### 21st Century Luddites: Understanding Resistance to New Technology

“Luddite” originally referred to English textile workers in the early 19th century who destroyed machinery that threatened their jobs.

In the 21st century, the term now describes individuals — in workplaces and beyond — who are resistant or outright opposed to adopting new technologies or methods of working.

This resistance is not just about nostalgia or stubbornness; it is often rooted in deeper, multifaceted reasons.

**Key Reasons for Resistance to New Technology Today:**

1.

**Job Security Fears:** Like the original Luddites, many today fear technology will make their roles obsolete, threatening their livelihoods.

This anxiety can be especially strong among older workers or those whose skills are most at risk of automation.

**Cultural and Social Disconnection:** Workplaces have traditionally been centers for human interaction and cultural learning.

The shift to remote or hybrid work, often enabled by new technologies, can create a sense of loss, disconnecting employees from the informal norms and bonds that shape a company's culture.

**Loss of Control and Uncertainty:** Rapid technological change can foster feelings of instability, as familiar routines are upended.

This uncertainty is unsettling for many, particularly those who value established, clearly defined processes.

**Leadership and Trust Issues:** Lack of clear communication from management about the purpose and benefits of new technologies can erode trust.

When leaders don’t adapt or address concerns transparently, staff may resist perceived top-down changes.

**Mental Health and Burnout:** The fusion of work and personal life — intensified by digital tools — can blur boundaries and increase stress.

Employees may resist technologies that exacerbate burnout or make it harder to “switch off.”

6.

Multigenerational miscommunication can amplify resistance if not handled inclusively.

### 21st Century Luddites: Understanding Resistance to New Technology

“Luddite” originally referred to English textile workers in the early 19th century who destroyed machinery that threatened their jobs.

Title:

Content: Jump to

  1. Main content
  2. Search
  3. Account

Gen Z is sick and tired of their jobs

Young workers are now as disengaged as burned-out boomers

HOMEPAGE

Young workers may not possess the experience or wisdom of their older colleagues. But they've always had one advantage in the workplace: their enthusiasm. Unattached and kid-free, they're willing to burn the midnight oil. They have yet to grow bored or disgruntled. They're full of hopes and dreams — and the naivete to drink the company Kool-Aid. That's why they've traditionally been more involved in and excited about their jobs than their graying counterparts.

But since the pandemic hit, there's been a startling shift. From 2019 to 2022, according to Gallup surveys, the share of people under 35 who reported being engaged with their jobs dropped from 37% to 33% — the lowest level since 2011. At the same time, the share who reported being "actively disengaged" rose to 17% from 12%. This rise in workplace disenchantment has been so powerful that it has virtually eliminated the old-young engagement gap. Gen Zers and young millennials, in other words, have soured on work just as much as everyone else.

This is very bad for companies. Low engagement is linked to higher job turnover and reduced profits; Gallup estimates it costs the global economy $7.8 trillion a year in lost productivity. It's also bad for young workers. If they were simply stepping away from their jobs and finding fulfillment elsewhere, that might be OK. But it's far deeper than that.

If you drill down on the specific components of engagement measured by Gallup, you find that workers in their 20s and early 30s report a plummeting sense of:

      • feeling cared about
      • having someone who encourages their development
      • having opportunities to learn and grow
      • having a best friend at work
      • believing that their opinions count

All of this points to a single, troubling conclusion: Something about today's workplace is failing our youngest workers.

Why? No one knows for sure. But I have a few hypotheses — and a few ideas about what companies can do better, for both their young staffers and their own bottom lines. "If employees aren't engaged, there is likely something about the way their work is designed that's not optimal," says Caitlin Duffy, a research director at Gartner, a consulting firm. "If you can optimize that, then you'll be unlocking all of their potential — as opposed to constraining it by legacy assumptions or processes or things that just don't fit anymore."

First, the factors contributing to the growing workplace disgruntlement of younger generations:

1. Work from home

Jim Harter, the chief scientist for Gallup's workplace-management practice, thinks a big factor is the pandemic-era shift to remote and hybrid work. We might think of Gen Z as the most flexible generation, but as I reported last year, they're actually the least likely to prefer a fully remote schedule. Only 24% of those in their 20s want to work from home all full time, compared with 41% of those in their 50s and early 60s. Which makes sense: People straight out of school typically depend on work for their social lives more than older workers, and they want and need more mentorship and guidance from their managers and more-experienced colleagues. But as the five components I cited earlier indicate, young workers aren't getting that as much from remote and hybrid work. And as a result, work has gotten less fun and less educational for them.

2. The Slack effect

A lot of the tips I picked up as a cub reporter didn't come from formal instruction. It was often accidental, like when I overheard the older reporters sitting next to me debate the newsworthiness of their scoops with their editors. In a remote world, those opportunities have begun to disappear, as face-to-face conversations (which allow for educational eavesdropping) are replaced by Slack messages (which don't).

But the problem runs even deeper than that. In one study, researchers examined the effects of a hybrid schedule at a large company in China that randomly divided its staff into two groups: one that had the option to work from home twice a week, and another that had to come into the office all the time. In the hybrid group, the researchers found, workers sent more messages than their full-time office counterparts — even on days they were actually in the office. Once you start using digital messaging tools, as the pandemic forced so many of us to do, it becomes the preferred way of communicating, even when you're back in the office. We're all Slacking coworkers who sit 5 feet away, instead of going over to talk to them — and that's making it harder for early-career employees to learn by osmosis, even in an office.

