Says Dr. Elaine Eisenman, BEE’s Dean and co-author of the report, “Business leaders everywhere are behaving more like start-ups that redefine uncertainty through bold entrepreneurial thought and action.  This trend can be seen in our finding that executives who take bold actions today outnumber those who are not by more than two to one.”  The survey also found that these leaders are using a variety of experimental approaches to manage uncertainty in a complicated business environment.

For example, more executives are intentionally linking job design to growth strategy.  “These corporate growth and innovation goals are being adapted pervasively across the workforce, not just from the traditional groups like Research & Development,” affirms H. James Wilson, BEE’s Senior Researcher and the report’s co-author. BEE’s research shows that six out of ten respondents agree or strongly agree that they are more innovative in performing their jobs.

While employees are being asked to be more innovative, a majority (51%) are also required to perform routine tasks that steal time from innovative pursuits. The survey points out the downside of “responsibility creep,” when managers ask employees to take on new tasks before asking whether such tasks are strategically relevant.  

Sixty-eight percent of respondents who strongly agree that there is a clear link between their job and corporate strategy also report that their company is growing revenue.  Says Wilson, “Companies that don’t regularly link jobs to strategy often are more than twice as likely to have flat or declining revenues.” 

Economic uncertainty was identified as the chief reason business organizations have introduced a hiring freeze.  Forty-seven percent of respondents say that training and professional development initiatives have also been reduced since the economic downturn.  

Eisenman says that executives need to understand that employees are taking their careers into their own hands.  A majority (55%) spend more time networking and being proactive.  The report points to a number of things executives can do to remedy the situation.”  Notes Eisenman, “Executives can create new legitimacy for employee empowerment—by providing greater opportunities for promotion and ‘giving credit’ to employees who have expanded their job responsibilities.”