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3 Ways to Prepare for the Future of Work

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Summary

This article discusses the three areas of concern when preparing for the future of work: the future of workers, the future of working, and the future of work itself. The authors provide insight on how leaders can address these challenges through collective leadership, expanding collective insight, and containing emotional uncertainty. They emphasize that the future of work is within us and our organizations, and that we can help shape it by confronting and addressing these challenges.

Q&As

What are the three important areas of concern for the future of work?
The three important areas of concern for the future of work are the future of workers, the future of working, and the future of work itself.

What challenges arise from the future of workers?
Challenges arising from the future of workers include questioning the role of work in their lives, demanding more from the organizations they work for, and bringing more of their “whole selves” to work.

How have working practices been changed by the pandemic?
Working practices have been changed by the pandemic through the shift to hybrid, remote, and flexible working, and digitalization and the rapidly growing capabilities of AI.

What measures can leaders take to address the challenges of the future of work?
Measures leaders can take to address the challenges of the future of work include leading collectively through uncertainty, expanding collective insight, and containing emotional uncertainty.

How can leaders foster collective leadership and contain emotional uncertainty in their organizations?
Leaders can foster collective leadership and contain emotional uncertainty in their organizations by reaching out across their organization to instigate and sustain leadership initiatives, creating emotional guard rails, and reminding employees of the best aspects of their organization’s past.

AI Comments

👍 This article does a great job of outlining the challenges of the future of work and providing suggestions for how leaders can best prepare for them.

👎 This article glosses over the complexities of the future of work and fails to provide concrete solutions for how to navigate them.

AI Discussion

Me: It's about the implications of the future of work and how leaders can prepare for it. It talks about the three areas of concern, which are the "who," the "what" and the "why" of work.

Friend: That's really interesting. What are the implications of this article?

Me: Well, it emphasizes the importance of collective leadership and expanding collective insight. Leaders need to work together with their colleagues at all levels of the organization to address the challenges of the future of work. It also talks about the need to contain emotional uncertainty while still providing employees with autonomy and opportunities to pursue their passions. Finally, it stresses the importance of recognizing our role in the complex system and noting how workers, working and work itself are intertwined.

Action items

Create a collective leadership team to address the challenges of the future of work.
Reach out across the organization to bring together multiple stakeholders with competing interests to generate a broad set of insights.
Balance individual autonomy with organizational control to create emotional guard rails and reaffirm the collective identity of the organization.

Technical terms

Organizational Change: The process of making changes to the structure, processes, and/or culture of an organization.
Hybrid Work: A type of work arrangement that combines elements of remote and in-office work.
Digitalization: The process of converting information into digital form.
Automation: The use of technology to automate processes and tasks.
AI: Artificial Intelligence, a type of technology that enables machines to learn from data and make decisions.
Macro Socio-Economic Realities: Large-scale economic and social trends that affect the way people work.
Collective Leadership: A type of leadership that involves multiple stakeholders working together to address complex challenges.
Autonomy: The ability to make decisions independently.
Ambiguity: Uncertainty or lack of clarity.