About the Book
Some of us work to live. Some of us live to work. Some of us, by design or default, don't work at all. Whatever your position, as a stakeholder in today's society, there is no avoiding the complex web that is the world of work. Everyone is affected to some degree by issues such as stress and work-life balance, teleworking, offshoring, stakeholder democracy, globalisation – the list goes on. But, as things continue to change at an ever-faster rate, what can we expect work to look like in the next five, ten, or twenty years?
Above the Clouds is the result of a future studies project carried out by the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM), a not-for profit foundation that promotes excellence in European business. The project aimed to identify trends that will have an impact on the world of work over the coming decade. Work here is defined in terms of methods, organisation and future challenges. It took two years to create the full picture, which is now available in this book. "Trendspotting" sessions were organised across Europe as a means of gathering ideas on where work was heading in the future. The experience and insights of people from a diverse range of backgrounds were included in the project. Working with raw material from these sessions, researchers investigated each of the trends and their possible ramifications on the world of work. The resulting articles were posted for comment online. People from all around Europe responded and some of these views are quoted in this book. In addition, academics and leading CEOs and executives were asked for their reactions to these trends.
Each of the 15 chapters of Above the Clouds analyses a trend in detail and includes perspectives from business, academia and comments from the European public. There are disagreements, but also a surprising amount of convergence on issues such as leadership, outsourcing, global risk, women, age, spirituality, stress and technology.
Rather than trying to offer certainty, the book aims to equip people and organisations with the awareness and adaptability they will need to meet tomorrow's challenges to the way we work. It is fascinating reading for anyone interested in how the big issues of work are likely to impact on us all.
Table of Contents:
1. The End of Big Ego Leadership
By Lorraine Mallinder
Respect is a two-way street
A word from business: Eugenia Lianou and Paris Nikou, Maxi Coco-Mat
Big ego leadership may be out, but leaders still need solid egos
Thoughts from academia: Jean-François Manzoni, IMD International
"Macho CEOs realise they need to soften style"
Selected comments from the public
2. The Fragile Condition of CEOs
By Josephine Woolley
Today's CEO is alive and kicking
A word from business: John Condron, Yell
An increasingly tough job, but someone's got to do it
Thoughts from academia: Phyl Johnson, University of Strathclyde Graduate School of Business
"Leave them to get on with the ribbon-cutting jobs"
Selected comments from the public
3. Give Us More Shareholder Democracy
By Josephine Woolley
An ethical business democracy
A word from business: Jesús Catania, Mondragón Corporación Cooperativa
Towards responsible corporate governance
Thoughts from academia: Lutgart Van den Berghe, Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School, and Céline Louche, Vlerick Impulse Centre for Business in Society
"Transparency can easily be manipulated"
Selected comments from the public
4. Outsourcing: A Zero-Sum Game?
By Lorraine Mallinder
Eurozone must adapt to survive
A word from business: Rijkman Groenink, ABN AMRO
Outsourcing: different trends and different implications
Thoughts from academia: Marcus Alexander, London Business School
"The ultimate sufferer is the global workforce"
Selected comments from the public
5. Risky Business: The Domino Effect of Global Risk
By Josephine Woolley
Rationalising global risk
A word from business: Marie-Christine Lombard, TNT
Offsetting risk with effective supply chain management
Thoughts from academia: Kevin Hendricks, Richard Ivey School of Business, and Vinod Singhal, Georgia Institute of Technology
"Media inflates spectre of risk to large degree"
Selected comments from the public
6. Ctrl-Alt-Delete: Generation Y Reboot the Workplace
By Lorraine Mallinder
Keeping the Y-ers on board
A word from business: Anne Catherine de Decker, Orange
No revolution, but generation Y is pushing in the right direction
Thoughts from academia: Frédérique Alexandre-Bailly, European School of Management (ESCP-EAP), and Béatrice Delay, Paris V University
"You"re a decade behind the times"
Selected comments from the public
7. Ageism in the Era of Workforce Shrinkage
By Josephine Woolley
Meeting the changing expectations of an older workforce
A word from business: Tara Brady, B&Q
Forward thinking on workforce ageing
Thoughts from academia: Alan Walker, University of Sheffield
"I may be in my 50s now, but I was 18 yesterday"
Selected comments from the public
8. Changing the Game: Women at Work
By Lorraine Mallinder
Diversity promotes a richer world-view
A word from business: André van Heemstra, Unilever
Feminisation: a major change in the way we live and work
Thoughts from academia: Harriet Bradley, University of Bristol
'Everything should boil down to results'
Selected comments from the public
9. Under Pressure: Stress in the Workplace
By Lorraine Mallinder
Securing staff commitment in a stressed-out, competitive world
A word from business: Anton Lauber, Schurter
Tackling the root causes of stress
Thoughts from academia: Andy Smith, Cardiff University
"For me, today, work is not more important than my health"
