As transformation continues, so does the type of employee companies need to hire. Change, technology being agile and nimble ensure companies can be competitive.

1. 2016: The Talent Profile of a Transformational Employee
I would categorize the 2010’s as the decade of transformation. In 2015 we continued to see
organizations execute strategies to “transform” their business to increase revenue and lower
operating costs.
Uber was also in the spotlight in 2015. It’s a great example of a business that used technology to
evolve the traditional taxi service model. Despite protests, public opinion and demand have
resulted increased market share for Uber, eroding the existing taxi monopoly. The lesson is
companies can’t afford to be complacent or behind the times with technology.
For many organizations the transformation journey has been challenging. Strategically, culturally
and operationally, the end state requires employees to abandon the “old ways” and become
more agile, adaptive, innovative and insightful. The diagram below shows a few examples of
what the transformation has looked like for many organizations.

2. As employers re-tool their workforce, they’ve also realized they need to attract and retain talent
that can sustain the new workplace. As change becomes more rapid it will be too expensive for
employers to continue to downsize and attract new talent as strategies change.
This means HR will need to re-think about how they define success profiles, or what I call the
Talent Profile of the Transformation Employee. After transformation, the workforce promotes
change; talent is fluid and able to move into different roles as the business grows and changes.
Instead of traditional recruitment practices that focus on screening for specialized job
knowledge, the focus shift to screening on for behaviours, attitudes and the willingness to
embrace and promote change. Employees would learn the specialized knowledge they needed
to enable them to move into other roles. Research shows it’s easier to learning something new
than it is to change behaviours1
.
Employers are also under pressure to deliver a work environment that will attract and retain the
transformational employee they seek. The greater the match between the successful talent
profile and the employer’s value proposition the greater probability the employee will stay.
2016 will be a pivotal year for talent in the workforce. More than 3.6 million baby boomers will
retire this year2
. It will also be the first year Gen Z graduates will enter the workforce3
. More
digitally advanced in technology and open to trying new things than Millennials, they will seek
jobs that match their technology and work-life style needs. In 2016, Millennials will comprise the
same percentage of the workplace demographic as Gen x’ers. As we approach the end of the
decade, Millennials will comprise 50% of the workforce; with Gen Z comprising 20%4
.
1
http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/28781/learning-change-behavior
2
http://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2015/11/01/10-workplace-trends-for-2016/
3
http://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2015/11/01/10-workplace-trends-for-2016/
4
http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8280-generation-z-workplace.html

3. Source: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/managing-tomorrows-people/future-of-work/assets/reshaping-the-workplace.pdf
Companies such as Uber, Airbnb and Task Rabbit will continue to compete attract candidates
with offers of C2C entrepreneurial and flexible work arrangements.
Source: https://www.visioncritical.com/generation-z-infographics
As we begin 2016, I wish each of you a wonderful happy, healthy and prosperous new year. May
your transformation experiences be successful!
I’d love to hear about some of your transformation stories. Please share them with me on
LinkedIn or on Twitter.