Posts Tagged ‘Manpower, Inc’

Manpower: The Evolution of the Virtual Workforce

As part of our ongoing collaboration with Manpower, Inc., DIP developed and produced a major virtual event originated from the virtual world of Second Life and simulcast across the web to an international audience. DIP constructed a one-of-a-kind conference space for the event which culminated in the live event, the Evolution of the Virtual Workforce“. (Click here to watch an HD version of the complete event hosted on the Treet.TV archives.)

Over 250 people participated in the live discussion (a complete transcript is on The Imagination Age blog) via software that allowed viewers on the web to chat with people inside Second Life without the web viewers having to install the Second Life client.

The event featured digital work expert Don Tapscott, best-selling author of “Grown-Up Digital” and “Wikinomics.” Tapscott was joined by Manpower Inc. Chairman and CEO Jeff Joerres; Linden Lab Executive Director of Enterprise Marketing, Amanda Van Nuys; Manpower Senior Vice President for Global Workforce Strategy, Tammy Johns; Manager of e-learning Strategy and Education Solutions for IBM’s Center for Advanced Learning; Chuck Hamilton; and President of Louisiana Digital Workforce non-profit 3D Squared, Spencer Zuzolo. The event was moderated by CEO and Creative Director of Dancing Ink Productions, Rita J. King.

“Since we established our presence in Second Life two years ago, social networks have completely evolved the labor market,” said Manpower Inc. Chairman and CEO Jeff Joerres. “Now, every social network has some underlying current related to job searching or career development. We are seeing the emergence of a flexible new model for virtual work, led by entrepreneurial, tech-savvy individuals who dictate when, where and how they work. We are focused on what motivates and interests this new breed of workers, giving us the ability to create practical solutions that help our clients attract, engage and retain winning talent.”

A shorter, YouTube-friendly version of the event, written and directed by Rita J. King is below.

Also see:

Press Release: Manpower Inc. Convenes Avatar Thought Leaders in Second Life to Discuss Virtual Workforce of the Future

Archive of Manpower’s Evolution of the Virtual Workforce

Manpower Inc.: The Power of Collaboration — Manpower’s First Anniversary in Second Life

Power of Collaboration: Manpower's First Anniversary in Second Life
Power of Collaboration: Manpower’s First Anniversary in Second Life

On July 14, 2008 Dancing Ink Productions produced a major event for Fortune 500 company Manpower, Inc., called the “Power of Collaboration: Manpower’s First Anniversary in Second Life.”  The event included a report by the same name (downloadable as a PDF file here or by clicking on the above picture) exploring the influence and impact of virtual worlds, which Manpower considers to be an emerging labor market, on the world of work. (Read the Manpower, Inc. press release here.)

The event included three pieces of machinima by DIP in collaboration with machinimist  Draxtor Despres. You can watch the videoshere (12 and 3) in the order in which they were shown during today’s event.

This celebration would not have taken place without the visionary leadership of Manpower Inc. Senior Vice President Global Workforce Strategy Tammy Johns, whose thoughtfulness and expertise formed the basis of the tone of the event, which was reflective of the company’s significant global presence. Our conversations during the writing of this report were rigorous and full of energetic momentum.  Dancing Ink Productions would also like to thank Dan Darrow (Horatio Decosta in Second Life), who leads Manpower’s Second Life presence, and Jessica Qin, IBM’s Chief Virtual Architect, who first introduced Rita J. King (as her avatar Eureka Dejavu) while working on a report for IBM, “From the Fire Pit to the Forbidden City: An Outsider’s Inside Look at the Evolution of the VUC.” Jessica, at the time, was working to build Manpower Island.

Schmilsson Nilsson (avatar of Joshua S. Fouts) and Eureka Dejavu (avatar of Rita J. King) at the Manpower First Anniversary in Second Life celebration
Schmilsson Nilsson (avatar of Joshua S. Fouts) and Eureka Dejavu (avatar of Rita J. King) at the Manpower First Anniversary in Second Life celebration

The July 14, 2008 event, which celebrated Manpower’s first year in Second Life with a roundtable of thoughtful individuals including Manpower Inc. Chairman and CEO Jeff Joerres (who shone when he spontaneously took on the challenge of discussing existential issues) and Philip Rosedale in a world that he created.  Other speakers included Lynda M. Applegate, Professor, Harvard Business School, Dr. Jonathan Joseph Orr, co-founder of the Orr Institute, Dominique Turcq, President, Boostzone Institute, and Second Life’s Gentle Heron who runs an organization for people with disabilities called Virtual Ability, Inc (her Second Life efforts were profiled in “The Story of the Heron Sanctuary,” a January 2008 article in DIP’s Dispatches from the Imagination Age) .

Manpower CEO and Chairman Jeffrey A. Joerres (shown right) and Manpower Virtual World Liaison, Dan Darrow, at Manpower Island.
Manpower CEO and Chairman Jeffrey A. Joerres (shown right) and Manpower Virtual World Liaison, Dan Darrow, at Manpower Island.

