Non classifié(e)

By Barb Gustafson

As a part of doctoral-level research at the University of Saskatchewan, I surveyed trades instructors at three Western Canadian post-secondary institutions about their career transition from trades practice to teaching. The survey was followed up with focus groups for a qualitative-dominant mixed methods study that was completed in November 2014.

While questions of motivation and vocational identity were only part of the overall study, there were results emerging that relate to these aspects of work life and career counselling. I found that tradespeople are motivated primarily by intrinsic rewards such as a sense of continuity – wanting to carry on their trade – both through helping new practitioners learn as students, and through practicing their trade in a new way as teachers. They bring a strong sense of having already been a teacher, as a journeyperson who mentored apprentices while in trades practice, to this new role. With this motivation set and prior identification with the role of teacher, they reported viewing this career change as more of a second phase of a continuing career than as a second career. Moving into this new role of being a full-time teacher, they are frustrated when their previous skills and knowledge, and identification with teaching practice, are not considered relevant in the credential-conscious college setting.

Based on the results of this study, career counsellors may want to consider the influence of previous work and pre-existing vocational identity in advising clients as they look for new types of work. Human resource practitioners in colleges, in particular, may want to consider these factors in their recruitment efforts, as well as in the training provided to new teachers, so as to build on strengths. Acknowledging prior learning, as well as considering the embedded identity of teacher within trades, could help retain instructors in this high-demand field.

Barb Gustafson is a PhD candidate in Educational Administration at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK. She is also a faculty member at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, the province’s primary vocational and technical training provider.

By Jon Woodend, MSc

Book by Lionel Laroche and Caroline Yang

Canada was one of the first developed countries to adopt multiculturalism as an integral part of its identity. Because of this, Canada now has the highest proportion of foreign-born individuals, and its immigration system, which successfully attracts skilled workers, is heralded internationally. Given that the government of Canada will continue to seek skilled immigrant workers to offset a low domestic birthrate, the Canadian workforce will only continue to become more diverse. Lionel Laroche and Caroline Yang in their book Danger and opportunity: Bridging cultural diversity for competitive advantage note that, while the Canadian workforce may benefit from these skilled workers and their diverse skills, without multicultural awareness, these lucrative benefits can quickly turn into sour disadvantages for all involved.

As such, Laroche and Yang set up their book to help immigrant and Canadian-born workers, as well as managers and human resource professionals, navigate through these cultural minefields in order to maximize the experience for all. Specifically, Laroche and Yang use a multilayer circular model to represent the various areas relevant to working in a diverse workforce. This model serves as the roadmap of the book, and its various components are used as the chapter themes throughout. As a quick overview, at its outermost layer, the circular model suggests that there are three key influences:

a) People; their awareness, skills and communication style

b) Systems; the societal work process and tools, performance management and rewards

c) Environment; the workplace leadership, organization design and inclusive practices

Moving inward, there are four critical areas in which organizations and workers engage:

a) Managing a multicultural workforce

b) Working with offshore resources

c) Collaborating with joint venture partners

d) Competing in the global talent market

Finally, at the centre of the circular model, there are six factors related to individuals within the workplace. These factors are:

a) Their technical and soft skills

b) Their ability to communicate cross-culturally

c) Their understanding of cross-cultural feedback

d) Their sense of hierarchy

e) Their sense of individualism

f) Their propensity for risk tolerance

Throughout the chapters, Laroche and Yang explore the components of the circular model and offer rich anecdotal examples to clarify what these concepts look like within the workforce. These examples, as well as the audience addressed in the book, shift perspective to include the majority of individuals within the workforce. In particular, the book seems to be aimed at addressing the perspectives of immigrant and Canadian-born workers, supervisors, managers and human resource professionals, as well as the interactions between them. Within each chapter, Laroche and Yang go beyond using descriptions and concrete examples by providing visual representations of the concepts through their extensive use of diagrams. This approach helps the reader envision how these concepts would play out within their own work and practice. Specifically, the reader learns step-by-step ways to prevent cross-cultural misunderstanding, mediate conflict when it does occur, and maximize workplace teams’ strengths for optimal performance.

