In 2024 there will be a paradigm shift in employee employment and trust dynamics. It is part of a generation redesign of work from a game of Tetris to become like a game Roblox.
When I was growing up I spent countless hours playing Tetris On my Nintendo Game Boy. There was something enchanting to put together the flat blocks that fell from the top. The design of the game was clean, precise and simple. This gave the player a sense of order and control. I showed my 12-year-old son Tetris And asked if he wanted to play. “Why would I?” he answered quickly. “You can never beat the system.” And in this sense he is right.
Organizations by design used to be much like a game of Tetris– From top to bottom, hierarchical, with clear rules. Work had fixed boundaries around hours, physical locations and roles. It is important that these boundaries are mostly set by the employer, not the employee.
While I am part of Generation Tetris (or Gen X), my son is very member of Generation Roblox (Gen. Z). In his world, just as in the game of RobloxThere are endless possibilities of riches that you can create and roles that you can play. You can devise your dream work, build bridges or spaceships, take care of a farm, or live in a mansion on the waterfront. In his heart, Roblox is about self-authorship. But the feeling of control comes from being a Creator, not to organize blocks. He loves to Roblox Because, in His words, “These are my world and my rules.”
The world of Tetris and the world of Roblox is in many ways a powerful metaphor for an in-depth power and trust shift that takes place in the world of work. Gen Z (and Y and Alpha who will start entering the workforce at the end of this decade) are little interested in a way of working designed like a game of Tetris. The rules, rewards and reporting structures do not make sense to them. Given that, by 2025, 27 percent of the workforce in OECD countries will be Gen Z, this is an urgent problem to solve. By 2030 the Roblox Generation will be the majority, with more than 58 percent of the workforce consisting of Gen Z and Millennials.
According to the World Economic Forum, nearly two -thirds of Gen Z will prefer to work for themselves or a beginner. 80 percent of Gen Z workers worldwide are looking for a job that better match their values. About half reports that they would resign their jobs if it interfered with their work-life balance. The solution suggested for these changing work dynamics is often flexibility. Yes, younger generations want or expect more flexibility, but to focus on where and when people work, a deeper paradigm shift – people’s relationship with organizations has been transformed.
In many ways the design of Tetris reflected a “power about” way of thinking about leadership: “If I tell others what to do, they will follow.” You don’t get to think of rules and boundaries; They are inherent in a linear, top-down system. RobloxOn the other hand, represent a “power with” dynamics. There are no corporate ladders to climb or hierarchies to navigate – unless you find out. Involvement comes from the game design that is collaborative, autonomous, personalized and peer-driven.
According to a recent report by Gartner, employee engagement has 3.8 times as much influence on employee stress as workplace. In other words, how People experience their everyday work – their feelings of involvement and enthusiasm – matter more in reducing stress than where They do their job. Game designers understand this, but most organizations do not. In 2024 leaders will have no choice but to accept that you can no longer play Tetris in a Roblox world.
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