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ATD Blog

Megatrends and Personality: Managing Risk in a Volatile Environment

Friday, August 5, 2016
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As we finish the first half of 2016 and plan for the coming months, we naturally focus on predictions for the future. One of the ways we try to predict the future is by examining trends. Google the term megatrends and you will find more than 500,000 results. Common megatrend themes across all industries include:

  • an aging population being replaced by Millennials and Generation Z
  • an increasing need for diversity
  • accelerating technological change, automation, and big data
  • changing social behavior, social media, and the Internet of things
  • globalization and the potential impact of the Brexit. 

As various megatrends accelerate and their impact is magnified, most businesses will be faced with a completely different set of conditions that will go beyond the level of uncertainty experienced today. These trends will create unprecedented challenges across each industry, which will require leaders to re-examine how new employees are hired and current employees are utilized, developed, and promoted.  
As Nathan Furr and Jeff Dyer wrote in The Innovator’s Method, “Increasingly evidence suggests that our familiar management techniques work poorly when applied to the context of uncertainty. For example, research shows that under conditions of uncertainty, planning simply does not work.” Furr and Dyer go on to state that “each major discipline, upon encountering uncertainty, has developed its own answer, including engineering (design thinking), computer science (Agile software), entrepreneurship (Lean start-up), physics (Active Learning), the military (adaptive Army), and so on.”

How can we mitigate this potential risk and uncertainty when the positions that you hired for and your definition of success for those positions will change during your employees' tenure with your company?  

For managers and business leaders—who share responsibility for selection, retention, and development—it starts with an understanding that personality is becoming an essential component of your long-term talent management strategy. They should establish a common language to describe competencies required for success. 

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When I use the term competencies in this context, I’m not referring to skills and abilities, but characteristics that can be assessed through the use of scientifically valid personality assessments. Such assessments will predict the degree to which an individual’s natural tendencies and motivations support specific competencies. Here are just a few competencies that you should consider: 

  • managing innovation
  • team building
  • strategic talent management
  • influence and persuasion
  • deliberative decision making
  • strategic thinking
  • business acumen
  • quality focus
  • composure and resiliency
  • achievement motivation and perseverance
  • adaptability
  • comfort with ambiguity. 

Consider how current trends will affect your business. Do you need to take action now? Which require additional investigation and conversation within your organization? Most important, how will the criteria for your future hires change and what do you plan to do?

About the Author

Frank Costanzo has more than 30 years of experience building and leading technology-based businesses across multiple industries, including education, banking, online brokerage, and publishing. In his capacity as senior vice president of sales with Caliper, he is responsible for the sales organization and business development initiatives. Frank is a member of Caliper’s executive committee and is charged with providing strategic direction and ensuring that Caliper is delivering solutions that maximize clients’ human capital potential. He takes a proactive role in connecting clients’ future visions of their organizations with the most innovative solutions available from Caliper today. 

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