Selected comments from the public
10. Can Work and Life Be Friends?
By Josephine Woolley
Working better, not harder
A word from business: Peter Brabeck-Lemathe, Nestlé
Setting the standard for work–life balance
Thoughts from academia: Maria Nuria Chinchilla, IESE Business School, University of Navarre
"Roll on the me-centred world"
Selected comments from the public
11. Spirituality in the Workplace
By Josephine Woolley
Unlocking individual potential
A word from business: Marina Dewitte-Schiettecatte, Cronos
Workplace spirituality: contribution or contradiction?
Thoughts from academia: Emma Bell, Queen Mary, University of London
"The job is as bad as ever, let's use spirituality as a 'sticking plaster' "
Selected comments from the public
12. Love Me Do: Engineering Products and Services with Emotion
By Lorraine Mallinder
Market-driven emotion
A word from business: Frank M. Rinderknecht, Rinspeed
The real emotional economy: the fury and disappointment of living with poor products and services
Thoughts from academia: Patrick Barwise, London Business School, and Sean Meehan, IMD International
"Anyone who claims immunity is talking with pride, not honesty"
Selected comments from the public
13. The Age of Rage: Customers Get Stroppy
By Lorraine Mallinder
Professional at all times
A word from business: Geoff Fenlon, Edinburgh International Conference Centre
Customer dissatisfaction, complaint handling and recovery management
Thoughts from academia: Tor Wallin Andreassen, Norwegian School of Management
"Tearful and angry after a few minutes of abuse"
Selected comments from the public
14. Productivity in the IT Age
By Josephine Woolley
Micro and macro productivity gains in an accelerated world
A word from business: Juan A. Zufiria Zatarain, IBM
Thinking differently about IT and about productivity
Thoughts from academia: Chris Clegg, Institute of Work Psychology, University of Sheffield
'Many companies don't understand productivity'
Selected comments from the public
15. The Multiplication of Not-for-Profits
By Josephine Woolley
NFPs in the 21st century: breaking out of the charitable paradigm
A word from the not-for-profit sector: Charlie McConnell, Carnegie UK Trust
Social enterprise: too big to be ignored by business
Thoughts from academia: John Vaughan, Liverpool John Moores University
NFPs "probably helping the overall business environment"
Selected comments from the public
About EFQM
About the Author :
Hervé Legenvre initiated and orchestrated the project on behalf of EFQM.
Hervé leads EFQM's knowledge development activities. He is constantly on the lookout for exemplary public and private organisations that can act as leading lights for businesses throughout Europe and beyond. Working with such organisations, EFQM is able to spread the word about excellence and competitiveness.
Josephine Woolley and Lorraine Mallinder ;were commissioned by EFQM to write opening articles for each chapter and to edit the full project.
Having completed a degree in English literature and French at Edinburgh University, Josephine went on to experience the world of work in the UK, France and Belgium. Following a journalism diploma, she began working for EFQM on the Above the Clouds project. She is currently in Australia.
Lorraine is a freelance journalist based in Brussels since 2002. A trained interpreter and translator, she has also worked in Latin America and the Middle East. While in Brussels, she has written for EFQM and European Voice, an Economist Group weekly.
Review :
The book ... seeks to raise awareness of the many facets of work and the workplace which, if properly considered and incorporated into our output planning, could generate positive improvements in life and the environment we live in. This book is ideal for the lateral thinker who is looking for stimulating ideas and trains of thought. Eagle Bulletin Vol. 17 No. 1 (July 2006)