The event was covered live on Second Life public affairs program Metanomics and streamed live on Second Life’s SLCN TV. An archive of the video can be found here.

Rita J. King blogged about the event on Dispatches from the Imagination Age:

One of the most difficult obstacles to overcome in the work of virtual work, it was revealed at the roundtable, is the fact that some people are sleeping while others go about their lives half a world away, and therefore cannot collaborate by dint of the fact that they are simply not conscious at the same time.

Philip Rosedale expressed an intriguing idea about a global work flow in which people will pass off work to one another. It’s an exciting idea, because it will lead to greater productivity and improved cultural understanding throughcollaborative energy, which would accelerate the rate at which difficult problems are solved. My prediction is thatanother model will be overlaid on the global work flow–people’s rhythms will change and the cycles of sleep and waking will adjust for those who find themselves collaborating on complex projects. I first heard of this phenomenon whiledocumenting IBM’s Virtual Universe Community, when scientists in multiple continents discussed their method for working together on protein folding experiments. I just experienced it myself while working with a global DIP team consisting of, among others, a Scot (Toran Cult), an Austalian (Starr Sonic), a German living in California (Draxtor Despres) and Americans from both coasts and in between. It never really felt like we were dealing with time zones, even when I counted the hours on my fingers to see when we might all be in-world again, but tonight, I’m feeling the jetlag of virtual work, even though we always met in the Metaverse.

Read more …

Press Release: Manpower Inc. Convenes Avatar Thought Leaders in Second Life to Discuss Virtual Workforce of the Future

Manpower's live Second Life event is Sept. 1, 2009 at 11am Eastern

Manpower's live Second Life event is Sept. 1, 2009 at 11am Eastern

Contact:
Marci Pelzer
+1.414.906.7670
marcelline.pelzer@manpower.com

Manpower Inc. Convenes Avatar Thought Leaders in Second Life to Discuss Virtual Workforce of the Future

Grown Up Digital” author Don Tapscott; Manpower Inc. Chairman and CEO Jeff Joerres; and Linden Lab Executive Director of Enterprise Marketing Amanda Van Nuys among expert panelists

Milwaukee, Wis., USA (1 September 2009) – Manpower Inc., a world leader in the employment services industry, will host a provocative hourlong discussion, “The Evolution of the Virtual Workforce” on Tuesday, September 1 at 11am ET in the virtual world of Second Life.

The event will feature digital work expert Don Tapscott, best-selling author of “Grown-Up Digital” and “Wikinomics.” Tapscott will be joined by Manpower Inc. Chairman and CEO Jeff Joerres; Linden Lab Executive Director of Enterprise Marketing, Amanda Van Nuys; Manpower Senior Vice President for Global Workforce Strategy, Tammy Johns; Manager of e-learning Strategy and Education Solutions for IBM’s Center for Advanced Learning; Chuck Hamilton; and President of Louisiana Digital Workforce non-profit 3D Squared, Spencer Zuzolo. The event will be moderated by CEO and Creative Director of Dancing Ink Productions, Rita J. King.

“Since we established our presence in Second Life two years ago, social networks have completely evolved the labor market,” said Manpower Inc. Chairman and CEO Jeff Joerres. “Now, every social network has some underlying current related to job searching or career development. We are seeing the emergence of a flexible new model for virtual work, led by entrepreneurial, tech-savvy individuals who dictate when, where and how they work. We are focused on what motivates and interests this new breed of workers, giving us the ability to create practical solutions that help our clients attract, engage and retain winning talent.”

Manpower’s Second Life Island is one of many virtual programs Manpower has explored to lead in the changing world of work. Through its subsidiary, Right Management, Manpower recently formalized an exclusive partnership with LinkedIn®, the professional networking website, to work with individuals to develop profiles that showcase their knowledge and expertise and provide them with specialized training, integrating LinkedIn’s functionality and networking capabilities with Right Management’s industry-leading outplacement solution – RightChoice®. And later this year, Manpower will roll out a social networking community that connects individuals to customized career development insights and invites them to proactively navigate and manage their careers.

“The discussion will focus not only on how work is changing as a result of technology, but how the workforce is changing,” said Tammy Johns, Manpower’s Senior Vice President for Global Workforce Strategy. ”By regularly convening thought leaders of this caliber, investing in innovative technology platforms, producing cutting edge thought leadership, we are helping to define work practices, providing our clients and potential candidates invaluable insight about what’s now and next in our industry.”

Don Tapscott’s book, “Grown Up Digital” focuses on a workplace evolution. He has been documenting what he calls the Net Generation since his own children, now adults in their twenties, have grown up. This generation is characterized by creativity, ability to collaborate and comfort with multitasking across digital media and even simultaneous multiple realities. Tapscott believes that their culture will come to dominate the world of work.

“As a new global culture and economy take shape, available technology and human creativity are transforming how the workforce operates,” said Rita J. King, CEO and Creative Director of Dancing Ink Productions. “This conversation, broadcast live to the internet from Second Life, will facilitate dialogue on this critical topic and illuminate best practices for the workplace at a time of metamorphosis.”

