A summary of (The Future of Work) book written by Jacob Morgan.
It highlights how organizations, managers, and employees would shape the future working environment. Moreover, it compares how each one of the elements mentioned above is acting today and how it will act in the future.
Value Proposition canvas- Customer needs and pains
The Future of Work - book summary
1. THE FUTURE
OF WORK
Rethinking work amid 21st
century's warp speed
technological, industrial,
and organizational
progress.
2. Introduction
There is an undeniable and
universal shift on how we
perceive work in the 21st
century. In order to succeed
and thrive in a business
environment that is more
competitive than ever,
organizations have to be agile
and nimble. However,
organizations are "only as
good as their people", so
substantial shifts are
happening on every level of
the previously existing
hierarchy, including the very
concepts of management and
of the corporate ladder.
From new trends shaping
today's world across the board
to the ever-changing nature of
our volatile markets and
economies, radical changes
are now part of our worklife,
restructuring each atom of our
corporations, from the
organizational structure,
teams and labor division to
the traits of employees and
managers.
One of the main influences
on the future of work will be
the new millennial workforce,
which will distance itself from
the notion of a traditional
career. Instead of committing to
long-term hierarchical
organizations, millennials craft
their work time according to
personal interests and turn to
flexible work – anytime,
anywhere.
The company of tomorrow
will have to prioritize
attracting and retaining talent,
nurturing leaders, flattening
its hierarchy to non-
management and utilizing
technology in cost-effective
ways.
This report serves as a
general blueprint on how our
worklife is likely to look like in
the future - with useful advice
and hacks on how to tap in on
all the advantages and benefits
in front of us without losing the
race due to unpreparedness.
It's based on Jacob Morgan's
2014 comprehensive overview
titled The Future of Work.
3. The Five Trends Shaping the
Future of Work
G L O B A L I Z A T I O N
T E C H N O L O G Y
M I L L E N I A L S
M O B I L I T Y
N E W B E H A V I O R S
Unlike only 20 years ago, the ability to operate in a foreign country has been
significantly simplified for companies worldwide. Nowadays, multinational
companies have much weaker barriers caused by culture, infrastructure
or communication, and can acquire talent from all over the globe.
In the
1990s, we have
entered the era of
hyperglobalization.
Millenialism is not just a demographic category*; it's also a
generation that brings whole new attitudes and
expectations about work, different value systems,
and most importantly, the approach to how work
should be done and what should be prioritized
within a company.
Although home offices and remote work have already started
getting traction in the past couple of years, in the near future
this type of work will become the standard.
Working on the go will be generally accepted due to the
increased speed of our daily lives. This flexibility option
will also be important paired with the demands of the millenial workforce.
Each and every one of us was a witness of a dramatic change in our
social behavior caused by social media. Instead of keeping our private
lives private, we now share all of our personal data, work history,
opinions with our social media groups. The behavior of the future is a
behavior of sharing, collaborating and connecting.
For years, we have been witnessing miracle-like breakthroughs in technology that
absolutely re-frame the way we live and work. Next to big data, Internet of Things
(IoT),Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning, one of the
biggest impacts on how we work is definitely cloud technology
and collaboration platforms.
Cloud computing can
reduce IT labor costs by
50%.
It's estimated that
millenials will make up
about 75% of the total
US workforce by 2025.
Cisco, a multinational company
that employs around 80,000 people
worldwide classifies almost half of
their employees as remote workers.
2.82 billion people use
social networks in
2019.
*generation
born
between
1977-1997
Morgan, Jacob. 2014. The Future of Work: Attract New Talent, Build Better Leaders, and Create a Competitive Organization. Wiley. Figure 1.1. p. 2.
4. The '20s Organization
Modern concepts regarding the
organizations of tomorrow revolve
around the principle of holocracy*.
*decentralized
management style in
which authority and
decision-making are
distributed among
teams
60%
40%
By 2020 around
40% of the US
workforce will
be working as
freelancers,
temp
workers, or
contractors
Organizations will adapt
to the freelancer model by transferring
from the long-term career focus to
task and project-based environments.
Managerless companies typically have two approaches
for determining team leaders:
allowing leaders to emerge
organically through teamwork
leader selection based
on peer voting or recognition
LESS
SUPERVISION
MORE
MENTORSHIP
&
COACHING
5. Shaping Work:
PAST vs FUTURE
organizations tell
managers how to
operate
organizations change
their operations
and structure
managers
tell employees how
to work
managers change
how they lead
O R G A N I Z A T I O N
M A N A G E R
EMPLOYEE
Morgan, Jacob. 2014. The Future of Work: Attract New Talent, Build Better Leaders, and Create a Competitive Organization. Wiley. Figure 1.2. p. 20.
