Can generations X and Y experience ‘Dunkirk Spirit’?

February 18, 2009

As we all know, we are now in a deep recession and many people are losing their jobs, while those people still in work are worried about their job security and financial position. It is at times like these that people from my generation call on others to show what’s known as ‘Dunkirk Spirit’ – in other words, the kind of grit and determination that British troops showed in order to close out World War II. It’s a matter of believing that we will get out of this trough and doing whatever’s necessary to get through the difficult times to come – above all, it’s about not giving up.

This message still plays well with anyone who is older than 50 (and probably a few people in their 40s), but I wonder how well it goes down with generations X and Y – those between 18 and 40?  The Dunkirk Spirit is all about the people of a nation pulling together and helping one and other in the pursuit of a common goal. In the war it was clearly about defending the country and defeating the enemy, but now our shared purpose is less clear. What is for certain is that younger generations are more individualised and therefore have even less common goals than older generations. So, unless their very survival is threatened they are less likely to come together behind a collective goal – and even then, their version of Dunkirk Spirit may be very different to 1940’s model.

It might well be that Generation Y, in particular, has been so comfortable during the good times that the massive changes taking place right now simply meet with a reaction of affront. That is, many of them now feel that they deserve a certain standard of living – an illusion that the ‘credit culture’ and mass marketing has given them all of their lives. When this lifestyle is made unobtainable and money is short there is a clear choice between accepting this fact graciously and arguing with the facts, while continuing the pursuit of material possessions. In this situation, we have to ask ourselves which is the quicker route to happiness – looking to your communities for strength and support or continuing to strive for ‘things’ that you have got used to having?

I don’t want to tar all people from Generations X and Y with the same brush – there are many who don’t think this way – so I wonder what their version of Dunkirk Spirit would be and where it would come from? Nothing brings people together quite like being under attack. Thankfully, the downturn is not quite that serious and hopefully we will not find ourselves under attack any time soon. The most recent examples of this were 9/11 in the US and the 7/7 incidents in London: and we did see aspects of the Dunkirk Spirit then and maybe these are important reference points to help younger generations understand what  older generations mean when they talk about Dunkirk Spirit.

Or maybe we need a common enemy for the 21st century: I’m not talking about war, but something more constructive. For example, what if people could come together against ‘unhappiness’ or for a good ‘quality of life’. This would include trying to limit their own unhappiness, as well as that of others. Another common aim to get together behind would be saving the planet – it doesn’t get more fundamental than that, and stopping global warming is no longer the preserve of the Green Party and activists like CND. We may no longer have a global war to unite around, but at this unique point in history there is plenty for us to concentrate our energies on – together!

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Posted by Cary Cooper

Red Nose Day – Re-energise your workplace!

February 16, 2009

Browsing the news on the BBC website you’d be forgiven for thinking that the world is coming to an end, such is the prevalence of coverage around the negative effects of the recession. With job cuts, the falling Pound and the continuing bad news about the performance of banks it seems never-ending.  I was, however, heartened to see a more positive article about this year’s Red Nose Day campaign.

As you may know, Red Nose Day happens every two years, and is an opportunity for the country to be entertained by the world’s best actors, comedians and celebrities who participate in a variety of activities. In return, the public donate a few pounds and also take part in money raising activities themselves. All funds raised are then given to good causes around the globe to improve people’s lives and well-being.

I always think that this is a great opportunity for businesses across the country to get their workforces involved, by encouraging them to take part in activities for charity while, at the same time, having some fun.  This is definitely an opportunity to boost morale in such grey times. I’m always keen and would encourage businesses to trust staff enough to give them the time to laugh and have fun, as this generates energy, team spirit and generally leads employees to enjoy their jobs more.

During this difficult period maybe we should be seeing the natural humour that occurs in the workplace as resource – and a free one at that. Even though it may be slightly harder to muster than during the good times, it is a source of motivation and resilience that we should harness – the benefits of staff taking some time away from their desks will more than outweigh any negatives. Some managers may see this time out as a waste of time and resource, but those managers who understand the bigger picture in relation to well-being at work know that when staff feel engaged they will be more productive and loyal.