Although Laroche and Yang engage the audience in a variety of ways and shift perspective to provide an inclusive review of their circular model, there are a few areas for further development. First, the language used within the book is aimed at an audience with a higher understanding of English, rather than using more basic English. This may limit the book’s utility for less experienced English speakers and instead cater more to the well-educated, English-speaking professional. Second, in the first chapter Laroche and Yang talk about how conversations about discrimination are not productive and that often the discrimination is not purposeful, but the result of a misunderstanding. This diminishes the real experiences of immigrant workers who face discrimination within the workforce, and could be seen as an attempt to shift the responsibility of prevention onto the victims of discrimination. This discussion seems out of place with the inclusive nature of team responsibility stressed throughout the rest of the book, and perhaps the book would be better served by omitting it.

Overall, Laroche and Yang provide a comprehensive beginners’ guide to working effectively and competitively within a diverse workforce. Specifically, Danger and opportunity provides warning signs of an ineffective workplace and concrete best practices for employees and employers to remedy these situations. Moreover, Laroche and Yang incorporate additional models and literature to provide some evidence for their circular model as well as offer extra resources for the more advanced multicultural reader. Given that the government of Canada will continue to rely on the recruitment of skilled immigrant workers in a global economy, it stands to reason that workers and employers in Canada will need to upgrade their multicultural awareness and competence in order to work effectively. Laroche and Yang’s Danger and opportunity is an excellent starting point in this career-long journey for employees and employers alike.

Reviewer

Jon Woodend is a PhD Counselling Psychology student at the University of Calgary investigating the international career transition experiences of skilled immigrant workers and their employers in Canada.

Authors

Caroline Yang (CHRP, CCP) has 15 years of human resources experience working with multinational organizations in Canada and China. Lionel Laroche (PhD, PEng) has provided cross-cultural training, coaching and consulting services to over 20,000 people through a wide range of organizations and countries. He is the founder and Principal of MultiCultural Business Solutions Consultants, where Yang is also a partner.

Marc Kielburger is a social entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author and gifted orator.

Along with his brother Craig, Marc is co-founder of Free The Children, an international charity and educational partner that empowers youth to achieve their fullest potential as agents of change.

Marc is also the co-founder of Me to We, an innovative social enterprise that advances the vision of philanthropy and provides people with better choices for a better world.

Every year, Marc and Craig organize a series of We Days, Free The Children’s signature domestic event attended by 200,000 students from 6,000 schools. We Day also reaches over 6 million viewers through televised broadcasts and has more than 3.7 million followers on Facebook.

In one sentence, describe why career development matters.

Career development helps you find your passion and interests, and in the process enables and empowers you to be able to choose a meaningful path in life.

Which book are you reading right now?

An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield. It’s a fascinating read and he’s such a remarkable person. We’re incredibly humbled to have him as an ambassador for We Day!

What did you want to be when you grew up?

A teacher. For as long as I can remember, I knew I wanted to spend my life helping people and many of my biggest role models early on were teachers, including both of our parents and many others who each played an important role in guiding me along the path I am still on today.

Name one thing you wouldn’t be able to work without?

My BlackBerry.

What activity do you usually turn to when procrastinating?

I don’t procrastinate often but when I do, I like to watch movies.

What song do you listen to for inspiration?

Anything by U2.

Which word do you overuse?

“Grateful.” I only wish there were more ways to express just how much we appreciate the amazing, wonderful people who have helped us along the way, and continue to support us every single day.

Who would you like to work with most?

My brother Craig (so I guess I’m lucky!).

Which talent or superpower would you like to have?

Teleportation, so I could avoid taking long flights.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

The work of Free The Children and Me to We. When we first started Free The Children as a student club almost 20 years ago, we had a dream to build one school. Since then we have built over 650 schools around the world and continue to empower millions of young people every day to become leaders in their own communities.

New on ContactPoint: Glossary of Career Development

CERIC and the Canadian Council for Career Development (CCCD) have collaborated to produce a glossary of career development.

From Abilities to Workplace Training, the glossary is primarily intended to serve as a resource to those working or studying in the field of career development, though it will also be of value to Canadians more broadly who are looking for definitions of terms in relation to their own careers.

Given the richness and diversity of the field, it is also hoped that this glossary can facilitate a common vocabulary and shared understanding of career development. With that in mind, the glossary is presented as a living document in the form of a “wiki.” Everyone in career development is invited to participate.

Check ou the glossary on the ContactPoint website.