Observers from around the world are invited to take part in this event by registering for the live stream at the Dancing Ink Productions website (link: http://dancinginkproductions.com/live-events). Participants will be able to view and participate in the event both from Second Life and from the web. Those participating from the web will be able to communicate in live, real-time chat with event participants in Second Life.

About Dancing Ink Productions
Dancing Ink Productions (DIP) is a full-service creative company that develops business strategy, policy, immersive narrative and mixed media, mixed-reality content including games, conferences and cultural intelligence for a new global culture and economy in the Imagination Age. DIP works across multiple social media platforms and within virtual worlds on cost-cutting solutions to amplify creativity and innovation while bringing together geographically dispersed members of the evolving global workforce, culture and economy. For clients taking their first steps in the digital culture, DIP streamlines the experience and creates strategic plans for participation. For experienced clients, such as IBM, the American University in Cairo, Manpower Inc. and Linden Lab, we collaborate on identifying and sharing a brand’s core narrative through creative mixed-media including data visualization and documentaries. DIP works with governments and organizations to contextualize the evolving culture of the Internet, providing cultural intelligence and strategic foreign policy guidance toward and a fundamental understanding of how culture is shifting in the Internet era.

About Manpower Inc.
Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN) is a world leader in the employment services industry; creating and delivering services that enable its clients to win in the changing world of work. With over 60 years’ experience, the $22 billion company offers employers a range of services for the entire employment and business cycle including permanent, temporary and contract recruitment; employee assessment and selection; training; outplacement; outsourcing and consulting. Manpower’s worldwide network of 4,100 offices in 82 countries and territories enables the company to meet the needs of its 400,000 clients per year, including small and medium size enterprises in all industry sectors, as well as the world’s largest multinational corporations. The focus of Manpower’s work is on raising productivity through improved quality, efficiency and cost-reduction across their total workforce, enabling clients to concentrate on their core business activities. Manpower Inc. operates under five brands: Manpower, Manpower Professional, Elan, Jefferson Wells and Right Management. More information on Manpower Inc. is available at www.manpower.com.

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New “Leading Ideas” column in strategy + business

The New Leading Ideas column in strategy + business

The New Leading Ideas column in strategy + business

Rita J. King has a new column in strategy + business magazine, featured today on their website in their “Leading Ideas” section. “It’s a Virtual World” explores how major corporations are using virtual worlds to “cut costs, improve communication, and find new ways to collaborate.” It mentions the work of Manpower, IBM, and Northrop Grumman.

The Power of Collaboration: Manpower’s First Year in Second Life

Manpower's First Year in Second Life

Manpower's First Year in Second Life

As part of a major event celebrating Manpower’s first year in Second Life, Dancing Ink Productions produced the above report, “Power of Collaboration: Manpower’s First Year in Second Life.” The report explores the changing nature of work and employment in light of the continued growth of virtual worlds.

“Providing a safe place for individuals, whether they learn to fly, learn to teleport to other islands, or create avatars that don’t scream ‘newbie;’ is the next step in preparing individuals for such emerging markets – as virtual worlds,” Darrow said. “We help individuals prepare for and navigate the changing world of work; and we are working to attract a new set of candidates. We know this medium attracts tech savvy individuals and people with impressive skills in the visual arts.”

A free copy of the report is downloadable in pdf format here.

Call for Ideas: V-Biz ROI

Rita J. King, CEO and Creative Director of Dancing Ink Production is working on a new project on V-Biz ROI.  We have created a special group in our Ning community called V-Biz ROI, which we invite you to join. This discussion forum will be used as a source for an article on v-biz ROI for a major publication that Rita J. King is presently writing. She will contact you if she plans to quote you directly or needs more information. The goal is to create a lively and thoughtful discussion about the nuances and obvious boons and pitfalls of v-biz ROI. Tell us as much as you can about your own work and what you’ve discovered and ask questions. Your time and thoughtfulness are greatly appreciated.

Manpower’s First Year in Second Life

Manpower's First Year in Second Life

Manpower's First Year in Second Life

Manpower’s First Year in Second Life

Dancing Ink Productions is proud to present a new video “Manpower’s First Year in Second Life,” a new machinima about the first year anniversary event of Manpower in the virtual world of Second Life featuring Second Life founder and chairman, Philip Rosedale, Read the rest of this entry »

DIP on Metanomics: July 21, 2008, Noon Pacific/3:00PM Eastern

DIP will appear on Metanomics.net on Monday, July 21

Metanomics.net

On Monday, July 21, 2008 at Noon Pacific/3:00PM Eastern, DIP CEO and Creative Director, Rita J. King and Chief Global Strategist, Joshua S. Fouts are appearing on Second Life’s Business and Economics program,  Metanomics.net (simulcast on the web here and in Second Life — click here to teleport [SLURL]) discussing The Imagination Age, as well as recent projects including Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds.