Joe Katzman, stated the following about how to retain knowledge workers
===quote begins=====
My instinctive answer? Lower the "Dilbert factor."
Knowledge workers have too many choices if they're any good. If management
come off as idiots, these people will at some level begin looking for more
hospitable environs. Petty bureaucracy, obvious lack of vision, or a
culture that makes it difficult to contribute to the company or maintain
cutting-edge skills will all cost you.
The point about culture is particularly significant. Knowledge workers
aren't stupid, and they realize that their long-term prospects for
employment rest on these factors. If you make these things difficult their
survival instinct begins working AGAINST continued employment with you,
the reverse of the normal response which is to maintain certainty by
staying put. Needless to say, many companies have not yet grasped this
point.
====quote ends ====
Joe, what structures, practices, norms need to become part of a company
for this to happen?
David Wilkinson
School Improvement Specialist
Des Moines Public Schools
--Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>