The world is changing all the time. And it will continue to change in the future. But the change that is happening today is different from what it has been in the past. There are three main reasons for this: the speed of change is greater than it has been in the past, the world is connected in a way it has never been in the past, disruption is present everywhere.
The changes we see today are happening far faster than it has in the past. The effects of the changes are stronger and deeper than ever before.
Faster flow of information, money, products
Technology is progressing at an exponential pace – technological processing power is expected to double in less than 18 months. Markets are growing, there is faster flow of information, money, products. Innovations are the cornerstone of success but companies that are slow to innovate will get left behind.
Organizations have to move faster than competition in all areas if they are to grow and progress ahead of others. In earlier times, late adopters just entered the arena after others and then went with the flow of the market, but in the future of work, this will lead to them going out of business.
Connectivity is the second reason
Connectivity is the second reason why things are changing differently this time round. Previously changes had an effect on our physical world, today changes are influencing the virtual world. The internet is connecting everyone and everything. The world is becoming a much smaller place. People in remote corners of the world can access the same information that people in big cities can – all through the power of the internet. Hyper connectivity in the future of work will make work easier and more efficient.
This connectivity is creating disruption in every industry, every business. The way people work is changing, there are apps, artificial intelligence systems, robots and other devices that are performing acts that used to be the domain of humans – driverless cars, robots conducting surgical procedures, wearable technologies, 3-D printing are all turning the business of work on its head.
Making human skills obsolete
This disruption is making human skills obsolete and if people are to survive in business they need to adapt to the changing technologies and upgrade their skills and capabilities. The future of work means new products, new behaviours, new devices, new businesses and new ways of handling work.
In the older organizations, all decisions were made at the top and then passed down through the organizational hierarchy. Company policy and company culture dictated all things whether work related or not. But future of work organizations are different – employees have new attitudes, new expectations, new codes of conduct, new ways of working. Employers have to adjust to this change and modify their pattern of leadership; this will lead to the organization adapting to both the new employers and the new employee.
