A new year always signals a new wave of predictions as to what the next 365 days will hold. In this sea of insights, , a human behavior expert and the former Head of Practice, Innovation, & Strategy at Google, jumped out 鈥 especially since we as incentive travel professionals are perfectly positioned to serve up answers to three critical questions she raises about the future of work (no Google searching required!).
Rethinking culture
It鈥檚 not about when/if/how the office will remerge, states Dr. Hartanov. The better question, she says, is 鈥渉ow does cultural fabric continue to be weaved when there are no clear or common ways for connecting?鈥
One answer should be instantly obvious for this audience: incentive travel. The kinds of experiences we craft as incentive travel professionals are fantastic ways of weaving this cultural fabric Dr. Hartanov stresses 鈥 and provide clear, common ways for connecting.
Organizational culture, Dr. Hartanov goes on to describe, is shaped by purpose. By designing programs and experiences that have purposeful goals at their center, our industry will easily make the case for itself over and over again as one with an integral role to play in helping organizations stay close-knit.
Reflecting back employee demands
鈥淚t is not just about more pay or more security,鈥 writes Dr. Hartanov further down, 鈥渂ut a demand for organizations to rethink what they are to employees and society alike.鈥
This 鈥淕reat Reawaking鈥 is something MICE professionals have been incorporating into our work for years now. Still, it鈥檚 increasingly urgent to work with clients when crafting programs to ensure the things Dr. Hartanov says employees are prioritizing more than ever 鈥 safety, caring, security, and a 鈥渕ore actualized organization that cares about the existential crises facing society鈥 鈥 feature prominently in events, agendas, and itineraries.
Redefining leadership expectations
Managers鈥 roles must shift, explains Dr. Hartanov, in the final part of her post. Managers will need to become curators, conveners, and carers. It鈥檚 this middle word 鈥 convener 鈥 that seemingly points to managers further emerging as excellent partners we can tap when looking to shape incentive and motivational experiences.
Equally important in getting this new management equation right is rethinking the often-overwhelming set of expectations managers have historically been saddled with. Dr. Hartanov advocates for managers to 鈥渇ocus most squarely on where they are essential鈥 rather than try to shoehorn themselves into a half-dozen or more roles. We鈥檙e obviously a bit biased, but it鈥檚 hard to think of a more powerful opportunity for a management board or leadership team to reinforce their roles, align on purpose, and have focused and intentional conversations than a powerful incentive trip鈥
Dr. Hartanov鈥檚 musings are just a start in what we know incentive travel can do and how it can influence the ways we work. We look forward to celebrating all of the many transformative, empowering moments our community is set to create throughout 2022!