3. Unclear norms and expectations

Something else that workers used to pick up informally were the norms and expectations that make up a company's culture. That's much harder to do in remote and hybrid settings, making the experience of joining a new organization more stressful for everyone. And the uncertainty is extra tough for those coming straight out of school, with little knowledge of any professional workplace. When Gartner asked people what was preventing them from going into the office, Gen Zers were more likely than other generations to cite social anxiety.

"It's understandable because in a hybrid world, they can't observe the norms that govern how other employees operate in that shared office space," Duffy says. "Not knowing the norms for the workplace, in terms of conduct or getting work done, can lead to increased anxiety. It also can lead to employees spending time on how to do the work, instead of doing the work itself."

4. Post-pandemic stress disorder

COVID was tough on all of us, but the forced isolation of the pandemic was especially harmful for young people. In June 2021, a McKinsey survey found, Gen Zers were 1.5 times as likely as the average respondent to say they were depressed or anxious. And the stresses of the pandemic come on top of a mental-health crisis among young people that predated COVID.

"I think people are trying to sweep the pandemic under the rug, but what we've all been through has consequences," says Lindsey Pollak, a consultant who is the author of "The Remix: How to Lead and Succeed in the Multigenerational Workplace." "People who had their education or the beginning of their career disrupted, it's going to take a while for them to recover from that."

So how do companies fix this? It's clear that CEOs across the US are aware of the problem. But many of them have resorted to a truly dumb solution: requiring everyone to return to the office. JPMorgan has been enforcing office attendance via badge swipes, and Meta accompanied its recent announcement of 10,000 layoffs with a thinly veiled threat that employees should "find more opportunities to work with your colleagues in person." Both companies cite their young employees as a primary motivation for getting everyone back to their cubicles.

Ironically, though, experts say that forcing young workers to return to the office will only make things worse. Data from Gartner suggests companies that make office attendance optional have a 10% higher engagement rate among Gen Zers than those that require it. And 65% say that their willingness to stay in their jobs hinges partly on whether they can work flexibly. Gallup has also seen some of the biggest drops in engagement among employees who are required to come into the office even though their jobs can be performed remotely. Remote work might pose challenges for young workers, but many of them still prefer a hybrid schedule of their own choosing — and stripping them of that option isn't exactly a recipe for boosting engagement.

"Rigid return-to-office requirements are a big mistake," says Duffy, the Gartner researcher. "We tend to see that actually decreases performance and intent to stay and increases fatigue."

So how can companies raise the engagement of their youngest employees? Here are four suggestions, based on my conversations with the experts:

1. Make coming into the office worthwhile

When it comes to engagement, carrots work better than sticks. The fact that so many people aren't going in to the office says more about the office than it does about them. To boost attendance, companies need to improve the office experience. Reorganize the workplace to create more space for people to collaborate and socialize. Organize more happy hours. Pay for parking and subway fares. Allow people to arrive later, and leave earlier, to avoid rush-hour commutes. In short, inspire people of all ages to work in the office because they actually want to — and help facilitate the social interactions and mentorship that young people are otherwise missing.

2. Spell everything out

Remember that thing about work from home making it harder to pick up on workplace norms and expectations? There's a pretty simple solution to that: Spell them out. When is it OK to decline a meeting invitation? Are you expected to respond to emails on a Saturday night? How polished does a first draft of a memo need to be? Pollak, the consultant, told me about a client who complained that their Gen Z employees were "abusing" the company's vacation policy. When Pollak asked what the policy was, the client said it was to take "a reasonable amount" of time off. In a workplace composed only of old white men, that kind of ambiguity might fly — but not in one with a mix of generations (as well as genders and races and cultural backgrounds) who have different interpretations of what "reasonable" means. "You can't make those assumptions anymore," Pollak says. "It's about clarity and avoiding assumptions."

3. Meaningful 1:1s

Harter, the Gallup researcher, has his own advice for companies: Nurture better managers. As I recently reported, many businesses are running in the opposite direction, getting rid of their middle managers. But these are the very people who can help young workers feel more seen and motivated in their jobs. Sure, the transition to remote and hybrid work has obliterated the old method of management — bumping into employees by the coffee machine and asking about their weekend. But even from a distance, it's still possible for managers to learn what motivates their employees, stay in tune with their ups and downs, and step in early when they start to struggle. Managers just have to be intentional about it — setting up weekly one-on-ones — instead of depending on accidental run-ins at the office. The low engagement of young employees isn't so much about remote work as it is about "how managers are managing them in this new world of work," Harter says. "Whether managers give employees meaningful feedback once a week has multiples more importance than where people are sitting."

4. Give employees a say

I'm generally skeptical of generational differences, but one thing that's struck me about my Gen Z colleagues is how outspoken they are compared with the way I was in my early 20s. (I'm 36, which, for the purposes of this story, makes me old.) Pollak ascribes this to Gen Z growing up with social media. "They're more self-empowered to have a voice," she says. In the old days, she continues, "you would've had to write a letter to the editor or an op-ed to have a national or global voice — now you just have to send a tweet." Companies would do well to keep that in mind, creating opportunities for employees — especially younger ones — to voice their opinions, ask questions, and provide input on all aspects of the business. Senior executives should host frequent all-hands meetings, and HR departments should conduct regular employee surveys. The catch is, executives actually have to listen to the feedback, answer the questions, and take action as a result. Otherwise it's just for show, and engagement will continue to suffer.

I imagine that CEOs, most of whom are baby boomers and Gen Xers, might lodge two objections to my suggestions. The first is: We can't just favor Gen Z.

I'm not suggesting that managers record TikTok dances or use more emojis. (Just to spell out the cultural expectations here: please don't.) My suggestions are targeted to shore up engagement among young workers, but they'd actually be good for everyone. Spelling out workplace norms, for instance, wouldn't just help befuddled 22-year-olds but would also help all the women and people of color and recent immigrants who are currently forced to guess the unwritten rules — and then second-guess those guesses when they don't get the results they hoped.

