fortune favors the prepared...

La doctora Dana Ardi, reflexiona sobre cómo será el trabajo en las empresas y organizaciones del futuro. Nos propone olvidar todo lo relacionado con el trabajo tal y como lo hemos conocido hasta ahora, para hacer algunas predicciones sobre lo que será valorado en los puestos de trabajo de los próximos años. Sin embargo, algunas de las predicciones están siendo ya adoptadas por empresas y organizaciones para aumentar la productividad, la eficiencia y el bienestar de los trabajadores. Son interesantes los puntos relativos a la necesidad de crear entornos en los que sea fácil establecer alianzas y colaboraciones, así como la importancia de que cada uno de los trabajadores de una organización se convierta en emprendedor.

Sin embargo, hay un aspecto clave que ya adelantaron otros profesores como Luis Huete o Álvaro González Alorda y que pone el acento en la necesidad de especializarse. Por eso, cada vez más las organizaciones disponen recursos para mantener la especialización del personal y las personas se preocupan cada vez más de mantener un alto nivel de especialización en su área, que les permita seguir siendo competitivos en un entorno cada vez más global.

Gone are the days when decisions were made from the top down and when all anyone was expected to do was simply “their job.” As a Corporate Anthropologist, I study the cultures of organizations--how they evolve and intersect with what’s happening right now, and how the people in them influence and shape their communities.

THE TALENT POOL WILL GROW

As the use of robotics and automation technology increase, humans will no longer be asked to perform rote tasks. That means the nature of jobs will change. Greater connectivity means we will have greater access to talent literally all over the planet.

A new form of labor pool and market where individuals, project teams, or even entrepreneurial companies (that are really just teams of teams) from all over the world will bid on high-value tasks and opportunities. This new dynamic will not only increase the efficiency of organizations, it will also change the notion of what “managing” means. It will also create competitive pressures for organizations to embrace global languages and cultural awareness as a way to appeal to the most talented workers.

COLLABORATION WILL BE THE NORM

The type of company--and people--that will thrive in this new environment will embrace collaboration and teamwork. I call them the Betas. The old-fashioned Alpha way of doing business--top-down, command-and-control--will no longer be viable.

As Alpha methods die out, employers will be looking for innovators, technologists, and big thinkers. Data managers will remain in high demand as will people with the skills to manage a diverse workforce.

A RISE IN “LIMITED CONTRACTS”

As we move into a craftsman and service economy, people will work for organizations for two to four years with incentives built in to compensate them for the level of impact they bring to the organization.

SPECIALIZATION WILL BE EVEN MORE ESSENTIAL

The flatter and more networked the workplace becomes, the more essential it will be for people to continually build their skillset and maintain a level of specialization that enables them to stand out in a crowd of talent.

SOCIAL NETWORKS BECOME A WAY TO PARTNER

Workers at all levels will need to market themselves through their social networks, forming partnerships and gaining influence by striking deals based on their deep skill specialization.

EVERYONE WILL BECOME AN ENTREPRENEUR

People will work for and with many clients and partners simultaneously. At the same time, individuals will have greater control over the kind of work they tackle and how they are compensated.

INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTION, NOT PAY GRADE, WILL BE REWARDED

With a more peer-to-peer network in place, individuals stand to reap greater rewards than in the more inefficient hierarchical systems of the past where those at the top of the pyramid paid themselves first. Rewards will be tied to the value of an individual’s contribution and not to any artificial title.

The future of work will be different than it is today and, as the old adage says, fortune favors the prepared.

--Dana Ardi, Ph.D. is the founder of Corporate Anthropology Advisors and the author of The Fall of the Alphas: The New Beta Way to Connect, Collaborate, Influence--And Lead.