THE
While each driver can be defined and explained as a single entity, it’s important to understand how these drivers converge to create change and opportunities related to the future of work.
DRIVERS
POWER
DYNAMICS
DEEP
COALITIONS
SOCIAL
ALTERATIONS
WEALTH
CREATION
TECHNOLOGY
ACCELERATIONS
Power Dynamics
The balance of societal, economic, and individual power is diffusing from traditional entities (or systems) to new entities (or systems). This shift transcends traditional boundaries, models, frameworks, and policies that have governed organizational norms for decades. Changes in power dynamics are inciting new opportunities for some, while causing others to redefine their role to remain relevant.
Deep Coalitions
Models, structures, and definitions that once provided order are colliding, causing confusion and conflict. Traditional definitions and boundaries are changing and organizations must find new ways to jointly cooperate with stakeholders in a way that is seamlessly integrated into the larger ecosystem.
Social Alterations
Increasingly longer lifespans and diverse generations with changing attitudes, expectations, and priorities will redefine value systems. Perceptions, values, and attitudes drive investor, customer, and employee behavior. These changes will have a direct influence on how an organization engages with its stakeholders to achieve a shared purpose.
Wealth Creation
As the structure and pace of work changes, the very nature of how individuals generate, capture, earn, and perceive value is changing. Models of wealth creation must adapt to meet these new types of wealth, requiring employers to reconsider and redefine the ways that they attract and retain top talent.
Technology Accelerations
Accelerating technological advances and the maturation of human-machine teaming will disrupt current business models, operational concepts, and organizing constructs. Employers must reconsider how they develop and engage workers and how they incentivize and facilitate innovation.
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section MENU
Introduction
The Drivers
The Shocks
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Conclusion
The convergence of drivers result in “shocks” that disorient individuals and organizations.
BRAIN DRAIN
A CLEAR(ED) PARADOX
Transdisciplinarity
Accredited Credibility
Gig Science
Rules of Engagement
Brain Drain
The majority of the world’s top talent will not reside in the U.S. by 2030. K-12 academic performance in STEM continues to slip in global rankings. International students pursue American graduate degrees only to leave the country for opportunities outside the U.S. where the rate of R&D spending is increasing.
The Talent Exportation Effect
Protecting IP in a Knowledge Economy
A Clear(ed) Paradox
Open innovation cycles that inspire new ideas are of greater value than protecting intellectual property (IP) and proprietary technology. While protecting trade secrets remains vital, establishing robust open innovation ecosystems that span the globe will be even more so.
The Future of STEM and Liberal Arts
Transdisciplinarity
Organizations utilize transdisciplinarity to integrate functional expertise with “big-picture” conceptual reasoning. The increasing involvement of a liberal arts workforce disrupts previous models of scientific silos. Projects are organized to foster interaction between technical and conceptual thinking at all levels.
The New Worker in an Era of Continuous Reskilling
Accredited Credibility
The rise of micro-credentialing will place more value on the ability to quickly learn and apply new skills. Top candidates are those generalists with agile mindsets who will seek subject-specific, fast-paced certifications to respond to dynamic market challenges.
New Expectations for Employee Engagment
Rules of Engagement
Engagement is not one size fits all. Employees expect employers to understand individual needs, motivators, and career ambitions, and to provide the space for a customer career trajectory. Work environments should be flexible to accommodate different arrangements and offer the promise of reward from hard work.
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Introduction
The Drivers
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The Freelance Effect
Gig Science
The majority of talent an organization recruits and needs access to will not seek permanent or long-term employment, but rather short-term assignments that last from a few months to a year, with the freedom to “roll in” and “roll out” of the assignment.
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Conclusion