E-Business
The Workplace of the Future – Emergence of a New Culture
By Austin Okere
As the workplace is becoming more millennial, a new cultural trend is emerging that challenges the traditional ethos that have held sway since the days of Adam Smith.
The Enterprise as we have hitherto known, is defined by her purpose, values, culture and vision. These are essentially the reason d’être and form the basis of the tradition of the company.
As the company is not able to direct her own affairs, this function is entrusted by the promoters of the business, being the Shareholders to Custodians, being Directors, who in turn appoint Managers to run the daily affairs of the company. Let us call this group the CUSTODIANS of the business. Typically, they know no other work, pledging their full working time and allegiance to the enterprise by whom they are employed and paid. They are your typical company man.
As more millennials are becoming working age adults, we are beginning to see a strong shift in this trend, that threatens to fundamentally change the structure of the enterprise as we know it today. To start with, Millennials are not wont to seeking employment in a company, preferring rather to become entrepreneurs in charge of their own affairs, notwithstanding that they may not have the mechanism and full complement of resources that we would have deemed necessary to embark on such a venture yesteryears.
They are typically a one-man enterprise selling slices of time and talent; or a few friends coming together to offer their skills to anyone who wants them for a project, and moving onto other projects, possibly with other companies. They do not want to be an integrated part of any company, nor be bound by any restrictions of time and space.
They typically work from home, parents garage or coffee shop. They tend to be very good at their niche, aided by the ubiquity of technology and their deep command of it. They do not want to clock hours at work but rather to be paid on the outcome of their deliverables. Let us call these the ENABLERS.
Today’s workplace is beginning to divide into CUSTODIANS; typically, Baby Boomers and ENABLERS; typically, millennials. A recent survey shows that I conducted on LinkedIn shows that even within the custodian’s there is a growing tension about whether they have a right embark on their own side businesses (if it does not conflict with that of the company); the argument being that it enhances creativity and entrepreneurial acumen.
They also claim that it is very widespread, albeit undercover, and that it is about time it came out into the open within an appropriate governance structure.
There is also the question of whether they need to commute all the way in traffic to the workplaces and face the same traffic going home; or they could work from home and deliver the output of their jobs much the same way as the millennials tend to do.
There is also a growing tension about the intrusion into their free time, upsetting their work-life balance, by technology enabled mechanisms which keep them always “switched on”, such as Emails, Text Messages, and even Calls on their mobile phones, consistently beeping even during the weekends and holidays.
This was not a problem during the days of the landlines and fax machines. They argue that even if they are not required to respond immediately, it changes their entire mood during their free time with their families and thereby accelerate their burnout rate.
Technology has always had a double-edged sword in organizational relationships. Technology could be a bridge or a barrier, depending on how it is used in the Firm.
Technology enables connections but does not necessarily enhance relationships. Relationship is key, because relationship is influence, and influence is leadership. A recent study on social media showed that of 130 Facebook Friends, a millennial could only rely on three. It is troubling that our millennials, who are used to breaking up relationships with a mere text message, are going to be the workforce of tomorrow.
The impact is that while they may think they have connections, what they really have are weak relationships; especially if each is working from his own space outside the office. This could inadvertently accentuate the undesired “silo-effect” in organizations.
One face to face encounter is often better and more effective than 100 emails, especially when the issue at hand is delicate. It is very difficult to feel connected to a sense of purpose or to our colleagues, or indeed feel a part of the organization if we over-rely on technology for communication.
The bigger challenge is whether we will have enough CUSTODIANS in the future to uphold the sustainability of the Enterprise, or whether the future of the company as we know it today is in peril. I believe we should be more deliberate about engaging and shaping these trends, than bury our heads in the sand, hoping it will all blow away somehow.
It will be interesting to share your thoughts.
Austin Okere is the Founder of CWG Plc, the largest ICT Company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange & Entrepreneur in Residence at CBS, New York. Austin also serves on the Advisory Board of the Global Business School Network, and on the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Innovation and Intrapreneurship. Austin now runs the Ausso Leadership Academy focused on Business and Entrepreneurial Mentorship
All communities in Abia State are to be connected to Internet Service within the next 9 months, according to Dr. Alex Otti, state governor.
All communities in Abia State are to be connected to Internet Service within the next 9 months, according to Dr. Alex Otti, state governor.
Otti stated this at the Nnamdi Azikiwe State Secretariat premises at Umuahia, the state capital, while flagging off the first phase of the Umuahia Dedicated Internet Access/Wide Area Network And Managed Network Services Project (Project), saying that it promises to re-engineer efficiency and flexibility in operations and interactions within and amongst institutions, enhance policy execution, and engender a culture of outcome-oriented competition amongst civil servants.