MB, SK unveil career exploration, planning resources

The Government of Manitoba has introduced Career Prospects, a new program to help create connections between students, parents and employers, in order to help youth get a better idea of which careers they would like to pursue and what jobs are in-demand. This new program was launched in partnership with the Alliance of Manitoba Sector Councils (AMSC). manitobacareerprospects.ca

Meanwhile, the Government of Saskatchewan, in partnership with the Saskatoon Industry-Education Council (SIEC) unveiled Saskcareers.ca, a one-stop career development resource to discover and explore career paths and learn about education and training opportunities in the province of Saskatchewan. This site aims at meeting the career planning needs of all Saskatchewan residents from kindergarten to retirement, with an initial focus on youth in school and those transitioning beyond high school. saskcareers.ca

Career Crafting the Decade After High School

CERIC is launching an updated version of the popular book The Decade After High School: A Professional’s Guide. Written by Cathy Campbell and Peggy Dutton, this guide will provide support for career development professionals and educators who work with young people in their teens and 20s.

Called Career Crafting the Decade After High School, the revised book outlines in more detail the context in which young people’s career journeys are unfolding today and the strategies they use to find a career-related place. It also introduces eight « career crafting » techniques that can help career professionals integrate traditional career counselling practice with chaos-oriented approaches that emphasize the uncertainty of most young people’s career development.

The new guide will be launched at Cannexus in January 2015. It will be available in print and ebook at a low cost or as a free downloadable epdf.

What to do about the skills gap

The skills gap debate continues throughout Canada with a trio of new reports.

First, from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, A Battle We Can’t Afford to Lose: Getting Young Canadians from Education to Employment argues that to close the skills gap, the priority needs to be on moving youth from education to employment. The report recommends a focus on labour market information, career decision-making and work-integrated learning.

Another report, Better Work: The path to good jobs is through employers, by Metcalf Innovation Fellow and labour market policy expert Tom Zizys, examines Canada’s under-performing labour market and challenges the popular notion that the threat to good jobs is inevitable, and includes strategies to promote efficient workforce development with an emphasis on the role of employer-led training.

Finally, a report from Toronto Region Board of Trade and United Way Toronto finds many Toronto region residents could be left behind, despite 520,000 job openings over the next five years. The report, Closing the Prosperity Gap, highlights the emerging paradox of workers who should benefit from an increase in job opportunities due to retirement and economic growth, but could continue to face barriers to accessing these jobs.

CERIC funds study to better meet school and career needs of refugee youth

Having lived through the trauma of war, family separation and loss, thousands of refugee children arrive in Canada each year and struggle to fit into classrooms. Led by the University of Winnipeg’s Jan Stewart, a new study will aim to help these refugee youth navigate school and find meaningful careers. The study is funded by CERIC and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

There are approximately 240,000 newcomers who settle in Canada each year and about 6,000 of these people are refugees who are under the age of 18, according to Statistics Canada. It is estimated that by 2031 roughly 30% of the population will be a visible minority and approximately 36% of these people will be under the age of 15.

Called, Bridging Two Worlds: Culturally Responsive Career Development Programs and Services to Meet the Needs of Newcomer and Refugee Children in Canada, the three-year study involves researchers in Winnipeg, Calgary, St. John’s and Charlottetown.

« We have some very good programs that are working but there is a piecemeal approach, » says Stewart. « Refugee youth have experienced disrupted schooling as well as emotional trauma and that requires additional knowledge and training on the part of educators. Our goal is to develop practical resources that schools and teachers can use. We still have a lot to do to prepare ourselves to work as a diverse city and country. »

Learn more at ceric.ca/projects.

CERIC survey delves into employer attitudes about the soft skills they want and their responsibility to provide training

By Mario R. Gravelle

The Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling (CERIC) supports research into attitudes about career development matters in Canada. Environics Research Group recently carried out a survey of Canadian business leaders on CERIC’s behalf to surface their recruiting practices, tactics they employ to find the best employees for their needs, as well as the training and career management opportunities they provide. This article highlights how the 500 business leaders surveyed responded to questions about “soft skills” (i.e. personal qualities, habits, attitudes and social graces that make someone a good employee and compatible to work with). Here are some notable discoveries:

Most important soft skills? And the winners are…

There is widespread agreement among employers that “ideal” employees have a good blend of technical as well as soft skills. CERIC’s survey asked several questions about the latter in order to uncover how they play a role in hiring and career advancement. For instance, participants were asked “what soft skills are most important to you in an employee?” The four most frequent answers are “positive attitude,” “communication skills,” “teamwork skills” and a “strong work ethic.” Differences in opinion do emerge when examining the findings according to region (British Columbia, Prairies, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada), location (Rural, Outside Major City and Major City) and the size of the business. For example, Figure #1 reveals that over one-third of those from Ontario believe in the value of “communications skills” while fewer than one-quarter from Quebec and the Prairies share the same opinion. The data also shows that “interpersonal/customer skills” are much less important in Quebec (7%) than the rest of Canada (Atlantic Canada and Prairies 19% respectively, Ontario 21% and British Columbia 25%).