The second objection I can imagine is: Well, that's a lot of work. Which is true — doing all these things right isn't easy. It's hard for a big, entrenched company to change its ways. So far, though, executives are mostly reverting to their tired old playbooks, like forcing their staff to come back to the office. And when that hasn't worked, they complain that young people are lazy and don't want to work anymore.

They can't see that what worked before just won't work today. The plummeting engagement among young workers, traditionally the most enthusiastic and energetic, is a cry for help — a sign that employers need to find new ways to involve, motivate, mentor, and inspire a new generation of employees. If CEOs are unwilling to do the hard work of adapting their organizations to the new world shaped by the pandemic, it's not their Gen Z and millennial staff who are lazy — it's them.

Aki Ito is a senior correspondent at Insider.

About Discourse Stories

Through our Discourse journalism, Insider seeks to explore and illuminate the day’s most fascinating issues and ideas. Our writers provide thought-provoking perspectives, informed by analysis, reporting, and expertise. Read more Discourse stories here.

Read next

gen z Millennials Employee Engagement

In the 21st century, the term now describes individuals — in workplaces and beyond — who are resistant or outright opposed to adopting new technologies or methods of working.

This resistance is not just about nostalgia or stubbornness; it is often rooted in deeper, multifaceted reasons.

Title:

Content: COLUMNS

Good company culture retains workers and creates competitive edge. Follow these principles

Emily Rogers
Special to The Ledger

The period described as the Great Resignation that began about a year ago is an ongoing economic trend. A recent CNBC headline stated that a startling 96% of workers will be looking for a new job this year in the hopes of attaining higher wages, the opportunity for advancement, better benefits, more flexibility, a healthier workplace environment, and a role that matters more to them.

This turnover is not only financially costly, it also takes a toll on workplace morale. The burden of enhanced recruiting efforts, onboarding and training add up fast. According to Gallop, the cost of replacing an employee is from one-half to two times the employee’s salary. When a position is vacated, the required duties of that role don’t go away and must be fulfilled by those left behind — increasing the likelihood of burnout and more turnover.

While the reasons for an employee resignation vary greatly and many variables are outside of a company's control, organizational culture is a widespread reason for high turnover that is in a leadership team’s power to influence positively. An employer cannot control a scenario where an employee leaves voluntarily to relocate or reprioritize family care. However, when multiple people resign because they don't feel valued by their boss, connected to the organization’s mission, or respected by their colleagues, this may be a sign that the workplace climate is eroding the ability to retain talent.

Q&A with Kristen LowersWomen leaders should 'just be you,' take time with development

'Seek first to understand'Polk Vision director Kim Long talks about leading by listening

Keeping employees engaged 5 fundamental leadership practices that can help

A healthy organizational culture is a competitive edge. Your business strategy sets objectives and benchmarks that other companies can easily imitate. However, your culture determines how people feel at work and will ultimately create (or destroy) the environment for success.

Quality people want to be part of an engaged and winning team. Workplace environments that stimulate engagement generate higher productivity, and productivity propels performance. Raising pay, offering more flexibility and adding more perks are short-term fixes to a more nuanced retention problem. A toxic culture will not retain even the highest-paid workers.

Here are three timeless principles for cultivating an organizational culture that creates a competitive edge:

Healthy relationships matter

A healthy organizational climate is co-created by an ecosystem of healthy relationships. When coaching leaders and teams, I stay curious about the climate in which they are operating because it’s co-created by everyone and co-owned regardless of rank. The strength of connections between coworkers is highly correlated with the health of the climate and one toxic leader, dysfunctional relationship or actively disengaged employee weakens the entire ecosystem. Asking a leader or team member to draw the constellation of relationships within their organizational system and visually indicate where stronger and weaker connections exist quickly reveals the overall health of the climate and highlights the relationships that need attention. When these relationships are strengthened, trust is built, engagement improves and common issues like ineffective communication and unproductive conflict get resolved and fade into the background.

The keys: safety, connection and respect

Three essential nutrients are required to co-create a healthy ecosystem of relationships: safety, connection, and respect. Drawing from the field of neuroscience and Amanda Blake, author of Your Body is Your Brain, humans are hard-wired to scan their environments and relationships for safety, connection and respect. Just like plants require water, sunlight and soil to thrive, we need safety, connection and respect to flourish. In a workplace, this means that we feel physically and psychologically safe, connected to the people we work with and our common mission, and valued for our unique contributions, backgrounds and differences. We feel seen, heard, understood and safe to be ourselves. When these qualities are scarce in our workplace ecosystem, we languish and struggle to reach our full potential. If your organization has established its core values, revisit them to determine where safety, connection and respect live within those values and expand upon them if necessary. If your team still needs to establish its core values, this is an excellent place to start this vital exercise.

Leaders set the tone

Leaders and managers bring the weather to the ecosystem. Leaders set the tone and managers are your cultural ambassadors. When coaching a leadership team, I often begin with these questions, “What are the weather patterns you're experiencing in your organization? Sunny or cloudy? Turbulent or calm? High pressure or low pressure? And how might you be contributing to those weather patterns?“ How employees feel about the organization is strongly influenced by the "weather" leaders bring to the environment — individually and collectively. The role of today's leaders is much more complex and challenging than just a few years ago. Mid-level managers are often most challenged because they are wedged between the competing wants and needs of their senior leaders and direct reports. As the conduits of safety, connection and respect throughout the organization, mid-level managers' responses to these dynamics strongly influence the organizational climate. Ensuring your managers are trained in how to skillfully respond to these pressures will reduce the likelihood of turnover caused by company culture or an unskilled boss.

