This document discusses how organizations will need to manage both "neophiliacs" and "neophobes" in the future of work. Neophiliacs have an affinity for novelty and change, while neophobes fear and resist new things. Both personality types bring strengths and challenges to managing talent. The document provides background on neophiliacs and neophobes, how their traits present challenges for talent management and retention, and argues that organizations will need effective strategies for leveraging their strengths while mitigating weaknesses to succeed in the future.

1. Dealing with Neophiliacs and Neophobes in the Future of Work
Olayiwola Oladapo © August 2019
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Dealing with the Inevitability of Managing
Neophiliacs and Neophobes in The Future of
Work

2. Dealing with Neophiliacs and Neophobes in the Future of Work
Olayiwola Oladapo © August 2019
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Background
The C in the VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity) of the Future of Work is
not just about the complex and challenging demands of managing the multidivergent generations
and their bespoke Human Resource requirement specifications. It also about the complexity of
managing both Neophiliacs and Neophobes. And to add to this complexity, Neophiliacs
personalities or behavioural labels may be more preponderant population in the millennial and
Gen Z generations whilst Neophobes may be the predominant population in the Baby Boomer
and older generations which will further deepen the generational divide and contrast in the
workplace .
So, who is a Neophiliac and Neophobe?
The term Neophiliac was a term first used by
Christopher Booker in his book titled, "The
Neophiliacs," and later popularized by Robert Anton
Wilson a futurist. It refers to a cognitive classification
of a personality tribe who perpetually have an affinity
for novelty or new things in short!
They are often individuals who are obsessed with
changing things or creating something new. They are
never comfortable with the status quo and they
constantly long for new adventure or project. You can
call them the “new junkies, addicts or natives”.
These folks have a rabid repulsion for tradition
and repetition. It is not only at work that their habits
and lifestyle show up. In life they do not have any
qualms moving from one location to another as often
as they want, or even changing partners to explore
new frontiers. It is not surprising that surveys have
shown that many Millennials who demonstrate the tell-
tale attributes of Neophiliacs prefer promiscuity over a
monogamous relationship. And the affinity for promiscuity is not limited to marriage relationships
as surveys showed that even brands are not spared as Neophiliacs lead the charts when it comes

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Olayiwola Oladapo © August 2019
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to switching from one brand to another. Some commentators have referred to Neophiliacs as
brand polygamist!
With Neophiliacs there are no permanent loyalty to anything or anyone. What they value is loyalty
to their current interest. They change gadgets and romances the newest of trends as if it is a
crime to be associated with the past. They impact work with their penchant to change jobs and
roles like diapers. They have low attention and interest span and it is not surprising that words
like “very boring’, I hate boredom” are hackneyed phrases with neophiliacs. And nothing in life is
spared from the Neophiliac lens of boredom. Relationship, religious meetings or worship services,
trainings, business meetings to mention a few are often the victims of the scourge of boredom in
the evaluating lens of
Neophiliacs. It is interesting
that a Neophiliac will rate first
the excitable qualities of
anything way before
evaluating the intrinsic value. It
is not unlikely that a Neophiliac
is talking to three or Four
organizations at the same time
while job hunting and they are
a recruiter’s nightmare as
several recruiters have had the
misfortune of presenting the
same Neophiliac to the client
simply because they all had
their unfortunate fortunes of having the Neophiliac’s resume in their active database!
We all have Neophiliacs in our homes, families, teams. We may also have the Neophiliac trait or
gene in us in different measures. But beyond the many attributes of Neophiliacs that make us
uncomfortable, they bring the value of creativity and innovation to organizations in equal measure.
For Neophiliacs the world is essentially a big spherical mass of Amoeba! You just shape it
the way you want! Neophiliacs are prevalent in industries that thrive on transformative or
disruptive innovation and creativity such as emerging technology and brand/advertisement.
Understanding the Neophiliac’s worldview will help decision makers plan, reach and work with
this personality tribe more effectively.

