1. Problem Statement: How might we create opportunities for recent
grads (and new hires) to connect with more experienced colleagues?
Elaine Matthias
12 Aug 2013

2. Problem Statement: How might we create opportunities for recent
grads (and new hires) to connect with more experienced colleagues?
Elaine Matthias
12 Aug 2013

3. Problem Statement: How might we create opportunities for recent
grads (and new hires) to connect with more experienced colleagues?
Volunteer opportunities
Onboarding
Indoor Playground
Promotions
Scanvanger Hunt
Games & Gaming
Structured office events -> inter-dept. lunches
Task Forces- solve office problems with groups of people you do not
normally work with
Embrace "newbies" - use younger generations to teach older bosses
tech tricks and shortcuts
Twitter Conversations - Tweet your boss
Travel to conferences
White Boards & Stickies everywhere
Moveable workspace - breaks down - habit/habitat
Group planning/group meeting
Alcohol
Meeups
Mentor led growth
Culture of sharing - group meetings
Anyone can present on anything whenever they want
Informal lunch meetings
Senior says stand in for me for a day
Team goals, not individual goals - not role related, but task relates
Embrace Zen mind - benefits of a beginner's mindset
Share office clean up responsibilities
lots of communal space
Architecturally oriented "bullpen mindset" - no one is special, no silos
late mornings, late nights
Book group
Reverse Roles
Work outside of the office
Allow recent grads access to financials, contracts and decision making resources
Keep office small, everyone is responsible for business success
User centered, not boss centered
Completely new structure of responsibilities
Lean is everything - > Speed over bureaucracy
Renaissance, not specialists
T-shaped smarts
Cross-disciplinary roles - problems have shifted
new problems require new types of problem solvers
Problem solving is not about who is solving the problem
New rules
Timeless wisdom
Embrace wisdom
Elaine Matthias
12 Aug 2013

4. Problem Statement: How might we create opportunities for recent
grads (and new hires) to connect with more experienced colleagues?
Idea #2: Allow recent grads access to financials, contracts and decision making resources
Giving new hires access to important business information is critical to convincing them to invest
their energy in the company - it provides a sense of accountability and ownership, while also
educating him/her about the give and take of limited resources. There is no Oz behind the current
pulling levers that make the money pour in. The message is “Your actions, every day, influence this
company’s ability to do business”
However, it also requires a level of trust in less experienced associates - that he/she can
contextualize the information and use their access to these resources without compromising the
company’s positioning. It’s also hard to relinquish the power that comes with “being in the know”.
Idea #3: late mornings, late nights
LOVE. If only I could come in at noon and leave at 9pm. My days would be so much more
invigorating and evenings with my colleagues would create a fun, loopy and energized
atmosphere just by virtue of being untraditional.
Idea #1: Structured office events -> inter-dept. lunches
This idea is the most practical of the group for a couple of reasons. First, most everyone eats
lunch and, if sponsored by the company, your colleagues are unlikely to turn down a free lunch.
Second, It’s time-honored tale: get everyone together at the table, over food, and you will increase
the likelihood of conversation. Third, It’s easy to implement, with little time commitment or
structural upheaval. Give it a theme, a little structure, and it’s a very cost-effective way to generate
conversation.
Elaine Matthias
12 Aug 2013