According to leadership researchers Karin Hurt and David Dye, companies must alter how they do business lest they lose employees or relevance in the coming year.

Business Survival In The Age of Automation

The fundamental nature of work is changing and so is the paradigm of employee relations. Digital advancements in AI, automation, and social share platforms have given rise to a worker revolution. The gig economy has created countless opportunities for work outside the employment relationship. It has created a power shift between employees and employers as many companies lose their best and brightest to the freelance workforce. Gone are the days of tenure. Lifetime employment and loyalty have been replaced with a growing culture of detached mutual self-interest.

According to leadership researchers Karin Hurt and David Dye, companies must alter how they do business lest they lose employees or relevance in the coming year.

“Attitudes about work have evolved significantly. Employees today opportunities for more creativity and input. And employers need to give it to them if they want their business to thrive,” says Hurt and Dye.

Through their extensive consultancy work, Hurt and Dye have exposed a frustrating disparity within the business culture. Across broad sectors, there is a growing disconnect between employees and employers. Leaders are often frustrated by a lack of problem-solving ideas from their teams. Many business leaders genuinely believe they foster an open environment that encourages employees to speak up; yet, they are shocked to learn their employees are actually holding back. According to research, an astonishing 49% of employees said that they are not regularly asked for their ideas and 67% believe their companies do not value innovation and operate on the notion that “this is how we’ve always done it.” Although this employee reticence may seem minor, it can have profound implications for business success. When employees resist the urge to speak up, feel discouraged for saying the wrong thing, or don’t recognize they have something of value to share, they tend to play it safe, keeping their heads down, and say or do nothing. As a result, problems multiply, worker morale sinks and customers leave, and employees quit.

“Innovation is not always about the big game-changing decisions. You can achieve real progress through small incremental improvements and micro-innovations that accumulate when everyone is contributing their best thinking,” explains Hurt and Dye.

The fact is that employees have good ideas, they want to be heard and leadership wants to hear them. However, all too often, employees and leaders feel that no one cares about cultivating a communicative culture of solution-focused problem solvers. Hurt and Dye collaborated with the University of Northern Colorado on a cross-industry research study that illuminates both the origins of the problem and the best ways to ameliorate the issues. You can access the white paper and research HERE.

“Attitudes about work have evolved significantly. Employees today opportunities for more creativity and input. And employers need to give it to them if they want their business to thrive.”

– Karin Hurt & David Dye

In An Interview/Article, Karin Hurt & David Dye Can Share:

• Why employee creativity & curiosity is the key to business success
• Techniques to foster micro-innovation at every level of business
• How business owners can survive in the age of AI, automation, and the gig economy
• How to not lose employees (or relevance) in the rapidly changing business landscape
• How managers and employers can cultivate an environment of solutions-based people
• Groundbreaking new research on business survival in 2020: “Inspiring Innovation: Fostering a Courageous Culture of Micro-Innovators, Problem Solvers, and Customer Advocates”

Hurt and Dye are on a mission to improve corporate culture with a new paradigm for employee relations. They have information and advice to help companies thrive in the turmoil of information overload, rapidly automating systems and freelance talent.