Our workforce is continually changing. So is technology. As these two factors intertwine with humanity, our work lives will become more complex requiring strong vision, leadership, and adaptability.  There are a few factors that will shape the future of work. These are namely, workforce demographics will be drastically different, hierarchy and centralization will be done, success will be more than profit, traditional education will hold less value and future leaders will be digital natives.

1. How Digital Natives Will Shape the Future of
Work
Inclusion
I recently dove deep into the future for a series called *Work: Reimagined,
analyzing the trends shaping the future of work and determining five qualities
that will be imperative for successful future leaders.
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2. But it turns out I left something out. I didn’t factor in how our future leaders will
be Digital Natives—born after the widespread adoption of digital technology.
Computers, smartphones, and the Internet are second nature to them. How will
that change things on an organizational level?
Let’s start with the four key factors I identified that will shape the future of
work:
Key Factors That Will Influence The Future of Work:
Workforce Demographics Will Be Drastically Different
There is a huge workforce demographic shift headed our way within the next
ten years. Minorities will be the new majority, 40% of the workforce will leave as
Baby Boomers retire, women are leaving the corporate world, and freelance
workers—already 53 million strong—are predicted to make up 40% of the
workforce by 2020.
Hierarchy and Centralization Will Be Gone
A structural shift will take place as well, as the future of work will be stripped of
centralization and function more like an ecosystem. Instead of a centralized
organization, we will have a holacracy, where authority and decision‐making
doesn’t travel from top to bottom. Instead, governance will come from self‐
organizing teams.
Success Will Be More Than Profit
Success metrics are also changing and profit won’t be the only thing that
matters. Workers want to find purpose in their work, and organizations will
need to have purpose‐driven values in order to attract talent and stay relevant.

3. need to have purpose‐driven values in order to attract talent and stay relevant.
Traditional Education Will Hold Less Value
And here’s a shift that might seem surprising. ﴾Ivy Leaguers—you might want to

4. skip this paragraph.﴿ In the future, a better degree won’t necessarily equal a
better job. Brick‐and‐mortar schools may not be as important as they once
were, with new access to free education via massive open online courses
﴾MOOCs﴿.
Now let’s talk about the factor that I forgot to include—all future leaders will be
digital natives. How will that change organizations in the future?
Future Leaders Will Be Digital Natives
I turned to an expert, Dionne Lew, for that answer. She is the CEO of The Social
Executive®, a consultancy advising boards and executives on social media for
business. Additionally, she is the author of The Social Executive – How to Master
Social Media and Why it’s Good for Business ﴾Wiley﴿, A Manifesto – Why Social
Media is Vital for Leaders and the eBook Relevance! How to Thrive in the Social
Era.
Her insights were excellent and I’m excited to share her answers with you here:
Future leaders will be digital natives. How
with that change organizations of the
future?
Digital won’t be special. It will be so integrated into how we operate that
we won’t even think about it – we’ll be using it at every layer of the
business.
We will demand and use data for decision‐making.
We will change strategy in real time. This will be possible due to
feedback loops directly into the community via digital communication.
We will expect information instantly. and have the skills, people and
business structures that allow us to implement quick changes.
Our brains may be remapped. Physiologically we’re geared for
homeostasis; so growing up in this environment may alter us
neurologically.
Beware of data worshiping. We should not think that having data,

5. Beware of data worshiping. We should not think that having data,
mining data and understanding data is going to predict human behavior.
Real and virtual connectivity will be truly mixed. People want hybrid
experiences. They research online and then shop in a store because they
want to be near other people. An example of fully integrated connectivity
would be sharing a meal with a family member who is a hologram
beaming in from your phone.
Thank you so much Dionne Lew for your thoughtful and informed insight!
Our workforce is continually changing. So is technology. As these two factors
intertwine with humanity, our work lives will become more complex requiring
strong vision, leadership and adaptability.
Bob Dylan sums it up well in is his song, The Times They Are A‐Changin’:
Come gather ’round people/ Wherever you roam/ And admit that the waters/
Around you have grown/ And accept it that soon/ You’ll be drenched to the
bone./ If your time to you/ Is worth savin’/ Then you better start swimmin’/ Or
you’ll sink like a stone/ For the times they are a‐changin’.
Are you ready for the changes ahead? What aspect of the future of work are you

6. ← Previous Post Next Post →
most excited about? What aspect most worries you?
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