You can’t build anything lasting on a weak infrastructure
Companies have been under-investing in important internal infrastructure for a long time. Covid is accelerating the gap between company infrastructure and the expectations driven by the next generation’s employee culture.
This really interesting infrastructure report grades US infrastructure.
We got a C-.
How can that be?
Seems obvious. When you don't invest in infrastructure it crumbles. Likely slowly, then quickly. And, the damage compounds along the way.
Poor infrastructure impacts us in insidious ways. It's the same for company culture and company "infrastructure".
I believe that companies as we know them are in trouble. Working remotely, as I have done for over two decades, makes it impossible for the usual corporate culture building techniques to work. If it's true that culture eats strategy for lunch, without a strong culture, what is a company but a bunch of people (and teams) running around doing whatever they want?
Boomers and Gen X, we're company people. Younger workers however, late millenials and Gen Z... they're going to change the very nature of employees and employment.
It won't be obvious at first. Problems will appear to be isolated. In fact, they're deeply systemic and going to take a concerted effort to fix. Technology is an important part of this change, and yet the lack of technical knowledge at senior enough levels to have a meaningful change on the outcome of this trend is mind-blowing.
I look forward to a different future, especially for my kids.
