The Changing World of Work

I spoke a bit about the changing complexion of the workplace in an online article on bMighty.com that was highlighted in a previous blog entry.  The larger sense of connectedness that we are all experiencing as the network emerges as the platform is literally transforming the components of the personal/corporate/social equilibrium.

In his book, The Future of Work, Tom Malone speaks to the drastic changes that are likely to effect the workplace of the future as the democratisation of information opens up new, market-based opportunities for individuals to contribute to organisations and more distributed decision making begins to take hold.  Despite the potential for some disruptive transformation, the overall message is positive — workers in the future are likely to be much more participative in shaping business processes.

Now, a recent report by the Chartered Management Institute entitled Management Futures - The World in 2018 describes some colorful scenarios that we might see 10 years in the future.  Some of these results were covered in an article in the Guardian:

The institute put findings from the report to more than 1,000 senior executives. It found 74% expected “virtual teams of employees”, working at a distance from each other, to become the norm by 2018.

About 64% thought talented people would become “multi-employed,” 59% said job hopping would be commonplace and 56% said most routine tasks would be automated.

Two-thirds of the executives expected global corporations to exert more influence than governments. Almost as many forecast an increase in customer participation in business decisions and the creation of products with longer life cycles to meet environmental concerns.

The report recognises the need for employees and employers to come to terms with the realities of a world under pressure for scarce resources, an aging population and the increasing visibility of their actions.  Changes in lifestyle, work habits and even the nature of employment itself is likely to evolve radically.

Clearly we’re in for a world of changes.  What opportunities are you looking forward to seeing and what are you most concerned about?

Roger W. Farnsworth

Tags: aging population, Chartered Management Institute, executive thought leadership, Guardian, management futures, Social Capital, The Future of Work, Tom Malone, virtual teams, work life balance, workplace