Martin Pasquier's blog post was featuredCoworking Spaces Are the Future of Work... Until Their Own DisruptionA few weeks ago we attended Asia’s first "Coworking Unconference", set in the idyllic island of Bali in Indonesia, organized by Hubud (Hub in Ubud), with the support of Hub Singapore, Hubba in Thailand, Hub Australia and Comma from Indonesia.Beyond the issues addressed by the 120+ attendees - most of whom were coworking operators, a key topic was about the future of work. Work as we knew it so far, and as our parents knew it, is on the verge of being disrupted strongly by a few trends, and a new generation.Seven Percent of Gen-Y  Want to Work in a Fortune 500 CompanyThis statistic, served as an appetizer of the conference by the keynote speakers, is not an alarm bell: it’s already the symptom of a work culture gone wrong in the corporate world, where too much management, hierarchy, processes and pressure can’t innovate enough in front of the hugely successful tech companies of the last two decades.Two key trends can explain such a tectonic move. First, of course, digital technologies. The huge decrease of prices and increase of computing capacity of computers as well as smartphones made starting up an easy thing (making a successful is another matter). Work from home can now be a lifestyle for some months or years, whether you’re a digital mum or a digital nomad. Platforms such as Elance-Odesk or even Fiverr can bring you revenues all over the world, clients and money not being anchored in a given territory anymore.The second innovation, it’s the budget airlines. 20 years ago, it was still costly to cross the Atlantic, not even talking of reaching remote places in South-East Asia, Latin America or Sub-Saharan Africa. Today with the likes of Ryan Air in Europe, SouthWest in the US and AirAsia in South-East Asia, it’s both easy, cheap, and convenient to go from country to country. It helps us individuals to reach even more freedom when it comes to work, of course.As a result, or a corollary, coworking spaces have been booming for the last decade. The word itself has been crafted in 2005. Since then, the number of coworking spaces have doubled each year. Not decelerating recently. And those spaces tend to specialise, with coworking spaces for social entrepreneurs, SMEs, tech startups, big or small, in the downtown area or in the remotes islands of Thailand…Can the Coworking Culture Help the Corporates?A recurring topic for coworking spaces, still in their infancy, is their sustainability. With more migrants all over the world, it’s not easy to maintain financially a place where people can stay one week or one year, especially in cities which are always more crowded and, as a result, more expensive. Singapore, Beirut or Lagos are expensive places for different reasons, but they all get crowds of freelancers dropping by and in need of a place where they can create, collaborate, and move forward.Many of these coworking spaces hunt for "partnerships", although it becomes more clear with time than the relationship is not so unbalanced as it may seem. Yes, coworking spaces need money, and corporates have some left. But for corporates, the risk of losing talent to tech startups, freelancers and SMEs is acute. In one talk we’ll be giving next month in Paris for one of the top French companies, we’ve been explicitly asked not to talk about coworking spaces, not to create frustrations among the audience.Beyond corporates, local government can also find a new ally with coworking spaces, where the creative and collaborative communities can often solve social, environmental or policy issues debt-burdened governments can not always afford - not even talking of their skills or decision speed to do so.Coworking Culture TomorrowTo conclude the conference, a few developments on the future of coworking.One big idea many want to achieve, but no one has really been able to do is the coworking visa. A mythical item which would allow any coworker from any country in the word to swap freely and easily places with other fellow coworking spaces in a distant country. Mobility is perk, but to grant it to their users, coworking spaces will need a lot of effort on their data and payment infrastructure first, and try avoid end up like airlines and their miles program, a pain for users.Coworking spaces are a success, and as any successful phenomenon, they attract competition. Real-estate specialists, from banks to "desk sellers" to government, are rushing into this opportunity to fill their buildings, make a profit on shorter-terms leases, and create entrepreneurial communities through space. "Megaspaces", as one speaker of the conference named them, are on the rise, even though they rarely convey the feeling of a community traditional coworking spaces offer, probably one of their key strengths.Coworking spaces have one key to the future of work, but as any trending phenomenon, they, too, can be disrupted.Martin Pasquier is the founder of Innovation is Everywhere, a project that explores the startup scenes of emerging markets, one country at a time.See More

