Saying what we mean, meaning what we say, and knowing what it all means

Talk is cheap, so the saying goes: what is easy enough to say is often harder to do. The expression suggests the possibility of action, suspended though it may be, because it assumes that the words were understood in the first place.

At the very first Catalyst Europe AG Regional Symposium, we from our global-minded organizations came together to talk, certainly, but more vitally to initiate some form of action on the other side. We were reminded, during one exercise, of the potential assumptions we might be making in the words, concepts and paradigms we employ daily. While we are versed in the lingua franca of hard and soft organizational concerns, we may not always be aware of how our own embedded filters – personal, cultural, corporate – affect what is said and what is heard.

The compact, action-oriented terms we use freely do at some point stop being abstractions: in the end, organizations are made up of individuals. If an organization can find a way to take the variables of personal interpretation into account – and be aware of any inherent bias within its culture, messaging and programs – then cheap talk may not be welcome, but can at least be a universally understood starting point.

Best wishes for the start of fall,
The Catalyst Europe AG Team

First Catalyst Europe symposium prompts learning and rich exchange

On 28 August over 70 executives, managers and professionals gathered at the Swiss Re Centre for Global Dialogue in Rüschlikon, Switzerland, for Optimizing Leadership Decisions in Talent Management. The launch event of the Catalyst Europe AG Regional Symposia Series (CERSS), hosted by Swiss Re Company, built on the presentation of Catalyst’s recent Global Talent Management study by engaging participants in a frank dialogue about their own values, experiences and potential for change. Please contact us with additional feedback or to learn more about CERSS sponsorship.

Catalyst Work-Life Effectiveness innovation changes the game

In the face of new technology, 24/7 workplaces and globalization – and the notion that work-life balance can longer be for the lucky few – Catalyst has introduced Work-Life Effectiveness (WLE), a new organizational approach which builds on what has worked in the past and evolves what has not. Merging research insight and cutting-edge practices, WLE helps organizations identify and implement practical solutions to support individuals, teams and businesses while addressing the need for organizational sustainability. The publication series Making Change—Beyond Flexibility explores different angles of WLE implementation in order to create, as Catalyst Vice President of Advisory Services Meryle Mahrer Kaplan, Ph.D., explains, “a mutually beneficial work environment where employees can be energized, focused and engaged at work while helping an organization sustain high performance and maintain its competitive advantages.”

Catalyst Europe invited to European women’s network

Media Corner: Catalyst study still making waves in top business publications

Catalyst Europe launches residential program

Catalyst Europe energized by summer team

Call for input: Practices-in-Motion

Judging from Catalyst Europe’s ongoing dialogue with member organizations, there is high demand for detail – detail on the approaches that other members are taking when it comes to, for example, global talent management, workplace design, cross-cultural challenges, mentoring, employee networks, work-life effectiveness, women’s leadership and full organizational involvement in diversity objectives. Would you be willing to share your perspective on how your organization is “getting it right”? Please contact us so we can discuss the possibilities.

Next Catalyst Europe symposium: Culture and the Workplace (London)

Conference: Women on boards (Kopavogur)

Workshop: Forging new perspectives on women’s leadership (Zurich)

Global membership: Expert learning with real-world application

With access to renowned research and strategic counsel that puts it to work, Catalyst global member companies, such as TD Bank Financial Group and Interpublic Group of Companies, are growing in number. Feel free to contact us for more information about the full benefits of Catalyst membership.

Practitioner’s Perspective – Creating a new language for developing talent

“The model we have been using to develop talent (Mass Career Customization or MCC™) has been an important step forward in terms of structuring the discussions and giving both parties, the company and the individuals within it, a forum to discuss all of the opportunities we have to offer. Before the individual might have considered more radical options, such as looking for another job, but now we can sit down yearly and make a joint decision as to how the person’s career is going to be driven: by a change in role; a different pace; a new location or schedule; or a different preference in terms of workload. We have these discussions in our (career) counselling sessions, and it is a very powerful way of improving the dialogue with our workforce. It has certainly erased a lot of the misunderstanding that would have normally built up, when what satisfied one party did not necessarily match up with what the other party wished to achieve. Today, we are more 'in tune' with our people.

These structured, open discussions have also changed the way flexibility could be perceived. Sometimes talking about flexible arrangements was not an appropriate approach, especially if considered an exception to ‘the norm’, and some did not feel that they had an open space for discussion. Now we address the diverse components of a job with everyone, and there is no ‘norm’ or set pattern. This helps us adjust and respond better to expectations in today’s context.”

About Hélène Ratte:
At Deloitte & Touche in France, Hélène Ratte is a Human Resources Partner. She holds global responsibility for women’s advancement and retention, and her fields of expertise and experience cover: recruitment, career management, evaluation, employee relations, employee commitment and international policy development. Hélène will be presenting at the second Catalyst Europe AG Regional Symposium in London on 15 October (see above).

Double-Take – What men and women leaders value

Common wisdom dictates that the work values of men and women leaders differ – that men and women have divergent views about what is considered vital at a workplace. Yet the learning from Catalyst’s most recent Global Talent Management study, conducted with the Families and Work Institute, suggests otherwise. In fact, men and women rank the desired characteristics of their jobs and workplaces almost identically, putting a supportive work environment and a challenging job at the top of the list (while the opportunity for high achievement ranks close to the bottom). The intensity with which these values are held, however, varies.