Red Nose Day is an excellent opportunity to kick-start the natural humour that exists in your office. Getting your workmates involved in a little light-hearted fun can act as a reprieve from the gloom. It also reminds staff that the good times are not quite as far away as they thought, or the media would have them believe! We need at this time more ‘positives’ in the workplace, and thinking about others less fortunate than ourselves is not a bad place to start. 

However, a word of warning: we have to remember that we can’t make fun compulsory – you can’t insist that people laugh and take part – you can only encourage them. Balance and timing are the big issues here. We have to remember that we all have deadlines to meet and these should always be the priority. We’ve all been tempted to put a task off because it’s particularly difficult or uninteresting, and it’s important not to see fun as a reason to become distracted from what you’re trying to achieve. Fun is a more constructively seen as a well-earned reward or rest-bite(!) from your hard work. Research shows that it’s better to work in short intense bursts rather than long periods of low level drudgery, so planning something fun or having a laugh at the end of a task is a justified outlet.

Find a way on Red Nose Day to have some fun at work, remembering that you are also doing something for those less fortunate than yourself.  As the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius once wrote “waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one!”.

Red Nose Day is on Friday 13th March (hopefully it won’t be unlucky). Inspiration for what you can get involved with can be found at http://www.rednoseday.com/

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Posted by Cary Cooper

Recession breeds innovation and opportunity

February 6, 2009

I would like to welcome a new guest blogger to my site, Matthew Smeed, who works as an Analyst at my University spin off company Robertson Cooper. I hope you enjoy his post and I hope to welcome him back again soon.

Matthew Smeed

Matthew Smeed

The last few months have undoubtedly been a difficult time for many people as the economic downturn takes a firm hold. However, as Cary said in his recent Obama-related post, we have to look for the positives – and rest assured there will be positives that fall out of these hard times. For example, Cary has also mentioned in previous blogs that this recession may create more cohesion within our society, but another possible outcome is an increase in innovation and constructive change in the workplace.

When times are good there is certainly less motivation for people to be creative. Some people / businesses naturally think long-term and plan for the future in a proactive way – they are constantly taking action to improve their surroundings. However, many others would not naturally contemplate change when everything is going well – it just wouldn’t occur to them. And that’s fine up to a point – as the old maxim says ‘if ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ – but there is an inherent danger of complacency creeping in and people getting caught by the kind of dramatic changes we have seen recently. So one possibility is that the recession might ‘shock’ people who would not normally do so into having to innovate and take action.  

No one likes change for change’s sake – but now we’re in a situation where it’s more like ‘change for necessity’s sake’. This is where the recession may have a positive impact – businesses have to balance thinking long-term – seeing beyond the recession – with looking for shorter-term opportunities that are presented by emerging market needs during the downturn. Thinking about how to re-direct or re-apply the vast array of technology at our disposal is just one way in which we should now be innovating. Another is leveraging the power of human relationships – by getting together in groups and networks to discuss ideas for handling the situation we find ourselves in.

This is how the economic downturn will actually promote practical and strategic changes in businesses and it may be the case that many of those that have gone to the wall so far were too ‘flabby’ anyway – they got that way during the good times and have been the subject of a natural correction. There are plenty of examples from the past of how difficult times breed innovation – for example, World War II gave rise to some of the greatest technological advances of our age and some of the greatest music of the last century has been borne out of economic hardship; while economic security tends to breed ‘safe sounds’.

So, adverse conditions can bring people together and trigger innovative thinking. Financial and social problems create a sense of urgency and a collective feeling that solutions must be found quickly. People start working on problems that they didn’t know existed the year before and consequently come up with solutions that are relevant in the here-and-now – solutions that the mass market is often crying out for.

We have to remember that there will always be bad times, but it’s how we deal with such setbacks that is critical. It’s important to heed the lessons that the recession is teaching us – but it’s just as important to remember them when times are good again. If we get it right we will all be stronger for the experience.

For more on the Recession and Creativity read the Personnel Today Blog – The Work Clinic

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Posted by Cary Cooper

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