Given all the material that is out there these days on employee engagement and my unabashed love of acronyms, I started playing around with an A-Z list of words and thoughts tied to this subject.   The first two letters of the alphabet came easily for me since they are things I always talk about. A stands for Alignment, which is all about ensuring that employees understand where their company is going, how they will get there and where they fit in. B stands for Buying In, which is having employees who truly believes in the mission, vision and purpose of the organization they work for. It’s when I got to the letter C that my keyboard stuck and my brain went into overdrive. I truly believe that as a general rule of thumb, amazing businesses succeed in creating engaged organizations by focusing on these six C’s: Collaboration Employees don’t just work together; they are vested in each other’s success. Collaborative organizations know there is more power in ‘we’ than ‘I’. Creativity Employees are heard and their ideas are valued. Engaged employees are more likely to be innovative and creative. Connection Engaged employees create happy customers who create more sales and ultimately increased revenues and shareholder value. There’s no denying the cause and effect of this relationship. Celebration We need to celebrate successes along the way so that employees can feel a sense of accomplishment and recognition. There’s nothing better than having a reason to celebrate. Community It’s important to forge the connection between employees and the communities in which they live and work by giving back. Here’s where your work and personal life can come together in brilliant harmony. Saving the most important ‘C’ for last, let’s talk about the one thing that can make or break a company’s ability to create a workforce of engaged employees. Context The simple act of providing context for decisions is the most powerful thing a leader can do to foster the right environment where engagement can thrive. Nothing rips at the fabric of trust more than not knowing or understanding why a decision was made. It’s okay to share the bad news, but at least let employees know the reason behind it. If you have to announce layoffs, explain the business reason driving that decision. If you are granting employees something positive, like a performance-related bonus, give them the facts behind the decision so they can see how their hard work is paying off with strong results for the company. If you remember nothing else from this post, never forget to give people context. It works in your personal life as well. No matter the situation, everyone wants to know the why behind the what. Context helps to provide clarity, direction and meaning as it serves to get everyone aligned on the same page. If you ask parents how many times they heard their children respond "Why?" to a request, the answer will probably be "too many times to count." However, if you provide the context beforehand you might be able to lessen the number of whys down the road and head off that headache before it starts. Since my keyboard is stuck, I am giving up on the rest of the alphabet for now. I hope these 6 C’s become your foundation to creating an environment where passion, performance and productivity come together in an abundance of engagement.

This article originally appeared at SmartBlog on Leadership in November 2012. After dedicating a large portion of my professional life to helping leaders develop new skills to improve workplace performance, I’ve come to a startling (and perhaps career-limiting) conclusion: Employee engagement, motivation, and results are less about introducing new leadership behaviors and more about just stopping the stuff that makes employees crazy. Let me frame this as a little parable. Leaders in a mythical company worked diligently to create a lovely gardened footpath. They design it to honor, inspire and rejuvenate the workforce. But no one used it. Why? Because — unbeknownst to the leaders — the employees were walking around every day with sharp stones in their shoes. All of their energy was focused toward relieving or coping with that discomfort; so taking additional painful steps — regardless how lovely the path — didn’t even occur to them. Employees can’t appreciate the "extras" that leaders may offer through enhanced skills and abilities if they are distracted (or pained) by their own significant irritants. Obviously employees will benefit when leaders attend training, learn important skills and apply new approaches to their roles. But where organizations can realize an even greater return on their investments (of time, energy, and money) is isolating and eliminating the five most significant de-motivators and impediments to employees joyfully and fully contributing their talents to the cause. Unclear expectations: The vast majority of employees want to do a good job. They want to contribute and perform well. What hampers that is a lack of clarity about what the outcome should be, what the standards are, what success looks like and how they’ll be evaluated. Withhold this information and you’ll undermine performance — and make employees nuts. Underutilization: It’s critical that employees feel that they are bringing the best they have to offer, particularly as workplace demographics shift toward younger workers. Study after study confirms a connection between employees feeling that their talents are being fully tapped and greater engagement. Underutilization of