The generational shifts that are occurring in our labor force are amplifying the need to make organizational culture a higher priority. The employees that have recently entered our labor force and those that are soon to join them are less tolerant of a toxic boss, a disrespectful environment, a culture that doesn't value growth and development and an organization that doesn't have a higher purpose. This shift will become more pronounced in future years. Organizations that don't utilize these three principles will have a more challenging time retaining talent today and in the coming decades.

Emily Rogers, Founder & CEO of Emily Rogers Consulting + Coaching, is an executive coach, team coach, and leadership development facilitator. She strategically advises and supports leaders and teams in growing and realizing their full potential in purposeful and balanced ways. You can connect with her athttp://emilyrogers.com.

**Key Reasons for Resistance to New Technology Today:**

1.

**Job Security Fears:** Like the original Luddites, many today fear technology will make their roles obsolete, threatening their livelihoods.

This anxiety can be especially strong among older workers or those whose skills are most at risk of automation.

Title:

Content: These Strategies Will Help You Manage And Lead Multigenerational Teams To Success

One of the most pressing challenges facing managers today is effectively leading multi-generational teams.

Written By Chelsea C. Williams, Founder & CEO, Reimagine Talent Co.

One of the most pressing challenges facing managers today is effectively leading multigenerational teams. With five generational cohorts in today’s workplace–traditionalists, baby boomers, Gen Xers, millennials, and Gen Zers–each brings unique experiences, values, and approaches to work.

Fostering harmony and collaboration among these diverse cohorts is essential for business and team success.

As a founder and CEO, my team and I work with leaders and managers who struggle with multigenerational team dynamics. As retirement patterns shift, individuals are working longer than ever before. Baby boomers and traditionalists are still working because of the COVID-19 pandemic and financial need; this is especially true for communities of color. Meanwhile, Gen Z is hungry for opportunities to advance quickly and move into leadership roles. All generations can become easily frustrated by a lack of understanding of their younger or older co-workers.

All organizations can benefit from learning to lead across generations to build, engage, and retain a multigenerational workforce.

Understanding Each Generation

First, let’s take a moment to clarify what generational analysis means and how it is used to help shape insights into the different cohorts in today’s workforce and workplace.

Now let’s look at the Pew Research Center’s findings about each generation and a few characteristics that affect their work styles and expectations from managers:

Generation Z, born 1997-2012:

  • Accustomed to change and expects it in the workplace.
  • Values in-person interactions.
  • Seeks feedback on a frequent, ongoing basis.

Millennials, born 1981-1996:

  • Wants to be coached and mentored.
  • Prefers collaborative and technology-centric training.
  • Must be in alignment with company values.

Generation X, born 1965-1980:

  • Views change as a vehicle for opportunity.
  • Embraces a hands-off management policy.
  • Is entrepreneurial and results-oriented.

Baby Boomers, born 1945-1964:

  • More reserved in communication style.
  • Values traditional instructor-led courses or self-learning tools.
  • Appreciates managers being ethical, fair, and consistent.

Traditionalists, born before 1945:

  • Believes in hierarchical management styles.
  • Has a strong work ethic and loyalty to an employer.
  • Slow to adapt to new technology.

Values Vary Across Generations

First, let’s recognize that employees’ values vary across generations. What constitutes success, fulfillment, and recognition in the workplace differs significantly from generation to generation. Therefore, adopting a one-size-fits-all approach to management is not effective. Instead, managers must tailor their strategies to accommodate each generation’s diverse needs and expectations.

At Reimagine Talent, we are seeing our clients diversify their benefit options, like retirement, 401(K) savings, and student loan repayment, to appeal to younger and more seasoned employees.

We have heard from many students and early career professionals who decide where to work based on an organization’s social image, commitment to “do good,” and team diversity. Many Gen Zers from underrepresented communities have said they do not want to be a company’s “one and only” minority representative.

Furthermore, external realities, such as social, political, and environmental factors, impact each generation differently. While older generations may have experienced similar challenges in wars and economics today, younger generations, like Gen Z, confront these issues with fresh and inexperienced perspectives. Understanding how these external factors shape each generation’s worldview is crucial for effective leadership.

Different Communication Preferences

For managers from older generations, integrating Gen Z and Gen Alpha members (those born entirely in the 21st century) into their teams requires an understanding of the evolving nature of work. Significant differences exist in how these younger generations access and consume information compared to their predecessors. Platforms like YouTube and TikTok are central to shaping their perceptions and behaviors. According to SocialPilot, it’s estimated that 96% of Gen Z and 87% of millennials in the U.S. have a YouTube account.

Managers must adopt a dual role of overseeing and guiding younger team members, providing mentorship and coaching while sharing best practices to support their professional development. By embracing the shifting trends and preferences of younger generations, managers can create an environment conducive to collaboration and growth.

What resonates with one generation may not satisfy another. Use various methods, from in-person and written interactions with older generations to chat platforms and short video announcements with younger workers.

Consider expanding the communication mediums on your team and, most importantly, ask each team member what communication works best for them. In cases where your team may be hybrid or fully remote, this focus on clarifying communications becomes vital in building a strong team culture.

Challenges Facing Older Vs. Younger Generations

Another important factor to consider with a multigenerational team is the personal challenges that may affect their work, finances, and mental health. Be cognizant of life stages and challenges and offer resources and guidance to help your team through them.

Personal finances, economic climate/job opportunities, mental health, and climate change worries impact younger generations. There’s a growing mental health crisis for everyone, but especially younger generations. The Thriving Center of Psychology reported that 1 in 4 Gen Zers and millennials said their mental health declined in 2023, and more than half reported they are going or have gone to therapy. Managers should be mindful of mental health needs and willing to provide reasonable accommodations for some team members.