6. Organization of
TODAY
Organization of
TOMORROW
breaks apart under
pressures of rapid
changes
anticipates and
adapts to changes
big teams and
co-working structures
smaller teams
managers delegating,
assigning tasks
managers encouraging
self-initiatives
rigid role structures flexible roles and positions
hiring done by HR
and management
hiring administered by
employee-appointed
committees
annual performance
reviews
real-time performance
feedback and
merit-based rewards
focused on growth focused on innovation
using in-house
technology
utilizing cloud
technology
7. The Manager of the Future
DEMONSTRATES LEADER QUALITIES
Empathy & Adaptability Sacrifice for others Proactive attitude Not afraid of risk
TECH-SAVVY
In the workplaces of tomorrow, there will be no room for
technology-illiterate leaders. Managers will have to be the ones
who know the inside and out of the company’s tech in order to
maximize profit and efficacy and save where possible.
EMBRACES THE COLLECTIVE THOUGHT
The modern leader is not afraid of sharing and collaboration.
This is why the best leaders of cutting-edge companies are not
prominent as managers, but are considered to be ‘a member of
the team’.
REAL-TIME RECOGNITION AND FEEDBACK
RESPECTS BOUNDARIES
The line between our professional and private lives is
blurrier than ever, and progressive managers need to learn
how to respect employees’ personal boundaries in order to
keep satisfaction high and increase employee loyalty.
The era of the annual employee review is over.
Now, managers have the ability and the technology to provide
feedback in real time, which has proven to be immeasurably better for
evaluating performance, motivating employees and boosting morale.
8. The Manager of the Future
commands
leadership
earns
leadership
directs
and
delegates
leads
by
example
conforms
to
convention
challenges
convention
rigid
boundaries
dynamic
boundaries
9. The Employee of the Future
Prioritizes
impact
Wants
flexibility
Collaborative
LEARN + TEACH
SHAPES THEIR OWN CAREER PATH
Open and transparent information sharing
in real time enables the employees of the
future to learn or teach at will.
WORKS REMOTELY
Over 90% of employees are attracted to the prospect of being
able to have flexible hours and work location. At the same time,
organizations can save a lot through enabling remote work.
Instead of climbing up the corporate ladder to achieve higher
compensation, benefits and work satisfaction, employees will have
opportunities to carve out their own career paths through semi-
entrepreneurial ventures within their companies.
CUSTOM WORK
Employees will be able to fully customize the work
they do within their companies based on the freelance
model of picking up projects they are interested in.
10. The Importance of Employee Engagement
ENGAGED EMPLOYEE
=
someone who cares about and enjoys the work they are doing and feels
connected to the people they work with and the company they work for
The results of the 2013 Gallup study
"The State of the Global Workplace"
show:
NOT ENGAGED
63%
ACTIVELY DISENGAGED
24%
ENGAGED
13%
impact of employee engagement on the bottom line:
0 10 20 30 40 50
CUSTOMER METRICS
PRODUCTIVITY
PROFITABILITY
DECREASE IN TURNOVER
10%
21%
22%
25%
11. The Employee of the Future
works 9-5
works
anytime
focused
on
input
focused
on
output
predefined
work
customized
work
hoards
information
shares
information
knowledge-
focused
learning-
focused
no voice
can
become
a
leader
12. Adapting to the Future of Work
rethinking
work
Creating a
future-oriented
team
Defining your
future of
work
Sharing your
visions of
the future
Experimenting
&
testing
Implementing
the change
2
3
4
5
6
1
question the
conventional practices
and ways of doing
things within the
organization
organize a dedicated
team to understand
what steps to take
to adapt to the
future of work
define what the
concepts 'work',
'employee', 'manager'
and 'organization'
mean in your company
make your vision for
the future of work
public, transparent,
easy and relatable
test things out to see
what works in various
parts of the organization
before making broad-based
change
plan and commit to
changes that will
be made across the
entire organization
Morgan, Jacob. 2014. The Future of Work: Attract New Talent, Build Better Leaders, and Create a Competitive Organization. Wiley. Figure 11.1. p. 204