skills, capacities and people sub-optimizes results. And it makes employees nuts. Unnecessary systems, rules and processes: Many organizations find themselves overlaying rules and systems without thoughtful reconciliation. Got a problem? Introduce a new process! As a result, they become like those states with antiquated statutes. Perhaps there was a reason to enact a law about not looking a donkey in the eye on Sunday, but it doesn’t make sense today. And it makes employees nuts. Unproductive use of time: Little is more frustrating to employees than wasting time — Meetings that start late, projects that go nowhere, reports that are filed without review or consideration, fire drills that force people to scramble for no real reason. Those "five minutes here" and an "hour there"build up over time, undermining organizational credibility and results. And it makes employees nuts. Unrelenting change: Don’t get me wrong. Keeping pace with today’s dynamic marketplace demands a commitment to change. Yet many organizations have developed an affection for switching things up, redesigning structures, revising the schedule, redefining direction, etc. Sometimes it’s just change for change’s sake. The problem is that people become change-resistant. They internalize a sense of impermanence that causes them to resist or simply ignore the steady stream of changes washing over them. Unrelenting changes hurts genuine organizational transformation efforts. And it makes employees nuts. As a leader, what may matter more than what you do is what you un-do. Make it a priority to address the five factors that make employees nuts. Help remove those sharp stones from their shoes. You’ll see remarkable results… step by step. Going nuts yourself? As an employee, what factors undermine your motivation and ability to deliver results? What sharp stones are you stepping on each day? Image: www.dreamstime.net The post Stop Driving Employees Nuts appeared first on Julie Winkle Giulioni.

Paul Clarke's blog post was featuredWhen the Internet of Things and Smart Machines CollideSlowly at first and then suddenly -- that’s the signature of exponential growth. Out at sea, a tsunami is an almost imperceptible swell. But when it rises up and hits you, unlike a normal wave it just keeps on coming.We are all constantly bombarded by hype on technology trends but there are two genuine technology tsunamis heading our way right now, namely the Internet of Things and Smart Machines. Where these two forces collide with one another and with us, they will create an explosion of new opportunities in areas as diverse as entertainment, healthcare, disaster management and smart cities. If you thought the mobile revolution has had a huge impact on individuals and businesses, you ain’t seen nothing yet!At a recent Ocado conference, we gave all the delegates a small electronic gizmo and asked them to put it behind one of their ears. We then demonstrated that we could locate them and remotely sense information such as their heart rate, temperature, stress and arousal levels. The demonstration was in fact a spoof, not because anything we did was impossible just that doing it for real would have been challenging in terms of the size of the device and its cost; but all that is changing.There are already relatively low cost consumer EEG brain sensing devices available that can feedback your stress level and its only a matter of time before it becomes practical to do the sort of sentiment analysis we pretended to demonstrate. Indoor location is ironically harder to do than outdoor location, especially in environments such as our highly automated warehouses (we call them Customer Fulfilment Centres or CFCs), but new technologies are becoming available and their cost is falling.The last ingredient was two way communication to a dense population of thousands of sensors. Imagine a restaurant where the lighting, music, decor, temperature, humidity and even smells are controlled by feedback from wearables attached to customers. Or a nightclub where the music and lighting are controlled by the movement and bio-feedback of the dancers. However what if you wanted to do the same for a large rock concert, or the real time control a herd of robots on an automated construction site or choreographing a swarm of nanobots cleaning up an oil spill.Those are genuine Internet of Things challenges where conventional communication solutions won’t cope with the density of devices. It’s actually a problem Ocado has just had to solve for our next generation of CFCs and the solution we have created has far wider applications.So what about the second tsunami, smart machines. For a system to be considered a genuine smart machine, I believe it needs to do something that previously you would have thought only a human could do and it must display a high level of autonomy. Products such as Google Now or Microsoft’s Cortana are smart(ish) machines that give us a sense of what truly smart machines will be able to do for us in areas such as proactive search, cognitive analytics, digital assistants and smart agents.We already employ a lot of machine learning, optimization and data science techniques to make our end to end solution very smart but like the holes in the proverbial Swiss cheese, we can see so many opportunities where