Where are organizations headed in the future? How will businesses, as employers and strategic players in economies and business ecosystems, thrive in a competitive marketplace? What will the future of work look like? 

These are just some of the questions that entrepreneurs and HR professionals need to consider over the next 10 to 20 years because we are likely to see many changes and need to be as best prepared as possible. 

In order to be prepared though, you need answers. And we’re here to provide them. In our upcoming webinar on April 20, 2023, business owners, entrepreneurs, and HR professionals will be able to hear it from the best. 

We’ve lined up three fantastic speakers to talk you through what you can expect. And to give you a taste of what’s to come, we’ve prepared this blog article, which covers some of the most important topics that we will need to focus on in the future.

What are the main forces that are driving change in the world of work? 

From the very outset, we have to acknowledge that the way in which work is being carried out is not static and that it is constantly changing. However, there are some forces at play that are going to lead to further changes and organizations can either be prepared for these or fall behind and lose out. This is why we’ve identified five forces that are driving change in the world of work and its future. Here is a brief outline of these forces:

1. We are likely to see reconfigurations in organizations and societies. There is likely to be a greater shift toward organizational transparency and greater levels of flexibility. Power redistribution is also more likely to occur and traditional hierarchies will be a thing of the past as they are replaced by more collective, decentralized decision-making. 
2. We are more likely to see greater diversity in the world of work as well as a greater emphasis on equality. This, for example, means that more women will not only enter the workforce but take on leadership positions. The same is true for minority groups who are likely to become talent majorities. 
3. Interconnectivity will shrink borders even further. This will have the potential to redefine careers as better mobility of workforces and talent improves and the virtual nature of work means better and faster communication across different time zones and different countries. 
4. We have to welcome with open arms the introduction of changes in technology or risk losing out at our peril. This means incorporating robots, artificial intelligence, and other tech advances so that we can streamline our work and make it more efficient. It’s a way for businesses to reinvent themselves as they engage in automation alongside their human workforce. 
5. The final force is the collaboration between humans and our automated counterparts. While there are fears that tech will replace many jobs and there are predictions that some of the future’s jobs have not yet been invented, people must be willing to work with tech to help advance organizational goals. The aim of this is to optimize workflows as opposed to stifling production. 

What sort of organizations are going to develop?

Because of these major forces driving and shaping change in terms of the world of work, organizations are necessarily going to redefine themselves as well. Global consulting firm PWC, for example, has created a “map” of what the future workplaces will look like. This map is based on the model called “The Four Worlds of Work”. Here’s a brief summary of what they are

• The Red World: in this world, innovation not only thrives but rules as well. If you are thinking of places like Silicon Valley, then you’re on the right track. Winning ideas that solve people’s challenges will emerge faster than ever before, even though this is going to lead to increased competition with a focus on the forces of individualism.

• The Blue World: this world is defined as an extension of the current status quo where corporate is king. Big companies will continue to get bigger and efforts related to corporate social responsibility are likely to remain the same. Protecting one’s profit margins will be an important aspect. When it comes to workers, remaining relevant in terms of up- and re-skilling will be crucial.

• The Yellow World: the yellow world is predicted to see organizations placing a much stronger emphasis on people, fairness, and the social good. Workers are likely to choose those organizations that place more emphasis on doing good and which have a strong social and ethical record. 

• The Green World: finally, we have the green world as a future scenario where organizations and companies have a powerful social and environmental conscience. This means not only caring for employees but for the world at large. It also means support for local communities and possible collaborations with other organizations. 

Strategizing for the future of work

Whether you are an entrepreneur, a business owner, or an HR professional, being aware of these driving forces and predictions will be crucial to your own organization’s future growth. The decisions you make for your organization today will define your success in the future. 

But do you have a strategy in place to ensure you lay a strong foundation for your business now to reap the rewards later? If not, here are a couple of tips for how to strategize going forward. 

The process involves three phases with a few steps involved in each phase. Let’s take a closer look:

Phase 1: Trends analysis

As the first phase of preparing for the future of work, organizations must study current trends. This means carefully studying what the current status quo is to later help you extrapolate this data and make predictions for the future. This latter part is called the trends interpretation step, which follows trend identification. The final step involves prioritizing trends that are relevant to your organization.

Phase 2: Scenario creation

Once trends have been analyzed and prioritized in order of importance, it’s also relevant to create different scenarios for your business in the event that each of these identified trends comes to fruition. Once these scenarios are created, it’s important to test them. This will help you determine which scenario is favorable to your organization and which one is not. And consequently, this can help you plan for unwanted situations better. 

Phase 3: Strategic planning

This last phase involves developing a strategic plan that helps you identify future initiatives and enables you to respond better to shifts in trends. This necessarily involves designing organizational programs to help you deal with different scenarios (both best and worst case) and implementing indicators that will help you measure your progress. 

Looking to the future: what can we expect?

Even though it’s impossible to predict the future of work with 100% certainty, we can certainly try to get as close to that as possible. And one of the best ways to do this is to join our webinar on April 20, 2023, where three brilliant speakers will take center stage and help you navigate the complexities of talent, business expansion, growth, and the future of work.