On the other end of the spectrum, older generations are impacted by concerns about reaching or achieving retirement, receiving fair compensation as they age, having work flexibility to slow down or reduce hours, and stress about using advanced and new technologies. In a recent retirement survey by Schroeders, 61% of non-retired Gen Xers were not confident in their ability to achieve a dream retirement, and 84% of Gen X respondents were concerned or terrified about not receiving regular paychecks. Many older workers plan to work for as long as they can simply because they must. Managers can help alleviate some of this stress by providing financial resources and having open, honest conversations about job security.

Build a Culture of Inclusion

One generational shift that has caused tension in the workplace is the heightened conversations and actions toward diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Fostering a diversity, equity, and inclusion culture is critical for all generations to feel supported and valued at work. When done well, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives serve as the bridge in bringing people of differences together toward a common goal. As one example, Employer Resource Groups (ERGs) are a great way for organizations to help create welcoming environments and advance business priorities. For one of our clients at Reimagine Talent, ERGs help bring generations together through powerful educational programming offered to all employees. During Disabilities Awareness Month, three ERGs worked together to shed light on accessibility at work and provided practical resources to help employees advocate for people with disabilities.

Advice for Millennial Managers

As a millennial founder & CEO, I am in the middle of the generational spectrum. I have been challenged with navigating the dynamics between younger and older team members. I’ve learned how important it is to be mindful of differing experiences and approaches to work. Through this journey, I have learned much and seen my leadership skills evolve by simply asking questions, being flexible, and maintaining transparency.

While drawing on established best practices like respect, promptness, and thoughtfulness, millennial managers should remain open-minded to evolving trends with Gen Z team members, such as using A.I. technologies and the gig economy. Flexibility, adaptability, and a willingness to embrace change are essential for millennial managers leading multigenerational teams.

Each generation brings value to your organization. The significance of multigenerational diversity extends beyond your internal teams. As employees and consumers, all generations play dual roles in shaping business success. A multigenerational workforce provides a competitive advantage, offering a deeper understanding of diverse consumer segments. By harnessing insights from different generations, you can create strategies that resonate with today’s growing customer segments.

Navigating multigenerational teams requires self-awareness and the desire to build the bridge within your team! Managers can cultivate team harmony by recognizing and leveraging each generation’s unique strengths and preferences to drive productivity, innovation, and organizational success in 2024 and beyond.

RELATED CONTENT5 Tips For Managing Workplace Conflict

Chelsea C. Williams, an entrepreneur, workplace educator, and mentor, is the founder & CEO of Reimagine Talent Co., a national talent development firm based in Raleigh, NC. Her national team empowers employers, educational institutions, and nonprofits with high-impact HR & career development solutions that support employee engagement, development, and retention.

Chelsea is a trusted contributor to CNBC, Fast Company, Investment News, Insider, and Forbes, focusing on leading multigenerational teams and developing Generation Z. She’s a 2021 Forbes Next 1000 Award recipient, 2022 Tory Burch Entrepreneurial Fellow, and 2023 Entrepreneurial Impact Awardee by J.P. Morgan Chase Commercial Bank and Women Presidents Organization (WPO). She is passionate about redefining workplaces through innovation and inclusivity.

Chelsea is based in Raleigh, North Carolina.

×

Title:

Content: CreatorsPublishersAdvertisers
View more in
Science

It’s time for a new leadership playbook

Fortune
 8 days ago

A collection of stories, insights and resources on 21st-century business leadership—visit The New Leadership Playbook today.

We are in the most important decade for humankind.

With eight years remaining to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals and deliver on the promise of the Paris Climate Agreement, we know all too well that too little action has been taken. This recent summer, which brought historic flooding, record heat, and devastating wildfires to many corners of the globe, is a painful reminder that we are not on track to limit global average temperature rise to 1.5° Celsius by 2030.

As leaders, we are navigating interdependent and complex challenges that pay no mind to borders, forcing us to confront the failings of modern capitalism and outdated leadership models. To turn this decisive decade around for our families, our communities, and generations to come, we need a new leadership playbook—one that places humanity, humility and brave action at the heart of everything we do.

How will we choose to lead? For us, leading begins with purpose and values. It is about respecting each other for who we are. Our values guide us to take a stand for people, fight for what we believe in and embrace our shared responsibility to the planet, the only home we have. There is no business beyond our planetary boundaries, and only fading opportunity in a world with a broken social contract.

We worry about the future, and we are also optimistic. Many leaders are taking big steps with commitments and actions, creating positive change every day. We are humbled to know and work with so many of you across our corporate and financial careers and through our advocacy efforts with The B Team. By working together, we can create sustainable systems change and build an economic model that embraces diversity while incentivizing the transition to a green and just future.

Never miss a story about leadership

At The B Team, our bold vision is of a world where global inequality gaps are closed. Where gender balance and equitable representation at all levels of leadership are the norm. Where businesses thrive with accountability and integrity at their core. Where our economy is regenerative, and we’ve delivered a fair and just transition to a low-carbon economy for impacted workers.

In pursuit of this vision, we gather leaders across business, labor, civil society and government. We collaborate with partners and across our networks to amplify the stories of mission-aligned leaders around the world, and we openly reflect on our own challenges and setbacks. We are transparent in our ambition: engaging in public and corporate policy making processes to drive adoption of new norms and incentives, orienting business toward a broader bottom line. Mindful of our privilege while embracing the benefits of our platform, we strive to uplift tomorrow’s leaders as boldly as we catalyze change today.