The Project is being handled by iPNX, a major internet service provider.
At the ceremony, Otti, said the project includes distributing high-performance digital tools, laying fibre optic cables in public institutions, and installing infrastructure for high-speed data transmission.
He added that the initiative focuses on improving leadership efficiency, empowering civil servants with digital tools, and enhancing service delivery.
Transitioning to digital platforms would streamline government processes, enable faster communication among Ministries, departments, and Areas (MDAs), and improve engagement with development partners and the global community.
The governor also announced a mandatory digital literacy requirement for civil servants, making proficiency in technology essential for career growth.
Assuring that while the government would provide training, those unwilling to embrace technology risk becoming uncompetitive in the evolving civil service structure.
Plans are underway to expand digital access across Abia, with an agreement already in place to lay fiber optic cables in Aba, Umuahia, and Ohafia.
Otti directed Mr. Gerald Ilukwe, chief information officer to ensure that within nine months, every community in Abia must have reliable network service, enabling businesses to thrive virtually.
The Governor urged the people of Abia to embrace technology as a tool for empowerment rather than a replacement for human roles as the use of technology ought to be on enhancing service delivery and economic development, as well as keeping human decision-making at the core of governance.
The commencement of the initiative marks a major milestone in Abia’s journey towards a fully digital economy.
Ilukwe, described the project as a critical foundation for a digital government, emphasising its role in modernising service delivery.
Ilukwe said Phase I of the initiative prioritises multi-tenant buildings and complexes housing multiple MDAs and assured that MDAs not included in this phase would be covered in subsequent stages.
“Even as we are rounding off this phase, we are already preparing for the next, by the end of this service year, the entire government offices in Umuahia will be interconnected on a single network,” Ilukwe said.
Mr Ejovi Aror, group managing director, ipNX, expressed gratitude to Gov. Alex Otti for the opportunity to be part of the state’s digital transformation journey.
“This partnership signals the beginning of a new chapter in the journey towards building a digitally connected, technologically advanced, and economically empowered Abia State,” Aror said.
Visa, global payment services giant, has announced plans to establish a data centre infrastructure in Nigeria.
Andrew Torre, Visa’s regional president for central and eastern Europe and Vice-President Kashim Shettima
According to a statement by Stanley Nkwocha, senior special assistant to the president on media and communications (office of the vice-president) on Friday, Andrew Torre, Visa’s regional president for central and eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, spoke during a courtesy visit to Vice-President Kashim Shettima at the presidential villa in Abuja.
“This is in addition to its investments of over $1 billion in the country, including a substantial technological partnership with @moniepoint to foster digital payment solutions, a $200 million investment in Interswitch, and a partnership with @thriveagric to empower smallholder farmers and enhance food security in Nigeria,” the statement reads.
During the meeting, Torre said the plan to establish the data centre infrastructure aims to bring new technologies into the Nigerian market that would bolster the nation’s growing digital economy.
“Visa has been making investments and will continue to make these investments in Nigeria,” he said.
Responding, Shettima welcomed Visa’s expansion efforts, assuring the delegation that the partnership between Visa and the Nigerian government would continue to flourish.
The vice-president commended the company for investing in ThriveAgric, noting that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is deeply committed to repositioning the agriculture sector, which remains a top priority in its 8-point agenda.
“Nigeria is where the action is. Of the 10 fintechs in Africa, about eight are in Nigeria, with moniepoint as the newest addition,” Shettima said.
“Agriculture is key to the 8-point agenda of the present administration. President @officialABAT is really keen on repositioning the agriculture industry here, and we have to invest in technology, we have to invest in modernisation.”
On January 23, Moniepoint, a Nigerian fintech company, announced it secured investment from Visa to support the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Andrew Torre, Visa’s regional president for central and eastern Europe and Vice-President Kashim Shettima
Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has approved N242.8m for the procurement of a Microsoft 365 licence for its Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) as part of efforts to digitise the service’s operations.
Mr Michael Ango, acting executive chairman of FCT-IRS, disclosed this after the FCT Executive Committee meeting chaired by Mr Nyesom Wike, the minister of FCTA, in Abuja on Wednesday.
Ango said that the FCTA was making significant investments in technology to enhance revenue generation and collection.
“So, this is also one of those investments in technology that the FCT is undertaking.
“The licence, if procured, will enhance our ability to move most of our manual processes into automated processes.
“It will enhance our ability to communicate within our offices,” he said.
The executive chairman added that the move would also reduce the use of paper and ensure better record-keeping through the storage of information and documents in the cloud.
According to him, “The licence will essentially enhance our operations and assist us in generating revenue for the development of the FCT under Wike’s leadership.”
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