In the second part of our look into the New Ways Of Working Report we look at how the everyday activities that we once thought were locked in and normalised; are changing.
Workplaces are increasingly changing and becoming more engaged with programs that have a direct positive impact on their employees. While productivity is the destination, organisations are realising that there are many paths to get there.
As the Institute of Employment Studies states: “L&D activities are not seen as purely remedial for fixing people’s weaknesses but [need to be] regarded as an integral part of people’s ongoing growth and contribution”.
Cisco’s Transitioning to Workforce 2020 found that future workers will no longer be satisfied by an annual conversation about their performance. Increasingly social media is creating an instant-response culture and this is being highlighted within organisations. Real-time feedback will the norm. Staff will expect feedback to be a two-way process: employees won’t just receive feedback, they’ll give it too.
Brands are also starting to review how they lead their teams; identifying that one set style of leadership won’t be enough for leaders of the future to meet global challenges. Instead, they’ll need to adopt a range of perspectives – across private, public and not-for-profit sectors – as organisations become to adopt hybrid structures.
Decisions will be informed as much by the environment as the bottom line, as sustainability becomes more important. Making the best of finite resources will mean a different approach to competition too. Increasingly future leaders will encourage their teams to collaborate with other organisations to share information and knowledge.
Technology in the automated and additive manufacturing processes – like 3D printing or artificially intelligent machines that think, hear, speak and write – will disrupt traditional human roles, from the shop floor to the boardroom. The everyday jobs we know now, are changing quickly.
Despite the challenges of this digital technology revolution, forward-thinking organisations have a huge opportunity. Innovation will become the norm. Agile companies will succeed. Companies will solve problems quickly and employ multitalented global teams to make people’s lives better.