advances in areas such as deep learning will enable us to make it much much smarter. These are the sort of technologies we are building into our new Ocado Smart Platform, to put grocery retailers around the world online using our disruptive business model.But the really exciting opportunities come where these two tsunamis collide. Then we will have smart machines talking to all these internet enabled devices and in so doing, becoming much more aware of the world around them. And smart machines will be talking to other smart machines, creating a lattice of smart machines and devices all talking to one another.Let’s imagine you are driving to work and your smart car develops a fault. The smart engine management system communicates with the car manufacturer and additional diagnostics are downloaded and run to identify the cause of the fault. A repair is required and your car communicates with your garage to find a suitable service slot tomorrow. The necessary parts are ordered from the manufacturer. Your car is aware that its MOT and annual service are due soon, so it arranges for these in to happen at the same time.Your car contacts your digital assistant at work. You have an early meeting this morning that needs to be cancelled as you will now be in late. The digital assistants of the other meeting attendees are also contacted to handle the consequences of the meeting cancellation. You had a one day business trip arranged for tomorrow and your digital assistant knows you were planning to drive to and from the airport. Since your car will be unavailable, it asks if you would like to go by train or taxi. Having opted for the train, your smart luggage is re-programmed accordingly.You were due to collect the kids on your way back from the airport which now you won’t be able to do and so your partner’s digital assistant is contacted to arrange for them to do the school pickup instead. You have an Ocado order booked for tomorrow afternoon but since now neither of you will be around, your digital assistant asks if you would like it moved until later or converted to a click and collect delivery.A temporary digital key is downloaded to your car to allow the garage to collect it from the roadside. Your home management system is alerted to allow the garage to open your gate and drop off your car in the afternoon. Your digital assistant knows you like to watch Suits tomorrow evening but since you will be back late, it records the episode for you. As nobody will be around to give the dog her second walk, your digital assistant asks if you would like the dog walker contacted. Finally it’s your partner’s birthday tomorrow, so your digital assistant reminds you to buy a present and asks if you would like dinner booked for the two of you; and so on. The initial car fault is like dropping a stone into a pond, with the implications rippling out and being handled by a lattice of smart machines and devices.So who will build out this smart internet of things? The rise of mobile app stores and cloud services has democratized the art of the software start-up, making it genuinely possible to setup a multi-million (or even billion) dollar worldwide business from your bedroom. In a similar way, the explosion of low cost hardware platforms for embedding computing have democratized building the internet of things, enabling SMEs, start-ups and even makers to be players in this revolution. This will be an innovation battle fought with asymmetric warfare.So what are the implications of all this technology coming our way? Well one of our holy grails is using technologies such as deep learning to process all the data we collect to predict what our customers want before even they have clue. And then we need to integrate with our customers’ increasingly smart worlds. Here smart packaging is really exciting. Imagine a portal in your home that warns you when products enter that might trigger your child’s peanut allergy. And forget fizzy drink bottles with your name on and think about smart labels that interact with you.And smart packaging will interact with smart utensils. And smart packaging and smart utensils will interact with smart appliances and robotic cooking assistants. Devices that require supplies, such as your coffee machine or your dishwasher, will be going online and taking responsibility for replenishing themselves. And all of this is part of the fabric of the truly smart home. And smart homes, smart offices and smart communities will be part of smart cities and smart countries.Many of us already inhabit a hyper-connected always-on world with mobiles next to our beds but wearables are going to take this to a whole new level and with it, data overwhelm. To the rescue will come another breed of smart assistants, the Smart Agents. These will help you manage your data privacy and when you finally get tired of splurging all your personal data over social media, these agents will negotiate what data you are prepared to share with whom. And since these data have value, they will also administer the auction to get the best deal for selling them.So what are the next steps? Well if you are up for building this stuff, then there are some capabilities to go shopping for such as data science, natural language processing, machine learning and deep neural nets. This is a revolution where fortune is going to favor the early adopters and those willing to get their feet wet experimenting before these technologies mature.Returning to the theme of tsunamis, the water is drawing back now, the tsunamis are on the horizon and the time to act, is now.Paul Clarke is Director of Technology at the UK online grocery giant Ocado.See More

