Optimizing Employee Retention
In the Era of Knowledge Capital

This article offers a set of ten radical steps you can take to get valued staff members to ignore calls from the headhunters. It sets forth a couple of dozen questions to analyze personnel turnover in an organizational unit. It defines six dead propositions about employees, jobs and managers from the last generation, and counters with six next-generation propositions on the same topics. Finally, it presents ten guidelines that can be used by new-era managers to increase retention of the knowledge capital that resides in employees. And, in all of this, it promises at least one truly revolutionary suggestion.

The article supports a presentation made by the author at the Philadelphia convention the Special Libraries Association on June 13, 2000. Both this paper and the graphic slides used at that presentation are available for download at www.changecraft.com. Watch the site for our periodic publications on a broad range of topics that examine the tumultuous transformations underway in the world’s business organizations.

Ten Actions you can Take to Beat the Headhunters

A set of effective - but nearly impossible - steps to eliminate staff turnover, gleaned from a professional headhunter who answered the question: "What would managers have to do to put you out of business?" (800 words)

About the Author

A brief that explains the unusual perspective of the author in addressing this topic. (337 words)

Analyzing Your Retention Challenge

Twenty-five questions to examine your actual turnover and retention challenge. (250 words)

Analysis of Retention and Turnover

A discussion of some common factors that underlie retention and turnover problems, including case study examples and the illustration of a "vicious cycle" process. (1,200 words)

People and Jobs: General Principals

An outlines very rudimentary assumptions about why people stay in jobs. (260 words)

SIX DEAD Propositions of the Last Generation

This segment shows how our traditional organizational beliefs, systems and processes create the turnover problems we experience. (3,000 words)

Six Propositions for the Next Generation

A new paradigm for organizations, managers, employees and employment in the information economy. (3,200 words)

Summary and Conclusion

A concise statement of a new approach to employment and knowledge capital in organizations. (460 words)

Guidelines to Increase Retention

Without all the theory, this is a practical "To-do" list for managers who need to retain knowledge capital as we enter the new millennium. (250 words)

Bibliography

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