According to this figure, similar viewpoints emerge across the three locations except that “teamwork skills” are most highly prized by those in Major Cities (34%) compared to those in Rural settings (25%) and Outside Major Cities (20%). The greatest variances exist when examining the responses by the size of employers surveyed. A “positive attitude,” for example, appears to be much less important for the largest firms versus those with fewer than 50 employees. Conversely, the former placed much greater standing on “teamwork skills” than the latter.

What are employers doingto enhance soft skills?

The CERIC survey included a segment of questions pertaining to workplace training initiatives. Those employers who indicated that their firms provide training were asked whether these were intended to develop technical abilities, soft skills or both. According to respondents, employees are much more likely to be able to access technical skills training programs compared to programs dedicated to improving their soft skills. Moreover, Figure #2 shows that a significantly greater proportion of firms in British Colombia offer soft skills training to their workers. Another interesting difference exists when examining the findings by location as just over twice as many employers from Rural settings versus those from Major Cities stated their businesses offered soft skill training opportunities.

The data above reveals that business size has the most significant impact on the type of training provided by employers. Specifically, smaller firms (up to 10 employees and from 10 to 49 employees) are much more likely than much larger firms (100 to 499 employees and 500+ employees) to only provide technical training. Employees are also much more likely to access both types of training if they work for larger businesses.

Mario R. Gravelle is Learning & Innovation Analyst at The Counselling Foundation of Canada. He is responsible for supporting the reception of funding requests as well as managing the Foundation’s grants. Gravelle likewise supports knowledge transfer activities to promote the work accomplished by the organization’s grant recipients. He is completing his doctoral dissertation in history at York University (BA from Concordia University and MA from the University of Ottawa). The Foundation proudly supports CERIC and its programs.

MyWorldAbroad

This online portal provides a wide range of resources for anyone interested in working, studying or volunteering abroad.

MyWorldAbroad.com

SWAP

This organization helps Canadian youth wishing to acquire international experience by helping them organize their trip abroad and find jobs once there.

Swap.ca

Québec Sans Frontières (QSF)

Ce programme permet aux Québécois de 18 à 35 ans de réaliser des stages de solidarité internationale dans différentes régions du monde.

Quebecsansfrontieres.com

The Cultural Intelligence Center

This organization conducts research in the field of cultural intelligence, and also provides assessments, certification for practitioners, training and more.

culturalq.com

What exactly is cultural intelligence, how to measure it, and why should career professionals care?

By Rhonda Singer

Having the ability to work across different cultures is essential in today’s global economy. The world is more connected, resulting in people communicating with other cultures on a daily basis. Yet do we, as career professionals, consistently adapt our approach to interact with clients in the most culturally intelligent way?

Before addressing this question, it is important to understand what is cultural intelligence, or CQ, as it is often called in the workplace. As defined in David Livermore’s book Leading with Cultural Intelligence, CQ is a person’s capability to function effectively in intercultural contexts, including different national, ethnic, organizational and generational contexts.

Who are the culturally intelligent?

David and his colleagues asked the same question this way:What’s the difference between individuals and businesses that succeed in today’s globalized, multicultural world and those that fail? Contrary to what you might think, it is not the international traveller or people with the highest IQ that excel in CQ.Instead the research illustrated that people who achieved high scores in each of the following four CQ capabilities demonstrated high cultural intelligence:

• CQ Drive: Deriving enjoyment, gaining benefits and having confidence in experiencing other cultures.
• CQ Knowledge: Understanding, generally, how different cultures have similarities and differences and how it affects the way people think and behave.
• CQ Strategy: Being mindful, aware and able to plan in order to adapt when relating and working interculturally.
• CQ Action: Appropriately changing verbal and non-verbal behaviour when required in multicultural situations.

The good news is that, unlike IQ, your CQ level is not fixed from birth. It can be developed and strengthened through awareness of your own CQ score and training, followed up by the vigilant use of the CQ capabilities.

