The Future Workplace [INFOGRAPHIC]

The Future Workplace: The Future Of Work

The prevalence of this topic – the Future Workplace – in today’s business narrative is reaching epic proportions. The factors to consider are many: workforce composition, technology, change management, learning and development, and operational style, to name a few.

And there are themes or key ‘principles’ which you can follow to ensure your business and your workforce are ready to thrive in the technology driven, future of work. The potential impact of these principles is cumulative: none work in isolation.

If you haven’t already, it’s time to start thinking about the strategic shift your business will need to make, to make it in the future.

THE 14 PRINCIPLES

1. GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION OF WORKFORCE

Smaller teams, across the globe. Workers no longer need to located in close proximity to the corporate HQ.

2. CONNECTIVITY

With global talent distribution comes the need for better connectivity. Collaborative technologies become the core of an organisation’s operations.

3. INTRAPRENEURSHIP

That drive, purpose, creativity & freedom of thinking typical of the entrepreneur, applied within the organisation. Worker empowerment is key.

IDEA: Establishing shared values across teams, and cultural alignment to worker ideals will be critical…

4. OPERATES LIKE A SMALL BUSINESS

A more agile & adaptable environment is key. Like a small business, decisions will be made quickly, and bureaucracy will not prevail.

5. ‘WANT’ OVER ‘NEED’

Worker’s attitudinal shift towards their career is already here. The future will see top talent choosing alternatives to traditional employment. Places they WANT to work. Not necessarily NEED to work.

6. FASTER CHANGE ADOPTION

Rather than waiting to see how other organisations make change, the future will require faster decision making and efficient change adaptation. The biggest play isn’t just technology, it’s corprate behaviours as well.

7. INNOVATION ANYWHERE

The ‘big ideas’ in a business, those that materialise, are innovation. And they’re not coming solely from management. They’re from across the business, and outside of it. And the organisation empowers those to ‘run with it’.

IDEA: Organise for speed, agility, adaptability and collaboration…

8. BUSINESS IN THE CLOUD

On-premise technology will quickly become a thing of the past. The future organisation will run completely in the cloud.

9. WOMEN IN MANAGEMENT

Women are under-represented in business today, but not in the  future workplace. Currently, there’s a gap in business learnings from what will soon be more than 50% of the world’s population.

10. FLAT BUSINESS STRUCTURE

With more intrapreneurship and collaboration, less hierarchy, bureaucracy and red tape. Information will flow not just top-down, but bottom-up and side-to-side.

11. TELL STORIES

Stories are key for selling to customers. And internal story-telling will enable alignment of business with worker values. People want meaning in their work life. So give them authenticity about where the business has come from & where it’s going to.

12. DEMOCRATISE LEARNING

Workforce learning will be key. But not the linear, classroom style learning of today. Collaborative technologies will facilitate learning delivered by anyone in the organisation. Again, empowerment of workers is at play.

13. PROSPERITY OVER PROFIT

Other measures of success, beyond financial success – prosperity. So.. values based activity like community involvement, worker health & wellness, charitable contributions. Making a positive impact on the world.

14. ADAPTS TO FUTURE WORKERS AND MANAGERS

This point plays a role in all 14 on this list. The business needs to adapt to the shifts in how workers deliver their work, and how managers lead.

SOURCES:

The Future Organisation:
bit.ly/FutureOrgCXCBlog

Deloitte:
bit.ly/FutureOrgCXCBlog2

McKinsey:
mck.co/FutureOrgCXCBlog3