Bosses who hoard knowledge instead of sharing it and managers who think communication is a one-way street are being warned they are the relics of a bygone era.

Former ninemsn chief executive officer and former Microsoft Australia vice-president Steven Vamos says technology is driving workplace change at an unprecedented pace and a new generation of workers is demanding to be involved rather than controlled.

Now president of the Society for Knowledge Economics, he says there are several messages employers, managers and business owners need to know if they want to be successful.

Be a people person

Managers in 2010 need to be better with people than ever before.

Mr Vamos says when managers develop and support staff, greater innovation, efficiency and productivity follow.

Include and engage

The old way of telling staff what to do doesn’t work anymore.

“The example that most Gen-Xs experience is that hierarchy meant the boss had all the power and the answers, that mistakes were bad and communication was about telling people what to do,” he says.

Get with the times

Much of what still drives organisations was established in the industrial era but the role of leaders has shifted.

“It’s not about you as a leader. It’s about others, about how to support and help and develop staff to be the best they can be,” Mr Vamos says.

You’re never too busy

Many managers think they’re too busy to hold meetings and end up taking on much of the workload and associated stress.

He says the manager’s job is to make people as effective as possible, so they are not under so much pressure.

Article from The Advertiser, June, 2010.