The importance of CQ in today’s workplace, in Canada and globally

As well as being able to “fit” into a culturally diverse workplace, there have been many studies that demonstrate the connection between employees having higher CQ and improved job performance, particularly as it relates to judgment and decision-making, negotiation and cross-cultural adaptability. This makes CQ increasingly important as one of the key soft skills that employers are looking for in their employees. Subsequently, some companies incorporate CQ into their marketing strategy, others into their human resource agenda for recruiting, engaging and retaining their talent pool.

That leads us to the critical question of why is CQ important to the work of career development professionals. Stories from career professionals frequently describe client issues in some of the following ways:

• Nods yes but does not carry through with the action plan
• Does not make eye contact
• Does not demonstrate initiative
• Does not know how to do small talk or network in the Canadian workplace

It is natural to interpret a client’s behaviour through our own cultural lens. However, when observing actions from others that seem different, the most important question to ask is “I wonder why?” in order to have a meaningful conversation about your clients’ dreams, goals and current reality. When we care enough to include cultural intelligence in our practices, we demonstrate authentic respect and not just mere politeness or tolerance for differences. We transform into true professionals with the drive, knowledge, strategy and behaviour that engages multicultural clients in empowering career conversations – conversations that result in more effective outcomes.

How do we determine our own level of cultural intelligence, or that of our clients? A simple way to begin is by practicing careful observation while interacting. Keep the four distinct CQ capabilities in mind, and over time note which of that person’s capabilities are stronger or weaker. A more academic and valid method is by completing an online CQ assessment.The Cultural Intelligence Center and its colleagues developed the first academically validated assessment in this area and continued their research to include options for students, individuals or multi-raters (similar to a 360). The CQ report outlines which capabilities are strengths and which need development, and it also includes your cultural value orientations compared to norms from 10 global country clusters. Values are the glue to decision-making. Gaining insight into your own values as compared to clients or colleagues is a very helpful tool in understanding how to minimize or prevent conflict resulting from communication challenges such as lack of consensus or compliance.

Research demonstrates that professionals who see the strategic value of cultural intelligence are able to effectively influence cultural differences for competitive advantage and achieve a win-win for their clients and themselves. When CQ is integrated into practice, career professionals achieve greater client results. After all, is that not what success is all about?

Rhonda Singer, MSc, CHRD, is VP, Global Talent at Global Learning. She is a Career Management Fellow and certified in CQ at the Advanced Level 2. Rhonda invites questions and conversation at rsinger@egloballearning.com.

A review of IAEVG’s recent international conference through a social justice lens

By Patrick Brush

On June 4-6, 2014, I attended the International Conference in Guidance and Career Development, organized by the International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance (IAEVG), held in beautiful historic Quebec City. What a great opportunity for a career practitioner to go to an international conference so close to home. During the conference, there was an incredible number of workshops and symposiums to choose from, covering a wide array of topics dealing with both practical and theoretical concepts. My own personal interest was to attend sessions where I could collaborate with, and learn from, international experts in the field who are committed to the inclusion of social justice in career development practice. Workshop sessions tackling social justice concerns at a career development conference was something that I had yet to experience. It’s always a challenge to transform theory into practice, and this is particularly true when talking about the importance of social justice, a term that is often not well understood or easily articulated. The question is: how can we, as career professionals, commit ourselves to values that may run counter to the dominant culture, and conflict with prevailing political, economic and social discourses?

On the first day of the conference I attended a symposium entitled International Perspectives on Social Justice. It was facilitated by Nancy Arthur from the University of Calgary, and included presentations from an international panel of five experts within the careers field. Each panelist provided their own definition of social justice, and shared their research on, and thinking about, this topic. The question presented was “How is social justice shaped and brought to life in your practice?” This excellent thought-provoking (and radical) question aims to get to the root of the problem, which is, whose interests are career practitioners really serving? The requirements that clients have to meet for funding, or to gain entrance into programs, often become obstacles that stand in the way of their aspirations and/or goals. Many clients become overwhelmed by the process and give up before they even start. Many clients don’t fit the criteria that they all too often had no role in shaping, and are merely expected to conform – which makes me wonder whether we are here to do client-centered work, or to perpetuate a system that forces clients to jump through often unjust hoops. It seems counter-intuitive that a career practitioner’s job should be tied to policing people, ensuring their compliance. For example, we force clients to do countless items on a return-to-work action plan, to demonstrate and prove that they are in need and that they are deserving of receiving assistance. This further humiliates people whose only crime is to be unemployed or living in poverty.