I joined LJNRadio to offer insight on employee engagement. You can listen my interview here: LJNRadio

Daniel Ingevaldson's blog post was featuredWhat’s Lurking in the Deep End of the Internet?Last month, a jury convicted Ross Ulbricht as the ringleader of the notorious Silk Road website. The largest online black market, until it was shutdown by the Federal government in 2013, was the poster child of the so-called "Deep Web" and was best known as a platform for selling illegal drugs. Meanwhile, Darpa unveiled on 60 Minutes recently that the agency is developing a new search engine (Memex) that aims to make it easier for law enforcement and government to track illegal activity on the Deep Web. So what exactly is the Deep Web?Like an iceberg, the vast majority of the Internet is obscured from easy view. This unindexed section of the Internet is dubbed "the Deep Web." Experts agree that it is impossible to accurately gauge the exact size and scope of the Deep Web, but some dare to put the figure at hundreds of times the size of the visible or "surface" Internet.  While most of this content is innocuous, more and more criminal activity is moving away from the light of day and into to the shadowy corners.Accessing the Deep Web requires specialized knowledge and tools, as well as an anonymity network to guarantee privacy protection for users. Tor is an example of such a vehicle. Developed by the U.S. Navy more than ten years ago, Tor (The Onion Router) was designed to prevent browsing activity from being traced back to the user. Silk Road was operated as a Tor hidden service, enabling users to browse it anonymously and securely.In addition to the skill and infrastructure needed to access a deep web presence, black market operators generally take additional security procedures to ensure their sites are not found and shut down by the authorities, and that users’ identities are protected. These measures may include hosting sites with bullet-proof servers, where the host agrees not to reveal information about the people using the platform, regardless of the circumstances.The underground markets have long become gathering points for hackers wanting to buy and sell information, while enjoying anonymity and escrow services from operators.  These markets continue to grow more sophisticated every day, and are developing into a ‘supply chain’ for all kinds of illegal activities, where each party within the chain specializes in their unique piece of a nefarious puzzle. For example, hackers who are skilled enough to breach a network and extract information may not have the interest or the resources to then use those credentials to steal actual funds. Instead, they are increasingly finding it more profitable to go into the Deep Web and find a buyer for the information (credit card numbers, Social Security Numbers, other personal data) and sell it to them.Today, the Deep Web has evolved and has turned into an immense information-sharing tool that is making it easier for criminals to do their job more thoroughly. For example, someone may purchase your Social Security Number from one data broker. Then, in order to buy a car under your name, they may need to know information such as your physical and email addresses, phone numbers, current and historical career history, and answers to security questions. Putting the information together from multiple data brokers (typically from multiple breaches) can provide these criminals a comprehensive, credible dossier that makes it far easier to impersonate someone.The recent evolution of the Deep Web has allowed fraud to become increasingly commoditized and easier to do, simply because there are many ways to monetize the fraud process itself. As it continues to mature, we expect to see increasingly sophisticated fraud based on the ability to mine the Deep Web for a variety of information. The Darpa Memex project is a great first step in leveling the playing field. But it will take a coordinated effort between government and the private sector to catch up to the very large lead that the hacker community has been building. Daniel Ingevaldson is Chief Technology Officer of Easy Solutions.See More

What could be more helpful to a leader than having nearly 24/7 real-time access to an experienced coach who literally follows him or her around throughout the day? That’s what many organizations are providing in an effort to enhance leadership effectiveness and shorten time to productivity.  And it’s called ‘caboose coaching’. Understanding the Engine Here’s how it works.  A seasoned coach shadows a leader, following her through meetings, interactions, individual work and more. The beauty of the approach is that the coach is present at key points in the day, available to intervene, correct, and give in-the-moment direction to ensure the best possible results. The coach solves problems, makes decisions, and instructs the leader on the actions to initiate each step of the way. Additionally, because the coach has witnessed the leader’s full day, he’s in a position to engage in a detailed review of the 25-30 key ‘crossings’ or moments of truth during which the leader struggled or fell short.  These ‘crossing conversations’ close out each day and can last anywhere from 90 minutes to three or even four hours depending on the skill of the leader and coach. Finally, because the coach is privy to everything done by the leader, he can help cover the leader’s, organization’s, and even his own caboose by resolving and fixing issues not properly addressed during the day. April Fools! Caboose coaching doesn’t (or shouldn’t) exist!  In fact, it’s the worst and least helpful approach available to supporting leadership success.  Effective coaching is all about helping and facilitating insights, growth, and development.  It’s about asking versus telling. It’s about guiding versus intervening. Effective coaching allows people to make mistakes, struggle, even fail… and extract powerful lessons from the experiences. Talented coaches don’t need to follow others around because they’re skillful at helping those around them reflect on their activities, challenges, and accomplishments themselves.  And their conversations need not be lengthy… in fact, a few good questions can unlock tremendous insights and inspire focused action. Finally, effective coaching is never about doing for others, fixing their issues, or solving  problems for them. It’s about providing the support required so they can grow and learn to do for themselves in an ever-expanding way. So, let’s make sure that we stay on track…. letting leaders remain the conductors of their own work lives. No caboose coaching! What about you? What other foolish coaching should we make sure to avoid on April Fool’s Day and every day? The post The Latest Leadership Craze: Caboose Coaching appeared first on Julie Winkle Giulioni.

Callum Davies, Ariel Shapira, Susanne McKee and 16 more joined Innovation Insights

Today’s managers and supervisors are under tremendous, and often competing, pressures.  They’re challenged to balance short-term results with long-term focus. They must keep costs down but drive ever-increasing levels of contribution and value. They must follow directives and think outside of the box. And they have to do it all at once. Analogies abound. A manager’s job is akin to spinning plates, juggling chainsaws, herding cats, or navigating the whitewater rapids of change. It’s also akin to a trending app in the Apple Store, Nerdy Workout. (Yes, I do have kids… and in the spirit of full-disclosure the developer of this app is Joe Rothenberg, a brilliant young man and my son’s former college roommate.) So Many Moving Parts This new game requires carefully-timed movements to avoid risks and achieve results. To me, it immediately resembles the life of a manager in a typical organization… and the many moving parts they orchestrate with precision and care each day. Multiple tasks must be executed in an ever-changing and frequently unpredictable landscape. Projects must move fast to leverage openings and opportunities… or slow down to sidestep problems. Resources shift (or are eliminated), requiring energy and effort to adjust. Done well, it comes off as a well-choreographed dance… or a well-played game of Nerdy Workout. Nerdy Workout players (primarily new GenY entrants to the workforce) also recognize the leadership analogies and lessons: "Dealing with the alternating responsibilities (arms) while avoiding the distractions (monsters) mimics my own professional experience."   - Paul "While it may be faster to deal with one thing at a time, in order to get the greatest results (score) you have to keep a balance of variables." - Diane "Sometimes it’s the simple solutions that yield the greatest results." - Brett "Don’t underestimate the ability for seemingly simple distractions to derail your plans. In this game - and in life - the best laid plans can be foiled by small monsters."  - Nick Winning the Game So, how does one win the game (of management or Nerdy Workout)?  It comes down to four key principles. Know the end game. Take pains to clarify and keep a keen focus on your goals.  Distractions will always present themselves. But you will be able to quickly put them into perspective and respond appropriately when you understand what you’re striving to achieve. Work the parts while keeping an eye on the whole. Being a manager can be dizzying for many reasons…not the least of which is that you must constantly attend to the micro and the macro. You must work the day-to-day details while also remaining focused on the big picture. Let either go and both are in jeopardy. Use the resources available to you. Wishing for more budget or lamenting the loss of a headcount adds little organizational value.  Instead, carefully consider the resources you do have at your disposal and deploy them strategically. Have some fun. Failure is not fatal. Learn from each round and use that knowledge to perform better next time. When you’re enjoying yourself, others will too… and the results will follow naturally! The post The New Game of Management appeared first on Julie Winkle Giulioni.

Mike Arney commented on Sean Brennan's blog post Awareables: The Technology of Superhumanism