In this spirit, we humbly share The New Leadership Playbook, a collection of stories, insights and resources on 21st-century business leadership. Our ambition is high, and the role for business is clear: We can build a better world when leaders everywhere commit to brave, collaborative action today. If we are courageous, we can reset corporate norms and contribute to lasting change for people and the planet.

Leaders of today should accelerate innovation while reducing risk. They follow science. They see diversity in leadership for the competitive advantage it is and the bottom-line benefit it brings. They understand that the clock is ticking, future generations are counting on us and, in the words of poet Amanda Gorman, “History has its eyes on us.”

How will you choose to lead?

Jesper Brodin is CEO of Ingka Group (IKEA) and chair of The B Team. Halla Tómasdóttir is CEO of The B Team.

This commentary is adapted from the authors’ foreword in The Business of Building a Better World, due out November 9, 2021. To learn more, please visit www.NewLeadershipPlaybook.org.

More must-read commentary published by Fortune:

**Cultural and Social Disconnection:** Workplaces have traditionally been centers for human interaction and cultural learning.

Title:

Content: OPEN APP
Home / Opinion / Views /  What organizations can get from organized religions

The covid pandemic has changed the workplace forever. Paid work began with the invention of agriculture. Since then, humans have been going to a particular place to work. During the agricultural era it was the farm, during the industrial era it was the factory and during the knowledge era it was the office. After work, humans returned home to rest. Now that work-from-home and hybrid models have been adopted, people live and work at the same place.

The workplace was a space where workers interacted with many others. Several organizations have had their own housing colonies, which saw not only employees but even their families in regular interaction. It was from connections developed during these interactions that the very culture of an organization often evolved. Now with employees working from home, chasms between individual employees and other team members have widened. This is making it difficult for many organizations to foster a feeling of belongingness among their employees.

Remote and hybrid work styles have no large-scale precedent. So there is no past data to show how humans will behave once they work and live in the same place, without much face-to-face interaction with other team members. To unravel these unprecedented situations, it would make sense to go back to the basics, the very beginning of human behaviour.

The first life form on earth appeared some 3.8 billion years ago. In his book, The Strange Order of Things: Life, Feeling, and the Making of Cultures, neuroscientist Antonio Damasio reminds us that the behavioural tendency to form in-groups and out-groups, and then collaborate with the former while ostracizing the latter, existed even in the very first forms of life on this planet. The human brain that evolved over millions of years has assimilated these behavioural characteristics.

An organization that has displayed a close understanding of the basic principles of human behaviour is that of organized religion. So it is not surprising that while even the best organizations managed by modern- day professionals have lasted only for a few decades, organized religions have remained intact for hundreds and even thousands of years. As British philosopher Alain de Botton explains in his book Religion for Atheists, many institutions in the modern city, like restaurants, are adept at gathering people in the same space, but lack the means to encourage meaningful contact among them once they are there. On the other hand, organized religions are good at using their venues to transform strangers into friends. The leaders of these religions know the importance of face-to-face interaction among their followers.

So members of the local community are called together for such interactions at least once a week. These meetings are ideal for activating mirror neutrons and thus facilitating emotional transference among all present.

Taking a lesson from this, other organizations that plan to use a predominantly work-from-home model should make sure that team members who work from their homes should congregate at a place and have face-to-face interactions at least once a week. Else, it would get very difficult to forge emotional bonds among employees we must work together in coordination to achieve goals.

One of the crucial questions that organizations with a hybrid work culture need to answer is: Why should employees come to office at all? They are already doing all their assigned work at home, are they not? Should they come to office to do even more work? Do they come to office to get in-person dressing downs from their bosses?

Organized religion can help organizations answer these questions. They use a tightly choreographed agenda of activities instead of leaving a group to mingle aimlessly on its own during their weekly in-person meetings. Many of the rituals performed at these meetings are meant to generate a sense of bonding between all members of the community. For the benefits of this scenario to be replicated, employees could work at home and attend office to relax and build emotional connections with other team members.

Organized religions take care to target the entire family of their followers. They have a specific focus on various demographic segments, like children, youth, women, etc. With the work-from-home concept now in place, the family members of an employee will have to be kept far more closely in the know of organizational matters than ever before. So it makes sense for organizations to involve the families of employees in their emotional-connection activities. With this initiative, an organization would be able to widen its appeal as an employer and reap the benefits.

Organized religions know that the best way to build belongingness within an in-group is to generate fear of an out-group. Appropriate behaviours that are deemed pleasing to God are usually spelt out clearly. Behaviours classified as being inspired by the devil and therefore inappropriate are also conveyed clearly. Also, ‘us’ versus ‘them’ is the constant refrain of many a religion. Organizational leaders could take a cue and create a ‘devil’ that the organization does not want to be associated with. Exhorting team members to resist the diabolical designs outlined for reproach could help leaders create a sense of belongingness among members of an in-group.

Work-from-home could be considered the assembly line of the 21st century, given its significance to economic production. But what must be avoided is the emotional barrenness of traditional assembly lines as remote work becomes the order of the day.

Biju Dominic is the chief evangelist, Fractal Analytics and chairman, FinalMile Consulting

Subscribe to Mint Newsletters
* Enter a valid email
* Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.

Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!!

Close
×
Edit Profile
My ReadsRedeem a Gift CardLogout

The shift to remote or hybrid work, often enabled by new technologies, can create a sense of loss, disconnecting employees from the informal norms and bonds that shape a company's culture.

Title:

Content: BETA
This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here

More From Forbes

Edit Story

Rekindling Trust In Post-Pandemic Leadership

Michael McFall is the co-Founder and co-CEO of BIGGBY COFFEE as well as author of the Inc. Original books GRIND and GROW.