The dominant view today blames poverty on the individuals’ “spirit” and personal life choices. Yet, as was reinforced over and over by the international speakers at the conference, poverty is socially produced and is the result of systemic inequality. My own view of poverty is that it is not an individual problem, but a broader issue that has to be dealt with collectively as a society.

In my experience as a career practitioner in an extremely wealthy country, when I encounter clients who face countless barriers to employment, including issues of food insecurity, and who may be homeless or at risk of becoming so, I feel outrage. However, these are often the very clients who do not fit into the available programs and services. What should I do when the person does not qualify, or when they are not willing or able to complete the tasks assigned? What is my ethical responsibility? As the person’s needs are sometimes immediate, should I feel responsible for ensuring that “the process” is adhered to, or providing whatever support I can to the person?

To paraphrase one of the keynote speakers, Rachel Mulvey from the University of London East, we cannot career counsel people into jobs that do not exist. She was referring to areas of chronically high unemployment – such as rural Nova Scotia, where I work. This is so true – we can certainly provide quality career development services, but to ignore the fact that there are simply not nearly enough jobs for everybody is unethical. It tends to blame the clients for their unemployment, and it is my belief that we have to work at influencing dramatic social change in policy so that we can better meet the needs of people in a more equitable way. When people go to the hospital they don’t have to demonstrate that they are deserving of treatment, they simply have to show up and the service is provided. A colleague of mine used to say that he never celebrated when one of his clients landed a job, because he realized that in a region with chronically high unemployment, when one of his clients won a competition for a job, then another one of his clients had lost. Our total caseload size never changes – except to increase. Instead of having competition for jobs, with winners and losers, why don’t we strive to have full employment? If we all work, we all win.

When talking about social justice at the conference, there was a clear consensus that not all the problems a client faces are of their own making. In fact, in many cases, the barriers are external to themselves, and the solutions are often beyond their individual control. Much of the work that we do as career practitioners is focused on the individual, never really addressing the systemic structural issues of inequality and unemployment. The problem in Canada, and much of the world, is not a lack of wealth, but how this is concentrated and distributed. If we are to truly be client-centered in our work, we need to be willing to work with communities, and challenge the systems that cause the social and economic marginalization of our clients. If we are not willing to address these challenges and approach our work in ways that are socially just, we participate in a system that contributes to our clients’ poverty and unemployment, and blames them for it. The challenge for the career development sector is to act on the fact that there are structural issues that affect our clients. Nelson Mandela once said that “Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid, it is man-made and can be removed by the action of human beings.”

Patrick Brush, BA, BSW, RSW, has a Bachelor of Social Work degree from the University of Calgary and currently works as a career practitioner, doing case management with unemployed adults. Patrick lives and works in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, and is past board member of the Nova Scotia Career Development Association. Contact him at bertholdbrush@eastlink.ca.

To explore these issues in more depth: B. A. Irving & B. Malik (Eds) (2005). Critical Reflections on Career Education and Guidance: Promoting Social Justice in a Global Economy. RoutledgeFalmer.

To foster effective, holistic leadership, we must break down the silos between the for-profit, non-profit and public sectors

By Susanna Kislenko

Over a decade ago, I sat in my business school accounting class learning about the latest profit-counting technique. As I had already developed an interest in, and had some experience within, the non-profit sector, I asked the innocent question of how this particular technique would work if we were to apply it within a non-profit organization, or a charity.

The answer I received from the professor was something along the lines of “Oh, you will never have to worry about that,” followed by a light round of giggles from the audience in the class. I felt both foolish and as if I was on the stage of the wrong play. At the time, the stab felt personal and invalidating, and now I know that these same kinds of door closings are happening in classrooms in business schools all over Canada. In many ways, statements like this close the doors of opportunity.

What does it do to students of various levels (secondary or post-secondary) if we send the message that the strategies that are taught in their classes can only be applied within one context? What does it say that we preach that the particular box/silo of the discipline which we choose to focus on in our respective education stream is the only one we can remain within throughout our careers?

Though we have come a long way from the time when people committed to one company for 30+ years and never looked in any other direction, the idea of individuals moving across the non-profit, for-profit and government spheres during their career trajectories is still fairly taboo. For some reason, there is fear around business principles being brought into either the public or non-profit sphere and, by the same token, fear within the private sector of “warm and fuzzy” ideals being parachuted in by “non-profit types.”

This kind of framework simplifies the complexities of the respective contexts of each sphere where, on a daily basis, leaders are challenged in balancing competing interests, and therefore needing the skill set that is gained by exercising “muscles” from different sectors. Like with any muscle, the more we work it, the stronger it gets.

This concept was recently explored by Matthew Thomas and Nick Lovegrove in a Harvard Business Review article. The idea presented within the piece is that to survive and thrive in the current world system, one that is truly borderless, we need to train our leaders differently. We need to think beyond borders and silos and open our training systems up to a focus on transferrable skills rather than sector-specific ideals. On expanding networks and communication styles. On seeing possibilities rather than obstacles.

What if we all did this? Imagine if we taught certain concepts and then, right along with it, showed examples of how to use them within different contexts. What if this was the norm instead of the exception?

There is an underlying prevalence of thought that each silo and the formal first level education within it, as well as the future executive training categories, all have to stay within their initial respective boxes. What I mean by this is that there are often leadership development programs for specific groups, such a government leaders or non-profit leaders, but ultimately the fundamental leadership principles we come back to are those that have been tried and tested within the single-bottom line model of a traditional for-profit enterprise.

Though it is true that business principles can be brought across “borders,” in many ways, when it comes to leadership as a whole, I am not as convinced. What I have experienced and witnessed is that the three respective sectors have very specific guiding principles and motivations. Within business, everything comes down to the bottom line (single, not plural) and maximizing profit for shareholders. In non-profit settings, it is all about serving the community and maximizing social impact for the specified beneficiary group. Within government, the focus is on serving the public benefit. If we step back and look at these motives objectively, they are polar opposites and thus impact the way that leaders in these respective fields function on a daily basis.

One interesting place where some of this is happening organically is among what are known as hybrid organizations (a term which has, in recent years, been used interchangeably with the word “social enterprise”):

“Whereas profit-seeking organizations such as corporations follow a commercial logic and together constitute a commercial sector, organizations that pursue a social mission such as non-profits follow social welfare logic and together constitute a social sector. Hybrid organizations combine aspects of both, and therefore exist between institutionally-legitimate categories of organizations.” ¹

As interest in hybrid enterprises continues to grow, the nature of the leadership that supports such organizations must be prepared for the competing motives that co-exist within such organizations. The seemingly divergent motives impact daily decisions in a way that can either cause tension or, if treated with care, create a diverse and rich learning environment.

Since that fateful moment in the accounting class, I have spent the last 12 years working within the non-profit sector to prove that all the same business principles that are taught in business schools across Canada apply to organizations of all sorts, including charities and government bodies. As of today, I can confirm that they do.

My only outstanding question is around leadership itself.

In the years to come, my aim is to dig into this further and support collaborations across sectors of all sorts by supporting the leaders themselves.

If positive societal change happens at the crossroads of non-profit, for-profit and government, as I believe it does, then we need to find ways to support current and future leaders within these spheres and to ensure that each stays open to the other.

Keeping the doors closed is no longer an option.

¹ Lee, Matthew, and Julie Battilana. « How the Zebra Got Its Stripes: Imprinting of Individuals and Hybrid Social Ventures. » Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 14-005, July 2013, p.2.

After 12 years in the non-profit sphere in Canada, Susanna Kislenko is now focused on the crossroads of the non-profit, for-profit and government sectors across the world. With degrees in both international business and politics, Susanna is convinced that the answer to our greatest societal challenges lie in supporting leaders to travel easily across the three spheres. Susanna resides in Barcelona, Spain and works between Europe and North America.

Survey findings explore how employer strategies for recruiting
younger workers differ across the country

By Mario R. Gravelle

The Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling (CERIC) is dedicated to exploring attitudes towards career development matters in Canada. CERIC commissioned Environics Research Group to survey Canadian business leaders about these issues. The 500 participants offered their opinions on approaches to recruiting, tactics which allow them to ensure their workforce has the right technical and soft skills to meet their needs, as well as the training and career management opportunities they provide. This article specifically explores some findings pertaining to young workers (under 25 years old). Here are some notable discoveries:

Obstacles to labour market participation for younger workers

Labour market data over the past five years shows that the gap in unemployment and under-employment rates of workers under 25 years old and older employees is increasing. CERIC’s survey asked senior executives what factors they believe might be causing young workers to experience trouble finding the right foothold in the labour market. An exploration of findings by respondent location (either from a rural setting, outside a major city, or from a major city) shows some consensus but also some interesting differences. As revealed in Figure #1, these three respondent groups shared the opinion that “a lack of real-world experience” as well as seemingly being “too demanding in the job they want” are leading obstacles undermining young workers. According to survey participants, “fewer entry level-jobs” is more problematic for young workers who are in a major city than those in a rural location. Conversely, respondents from a rural setting felt that “older workers staying at their jobs longer” poses a significant challenge to young workers while survey participants from a major city mentioned it seemed much less of a factor.