4. Dealing with Neophiliacs and Neophobes in the Future of Work
Olayiwola Oladapo © August 2019
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Neophobes are the exact opposite of the
Neophiliacs. They are habitually very
conservative and entertain fear for anything
new. Neophobes are uncomfortable and
resistant to novelty and disruptive
innovations. They have morbid detestation
for changing the status quo. They are
stubbornly dogmatic about the past even
when the current circumstances require a
fresh paradigm approach! They are your
typical conservatives and traditionalist who
will not even change at the prospect of even getting penalized for their conservative positions.
These folks are not necessarily from the older generation as there are people from the younger
generations who are actually Neophobes. This personality type reflects in decisions around even
issues like trying out food, clothing styles, cars, cultures and even jobs and careers. They are also
not so enthusiastic about any form pf adventure or experimentation. They hate phrases like new
frontiers and are often very pessimistic about exploring terrains unknown. Whilst they are often
demonized for their dogmatic rigidity, they also bring stability to systems offering the value of rich
institutional memory and experiential competence to organizations. Neophobes can also bring
reliability and predictability to the system. Their aversion for change at times counterbalances the
unstable and unending flux that neophiliacs may bring to the system. As constant as the Northern
star every system or organization needs what they bring to the table. They thrive in industries that
are extremely efficiency and process driven. They also thrive in industries and roles where the
mundane and repetitive procedures are critical to work delivery and also in industry that value risk
aversion. We know people that are Neophobes in our homes, groups or at work. We may also
have the Neophobic traits in differing measure.

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According to an article in huffpost, “about 15 per
cent of us are neophobes, whose hyper-sensitivity
to the risks inherent in new things can shield them
and us from harm and loss. Another 15 per cent of
us, however, are adventurous neophiliacs”.
Neophiliacs and Neophobes both present their fair
share of challenges to talent management,
succession planning, talent retention management, workforce motivation and overall Human
Capital management optimization and effectiveness. But no organization will survive in the future
without crafting effective strategies to manage both Neophiliacs and Neophobes at work!
The debates should not be on demonizing or canonizing any of these two personality tribes. It
should be on how their strengths can be better leveraged and their attributes that we are not so
comfortable with can be mitigated. But managing their disparate and complimentary attributes is
an inevitable feature of the future of work. I know someone who got penalized several years ago
at the final stage of interviewing for a very senior management role in an international
Management Consulting firm for having moved jobs frequently. He had seen everyone who
mattered to the recruitment with the exception of the Country Managing Partner. He was not
eventually hired and nobody got back to him on why the decision not to hire him was taken. But
subsequently he heard from some ‘grapevine” sources that the managing partner was
concerned that he had moved Job four times in less than 8 years and the Country Managing
Partner felt he was a big “flight risk”. Despite meeting all other competency expectations of the
job, he was not hired because of his Neophiliac type career movements. His Neophiliac career
movements was heavily penalized and I hear countless stories of other good talents who were
not hired simply because the recruiter felt they were going to be difficult to retain or because
they have moved jobs too frequently. They are often described as “unstable talents”. You also
have the case of people whose Neophobic personality have been construed as anti-progressive
attracting heavy penalization in form of career stagnation they have experienced.
We must also avoid pigeonholing Neophiliac and Neophobes in any of the existing age
generations as there are younger generation Neophobes and older generation Neophiliacs. It
will be interesting to hear from you all on your take on these two personality tribes and how their
attributes can be better leveraged.

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References
https://www.pride.com/dating/2016/10/03/only-half-millennials-want-monogamous-relationship
https://www.queerty.com/millennials-leading-monogamy-slow-march-towards-death-20161203
https://gothamist.com/2014/08/25/millennials_mcdonalds_lol.php
https://www.foodnavigator-asia.com/Article/2018/07/26/Millennials-and-brand-loyalty-Why-they-are-polygamous-not-promiscuous
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/addicted-to-change_b_1184304
Dr. Olayiwola Oladapo is the Acting Registrar and CEO at the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) of
Nigeria, the umbrella body that regulates Human Resources Profession and practice in Nigeria with over 12,000
members. Contact him at oladapoolayiwola@cipmnigeria.org or olayi72@yahoo.com LinkedIn-https://bit.ly/2SqpG9y