As leaders navigated their companies through the challenges of a global pandemic, pivoting to accommodate a red-hot consumer economy and then recalibrating for an ever-allusive "new normal," something surprising happened: They lost the room.

This is supported by a recent Gallup survey, which found that only 21% of U.S. employees say they "'strongly agree' that they trust the leadership of their organization." It seems that after leading the charge into their companies' post-pandemic future, many business leaders are looking behind them and finding few followers.

As Gallup explains, "Trust begins to build when employees feel inspired by senior leaders and see strategic actions leading to business success." However, as companies cut costs, embrace new priorities and reconfigure their teams, many employees feel their leaders are neither inspiring nor strategic.

This may help explain why more than half of employees are disengaged at work and 42% are looking for new job opportunities.

Put bluntly, trust is a foundational component of effective leadership, and bosses or supervisors who haven’t earned their teams’ trust are leaders in name only. Addressing this challenge requires decisive action, and I believe it’s imperative to creating sustainable, thriving organizations at every level.

Steps To Restoring Trust

I believe that repairing the damage should be an urgent priority for leaders at every level, in companies big and small. Here are three steps to begin restoring trust in your leadership today.

1. Establish Your Core Values

Trust within an organization stems from the establishment of and adherence to core values. These values serve as the guideposts that shape the behaviors and interactions within a team. When an individual joins a team, understanding these core values helps them recognize the team's priorities and behavioral guidelines.

As a leader, it is crucial to exemplify these core values consistently. Failure to live by the set values can lead to a credibility gap, and your team can perceive a disconnect between what is professed and what is practiced. This can erode the trust your team members have in you and in the organization.

Every company can have its own set of core values, but example traits with broad application include:

• Openness

• Respect

• Compassion

• Accountability

• Integrity

• Teamwork.

Core values serve as the team’s North Star, informing actions and stipulating standards in any scenario.

2. Expect People To Be Themselves

Establishing an environment that encourages authenticity is critical for the well-being and productivity of a team. This means creating a space where team members are free to express not only their best, but also their less favorable traits, and making them feel comfortable enough to bring their whole selves into the interaction.

This inclusivity necessitates a supportive leadership approach that fosters an atmosphere of trust and safety, allowing individuals to operate in their true essence.

In unhealthy organizational structures, employees often find themselves investing significant amounts of time and energy deciphering their role within the team, figuring out team dynamics and trying to interpret the expectations of their superiors.

This constant self-adjustment and evaluation, the equivalent of constantly trying to solve a complex puzzle while performing professional tasks at a high level, can take away from their ability to focus on the challenges at hand and problem-solving.

In contrast, removing identity-based stressors allows people to focus on tasks, fostering improved productivity and more meaningful professional and cultural outcomes.

3. Create A Culture That Accepts Different Perspectives

In an increasingly polarized and reactionary cultural and business environment where even a marketing campaign can create an intense cultural backlash, people are often afraid to bring their authentic selves to work.

One employee survey found that 64% of people are "fearful of being authentic around others in the workplace," with 70% saying they "adopt an entirely different personality when they’re at work." This is a serious challenge for today’s leaders. When people feel they can’t bring their authentic selves to the office, I find that mistrust is a natural next step.

In reality, biases, or the viewpoints and preferences that collectively comprise our authentic selves, are natural and ubiquitous. Everyone has biases forged from their preferences, experiences and expectations.

Bias is perhaps better understood as perspective, and I believe that accepting people’s biases as part of their authentic selves is an important part of a safe, trust-filled work environment.

Leaders can help their teams experience this reality by creating an environment where biases can collide and empowering people to leverage their unique perspectives and authentic selves to build better businesses and cultivate thriving teams.

How To Take The Next Step

As leaders adapt to a continually changing global business landscape, many are losing their employees’ faith. Addressing this challenge requires decisive action.

To take the next step, leaders must foster a culture of engagement, facilitating open dialogue and extending unconditional support to their team members, even when faced with what may seem like unconventional ideas.

I am a firm believe that every opinion must be respected and acknowledged, which can help ensure that every team member feels seen and heard. This practice is deeply connected to the concept of "loving unconditionally," which may seem unusual as a corporate value but is integral to the trust-building process.

Most importantly, trust is built brick by brick as leaders’ consistent words and actions create an environment that values authenticity and diverse perspectives. It takes time to build but can be lost in a moment, making now the perfect time to begin rebuilding or reinforcing trust as a foundation for future success.

Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?

Follow me on LinkedInCheck out my website or some of my other work here

**Loss of Control and Uncertainty:** Rapid technological change can foster feelings of instability, as familiar routines are upended.

Title:

Content: Leading through the Burnout Era: Strategies for Thriving Amidst Change and Challenge

In the age of fast-paced change and intertwining personal and professional demands, the onus falls on the leader to spearhead a healthy workplace culture.

Burnout has emerged as a silent pandemic, gnawing at our teams with blurring lines between personal and professional demands. The incessant pace of the transformation has fueled innovation and opportunity but has ushered in unparalleled levels of stress, exhaustion, and emotional turmoil.

At the helm of navigating turbulent times, our leaders are not just tasked with steering organizational goals but also safeguarding the well-being of their teams. There's a call for a new era of leadership — one rooted in empathy, strategic vision, and emotional intelligence to guide teams toward healthy resilience and thriving in the heart of the burnout storm.

Today's rapid changes leave teams feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. With the advent of digital technologies, 24/7 accessibility, and personal responsibilities, there is a complex web of demands. The emergence of burnout isn't surprising, given the weight of our combined stresses. Leaders must lay the foundation for long-term resilience and motivation with a nuanced approach, emphasizing individual growth and collective well-being while driving accountability. As burnout looms, the fusion of work and personal life can intensify the pressures.

