In the January/February issue of HR Magazine, Josh Bersin with Deloitte, makes nine predictions of “what’s in store for HR in 2015.” Many of the nine predictions are ongoing hang-overs (pun intended) and others do have some interesting twists and are the result of a world that continues to spin ever forward on the back of technology, data, and diversity. This will be the first in a series of articles looking at each of these predictions.

Prediction One: Culture, Diversity, Engagement, and Retention

Where have we heard these issues before? Let’s begin with culture. The interesting thing about this prediction is that now culture has become the cousin of your brand. Here’s what happens…people are unhappy in your organization, they leave, driving up turnover costs. Not only that, they tell others why they were unhappy, and all of this gossip, no doubt spread by social media, says your brand is no fun to work for, and you find it difficult to lure people to sign on at your company. Current employees become overwhelmed (another later prediction) from the extra work, they become disgruntled, under produce, give poor customer service, etc., etc., etc.

The changing face of teams has been occurring for eons and managing them has sometimes come with the need for specific skills, talents, and knowledge. Even in the earliest stages of human development, when teamwork was the answer to survival itself, there were challenges. There was, no doubt, some maverick who knew a better way to slay dinner or speed up the hunt or handle the fruits of the hunters’ labor. The Roman army was an example of successful teamwork because of strong training and once again survival hinging on its success. In modern times survival and teams have taken on different meanings and faces. Who wears these faces and why is this important?