Q30. Which of the following do you think is the greatest reason unemployment is particularly high for young workers under the age of 25? Answers are ranked.

A few noteworthy differences and similarities also emerge when looking at the responses from participants from firms of different sizes – fewer than 10, 10-49, 50-99, 100-499 and 500+. For instance, survey respondents from the three groups under 100 employees shared the impression that being “too demanding in the job they want” is the greatest reason unemployment is particularly high for young workers. Meanwhile, it rated fourth overall for contributors from larger firms – 100-499 and 500+, suggesting that it is a greater concern for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). “A lack of networking and job search skills” was almost unanimously ranked as the least important impediment no matter the size of the firm the respondents work for. It is worth mentioning how respondents from Quebec had a different perspective on this matter compared to the rest of the country. For businesses in British Columbia, the Prairies, Ontario and Atlantic Canada, being “too demanding in the job they want” was identified as the first or second largest challenge in finding a job. In Quebec, this ranked near the bottom of impediments with a “lack of technical skills” taking the top spot.

Looking for and finding young workers

As mentioned earlier, part of the survey focused on uncovering the practices businesses use to attract young workers to vacant positions. We began this investigation by trying to understand whether attracting young workers was challenge for Canada’s businesses and the answers were as diverse as the country itself.

Geographically, respondents from Quebec and Atlantic Canada noted that they had the most difficulty attracting young workers, (67%) while those in Ontario had the least difficulty (38%). Finding young workers was mentioned as being especially problematic by participants from a rural location (64%) and least challenging for those in a major city (40%).

Business size also impacts an employer’s ability to attract a young workforce with smaller enterprises finding it more challenging that their larger counterparts to secure young workers. Among businesses with fewer than 10 employees, 31% find it very challenging to attract young workers whereas only 11% of businesses with over 100 employees feel the same way. Mid-sized organizations fall in between the two extremes with 25% of those employing 10-49 employees finding it challenging and 23% of those employers with headcounts of between 50 and 99 sharing this view.

In spite of the difficulty many employers face in recruiting young workers, few are doing much to address the issue. Only 18% of all those surveyed said they were spending a lot of effort customizing their recruitment efforts to attract the young. In Atlantic Canada where a full 67% of respondents claim the recruitment of a young workforce to be very challenging, only 9% of business say they’re putting a lot of effort into fixing the problem.

Differences and disconnects also appear by business size. Perhaps because they have more resources to use attracting young workers, 35% of those with over 500 employees claim to spend a lot of effort attracting the younger demographic. Only 15% of those with less than 10 employees make the same claim in spite of the fact this size of business says one of its biggest challenges in attracting the same younger workers.

A subsequent question asked what specific practices were used to attract young workers. As shown in Figure #2, “Online job sites/board” and “Recruiting through social media” are the top answers across regions, location and business sizes.

Q32. Which of the following is your organization doing to attract younger workers?
Answer are ranked.

It appears that “Offering unpaid internships” is much more popular in Quebec than in other parts of the country as it was ranked fourth in that province compared to near or at the bottom in the rest of Canada, though it is still a practice pursued by 24% of respondents overall. The findings by location show many commonalities aside from the fact that respondents from a rural location stated that they relied much more on “Recruiting through youth-serving agencies” than those outside a major city or from a major city (fourth ranked in the former compared to eighth rank in the latter two groups). There is also some relative cohesion in the answers by business size. A notable exception includes the fact that “Recruiting through social media” is seemingly much less prevalent for large-scale firms (it ranked fourth compared to second for all other groups). Survey participants from businesses with more than 500 employees also stood out because of how frequently they take part in job fairs.

Mario R. Gravelle is Learning & Innovation Analyst at The Counselling Foundation of Canada. He is responsible for supporting the reception of funding requests as well as managing the Foundation’s grants. Gravelle likewise supports knowledge transfer activities to promote the work accomplished by the organization’s grant recipients. He is completing his doctoral dissertation in history at York University (BA from Concordia University and MA from the University of Ottawa). The Foundation proudly supports CERIC and its programs.