In the face of overwhelming workloads, leaders must set clear priorities to ensure that resources, both time and effort, are directed toward tasks that align with strategic goals and bring the most significant value. This might mean stepping back and assessing projects, jobs, and commitments to focus on what drives optimal results and integrated strategic alignment.

Team Well-Being

It's impossible to address burnout without emphasizing team well-being. A leader must recognize the signs of stress and exhaustion, take proactive measures to promote wellness and foster an environment where it's okay to take a break. Being emotionally connected and recognizing when to offer support, when to give space, and when to challenge can help restore the human element of business and serve as the north star — calmly leading in the face of high stress.

Burnout often stems from a lack of team coverage, and leaders can combat this by cross-training team members and awarding stretch opportunities. Creative work solutions can reinvigorate a team, and growth is an excellent antidote for burnout; it nurtures a sense of accomplishment and creates equitable opportunities across the team with meaningful contributions.

Regardless of a formal role, title-agnostic swarming allows team members to rally around a task and complement each other's strengths. Swarming breaks the silos of hierarchy and emphasizes collaboration with collective ownership. It is a great way to foster a sense of unity and shared purpose, which can counter feelings of isolation often associated with burnout. Swarming creates an inclusive environment. High-belonging teams are high-performing teams.

Today's leadership challenges transcend traditional business boundaries and need to exhibit a blend of strategic foresight, emotional intelligence, and authentic empathy. Leading with grace, compassion, and kindness creates a haven for team members to learn and grow.

A Healthy Ecosystem

As burnout threatens productivity and well-being, leaders must create an ecosystem where professional success and personal well-being thrive. Fostering a nurturing ecosystem over a competitive battleground can help with mitigating burnout. While competition can spur innovation, an overly competitive environment can intensify burnout. Leaders should focus on nurturing collaboration, celebrating small wins, and equitably appreciating the team's efforts.

When a leader shows favoritism, it can exacerbate the negative aspects of competition and hinder the development of a nurturing ecosystem. Favoritism can erode trust among team members and with the leader. Judgment and decision-making will likely be questioned when decisions are based on bias rather than merit. Perceived favoritism can demotivate teams, reduce collaboration, and stifle diversity. It may also inadvertently favor a particular demographic, skill set, or thinking.

Favoritism breeds jealousy, leading to interpersonal conflicts amongst team members; this diverts energy and focus from achieving the work at hand and creates a culture of insecurity. Unresolved tensions can fracture the team's unity, leading to a decline in overall performance.

Trust is the glue that holds a team together. When burnout creeps in, trust is often its first casualty. Establishing trust is a collaborative effort. Its cultivation demands consistent actions, transparent communications, and authentically caring for your team. Leaders must create a safe space where concerns are addressed without fear of retribution, ensuring individuals feel secure in expressing their feelings and seeking support.

Do Better with Less

We're living in a world of competing priorities and stretched teammates. We're experiencing tight turnarounds and stringent budgets, and the challenge isn't to "do more with less" but rather "do better with less." Leaders must create and communicate a clear vision and help the team focus on workflows that yield maximum impacts. It requires ruthless prioritization and can mitigate unnecessary strain and burnout.

Burnout isn't just an individual battle. It's an organizational challenge that requires effective leadership. Today's leaders must be agile, emotionally connected, and proactive. They need to master radical prioritization and blend diverse team dynamics by emphasizing trust, humility, and collaboration to create thriving team cultures. Nurturing a balanced team of various skills, experiences, and perspectives to harness all team members' potential can create an environment where everyone feels valued and understood, resulting in broader problem-solving, equitable workloads, increased engagement, and collective achievement, building an adaptive and supportive dynamic environment. This structure reduces the risk of burnout and boosts overall performance.

In the age of fast-paced change and intertwining personal and professional demands, the onus falls on the leader to spearhead a healthy workplace culture. More than just a taskmaster or strategic visionary, today's leader is the guardian of well-being, diversity champion, and catalyst for innovation. As burnout's specter looms, leadership requires a deep understanding of their team. It's no longer sufficient to lead with just strategy or charisma; authentic empathy, strategic acumen, and an unwavering commitment to the holistic well-being of every team member are paramount. Whole-hearted leadership can safeguard against burnout and set the stage for unprecedented levels of collaboration, creativity, and collective wins. A leader who recognizes the strengths of humility, the power of trust, and the necessity of a nurturing environment can pave the way for a future where teams don't just survive; they thrive.

The Newsweek Expert Forum is an invitation-only network of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience.
What's this?
Content labeled as the Expert Forum is produced and managed by Newsweek Expert Forum, a fee based, invitation only membership community. The opinions expressed in this content do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Newsweek or the Newsweek Expert Forum.

Editor's Picks

  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Unlimited access to Newsweek.com
  • Ad free Newsweek.com experience
  • iOS and Android app access
  • All newsletters + podcasts
  • Unlimited access to Newsweek.com
  • Ad free Newsweek.com experience
  • iOS and Android app access
  • All newsletters + podcasts

This uncertainty is unsettling for many, particularly those who value established, clearly defined processes.

**Leadership and Trust Issues:** Lack of clear communication from management about the purpose and benefits of new technologies can erode trust.

When leaders don’t adapt or address concerns transparently, staff may resist perceived top-down changes.

**Mental Health and Burnout:** The fusion of work and personal life — intensified by digital tools — can blur boundaries and increase stress.

Employees may resist technologies that exacerbate burnout or make it harder to “switch off.”

6.

Multigenerational miscommunication can amplify resistance if not handled inclusively.