Blog Layout

How is your work going to change over the next few years?

barbara bates • Sep 19, 2019

New forces shaping work

Here’s a really helpful book for you to think about! Especially if you are at a bit of a crossroads right now. 

It’s called ‘The Shift: the future of work is already here’, by Professor Lynda Gratton. It’s all about how work is going to be different over the next few decades and how we can use the knowledge of these trends to SHIFT into a working life that suits us. 

She identifies five forces that will shape our futures,

- Technology– powerful technology is getting cheaper and more accessible; we will become more connected and the ‘wise crowd’ will develop further; there will be far more opportunities for ‘micro-entrepreneurs’ 

- Globalisation– we have a 24/7, always on world; China, India, South America will emerge strongly as markets; urbanisation will increase 

- Demography and longevity– the Baby Boomers will soon be retired whilst Generation Y, the first to grow up with established computing; longevity will increase whilst work opportunities will change; global migration for jobs and education will increase 

- Society– family patterns will continue to change; people will think more deeply about what they really want; happiness may decline since increases in consumption beyond a certain point do not improve happiness; leisure time may increase and we will want positive ways to use it. 

- Natural resources– as energy prices increase, so transport may have to decrease; there may be more environmental catastrophes and people will have to migrate; sustainability will be an increasing necessity.

Lynda then provides a series of stories about possible futures based on this analysis – the first she refers to as ‘the dark side of the future’ and it is chilling – particularly the thought of ‘fragmentation’ of our time, when because we are ‘always on’ we never relax deeply  and do not engage fully with our lives.  However, she then goes on to imagine how we might ‘craft’ a better future, based on reflection on these five forces. 

So what can we do ? 

Lynda describes three fundamental shifts in our thinking, leading to the right changes that we will have to make.
 
- From ‘shallow generalist’ to ‘serial master’; it will no longer be useful to know a little about everything – we will need ‘deep mastery’ and competences. We might have more than one career over a lifetime, where we ‘slide or morph’ into related areas. 

- From ‘isolated competitor’ to ‘innovative connector’; building a group of people around you, based on trust, reciprocity and expertise. This will probably be mostly virtual, but we will also need a ‘regenerative community’ or real people where you can have deep relationships that sustain you. 

- From ‘voracious consumer’ to ‘impassioned producer’; we cannot continue to produce and consume more and more – we will need work that is creative and meaningful and is not based solely on the money we make. 

What do you think?  How do you envisage your work in five, ten, fifteen years?

Share by: