National Working Life Development Strategy’s vision is to make working life in Finland the best in Europe by 2020. Well-functioning, profitable workplaces that generate new employment are prerequisite for Finland’s future competitiveness and a good working life. The aging and shrinking of the labour force in the EU and particularly in Finland calls for new approaches in management and leadership. Organizations will need to search for ways to actively retain employees in their late prime or deal with the issue in other creative ways. Studies have shown that professional management practices improved the quality of working life and will help organizations to adjust to the inevitable aging of their labour force and enhance the competitiveness and productivity. Organizations need new management methods that take into consideration the employees’ needs in different career phases; early, middle and late career.

This publication introduces concrete tools and methods which are accepted and tested among managers and employees in order to improve the management skills and practices and functionality of the workplace communities. The themes that were highlighted in organizations were: the meaning of one’s work in relation to organizations’ strategy and goals, clarifying and visualizing one’s basic assignment in the organization, interaction and communication in different contexts, e.g. strategy processes, meetings, development discussions. Among these themes we developed six tools: visual workplace community, fourfold table feedback, make the right things, strategy in practice, communication kite and develop by discussion.

The publication is based on Regenerative Leadership -project (2011-2014). The project was executed by JAMK University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics. The project is partly funded by the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment of Central Finland and European Social Fund.