better than any other, because a high score in both shows dominance at the college level on both ends of the court.”
When circumstances change, in this case a promotion to the NBA, opportunity and situation play an important factor that is hard to measure. Additionally, one week is yet statistically significant and time will tell if his performance can be sustained over time. Nonetheless, those that analyzed his past performance shouldn’t be surprised by his rising star.
That begs the question – why aren’t most companies analyzing their employee data to find the rising stars. One could argue that Jeremy Lin’s heritage (Chinese) and experience (Harvard) didn’t necessary sound the bell in an industry where pedigree and success looks very different. Every company must have many Jeremy Lin’s running around their offices. The answer, though, is most won’t be found (and likely lost) until performance focuses on the outcome instead of the process.
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Talent Management
The “future of work” seems to be a popular topic these days. Vinnie Mirchandani shared some “macro trends” recently discussing real-life use cases of toddlers and iPads, the growth of telepresence in the enterprise and using QR codes in retail. Yvette Cameron of Constellation Research shares more concrete examples of how HR can usher in a new era of work by embracing tools and technologies for collaboration and productivity.
So the question, “are we ready for the future of work today”? While case studies are beginning to emerge regarding the use of new social and collaborative technologies, I have been disappointed that most companies still have not fully embraced new work models. I sense collaboration and the use of technology is being leveraged proficiently amongst individuals and teams but lack corporate awareness and an overarching strategy that can benefit both organizations and individuals alike.
Why have companies yet to fully embrace the new social world? In two words, its hard. You need risk-takers. CEO’s that are willing to immediately embrace the new technology in front of their employees. HR executives that have a vision for the future and can manage risk. IT departments that are willing overcome the legacy challenges and lose their rigidity.
Embracing new technologies can be dangerous as was recently exposed in a Techcrunch post and their use of Yammer. While some employees view the tool as highly valuable, others expressed frustration with its experience. Ultimately, the future of work must support the business strategy while maintain, evolving or even creating a culture of collaboration.
What do you think is the biggest challenge preventing the future of work?
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Photo courtesy of karlaporter.com
