Hermann H. Wala with his new book "Beautiful My World" Generations Y and Z are once again turning everything upside down. Money alone is no longer enough for them to be happy. They prefer to work from home rather than as department heads. According to the current Shell Youth Study, work-life balance and the compatibility of work and family are as important to young workers today as never before. This poses new challenges for companies and WE-BRANDS. On the one hand, young workers are no longer willing to be tied to a company in the long term with just a fully equipped company car. On the other hand, digitization and technological developments in the context of Industry 4.0 will almost completely transform the entire working world. To be successful in the new working world 4.0, it is crucial for the management of WE-BRANDS to secure the best talents and create a sense of unity within the company.
Leadership Culture in Transition
The management of a successful WE-BRAND must make it clear to an employee what contribution they make to the overall success. Leaders and companies must above all learn to take their employees and customers seriously and respect them. They need to perceive them as adults, capable, and willing to perform. Hierarchical and directive cultures are predicted to largely disappear from the economy, according to futurist Matthias Horx. The future belongs to agile open networks. Digital natives have already grown up connected, internalizing that communication works at any time, from anywhere, and even outside of fixed structures thanks to social networks and instant messaging services. Today, practically anyone can get in touch with anyone else in global corporations. The hierarchy-free "you" now dominates even in German companies, with messages often shrinking to tweet-length. The reason: in the connected world, the necessary context does not need to be held by form, but is conveyed through the networking of content. Nowadays, the media itself changes fluidly during a conversation.Network Leadership instead of a Culture of Distrust
Classic thinking must be transformed from rigid to a living network organism, as advocated by Premal A. Desai, Head of Corporate Development at ThyssenKrupp AG, in the study "2030" created by the executive search firm Signium International with futurist Matthias Horx in 2011. In times of increasing information, complexity, and networking, networking and project work become vital instruments for companies against the backdrop of the trend towards project economy. Project work drives innovations in the economy. With this organizational form, companies can effectively respond to the ever-changing market demands. The successful project leaders of tomorrow are the well-connected millennials.Conclusion:
- WE-BRANDS must adapt to new leadership concepts to remain competitive in the future.
- Rigid hierarchies often demotivate young workers and hinder innovation.
- A successful WE-BRAND gives its employees space and trust.
