Three Trends Set to Revolutionize How We Work
By Adam Siegel on May 10, 2016
For decades office work has been much the same. We show up by 8 or 9am, leave in the evening, with a break for lunch. We have hierarchy and meetings. Who works on what and the conversations you have are largely dictated by what part of the organization you sit in and who you work for.
This is all rapidly changing.
At Cultivate Labs, we decided to explore the key drivers that were powering
this transformation. Here's what we found:
1. The Rise of People Analytics
According to Deloitte, more and more companies are interested in collecting and sorting through data that tells them why candidates join, what they do well in, and how well they do at particular tasks once they join an organization.
Education and work experience will always factor into employment opportunities — but they're only part of the equation. Over the next few years, organizations will continue to devote attention and resources to gathering information that can provide "insight into their return on employee investment."
Data can range from how an individual spends her days at work to what a candidate's social influence is. No matter what information organizations choose to collect, it will redefine an employee's value as an "asset" to the business. Given time, companies will start using this information to optimize how they ask people to work, what projects they work on, who they work with, and how to do the work itself.
2. The Proliferation of the 'Millennial Mindset'
By 2025, Millennials will make up the lion’s share of the workforce, accounting for upwards of 75 percent. To say they won’t have some pull in the future of work would be shortsighted.
Collaboration is high on this generation's list of necessities; 74 percent of Millennials prefer to “collaborate in small groups to generate big ideas.” Beyond collaboration, Millennials want to attach meaning to their work. This doesn’t necessarily mean they must contribute to the greater good on a daily basis; they just want to feel like they’re making a difference in the overall success of the company.
And with the gig economy in full bloom, don’t be surprised by Millennials' willingness to work on a project-by-project basis. They’ve been watching so-called “free agents” make money through shared work, and its structure is appealing to a generation that is agile in its career trajectory.
3. The Collective Power of the Internal Crowd
Rather than leaving it to their senior leadership teams to make predictions, solve problems, and generate ideas, more and more companies are turning to the crowd. We've already seen this trend play out successfully on platforms such as Kickstarter, CrowdFlower, and PredictIt. Global crowdsourcing is now a $34 billion industry.
But to fully maximize the coming workplace changes, companies need to leverage the power of their internal crowds. Who better to understand the “ground truth” than those on the ground floor?
Internal crowdsourcing is not only a way for companies to use their employees, contractors, and AI to drive the company into the future, but it's also a way for people to give their employees some "skin in the game." It's a win-win situation: Companies get more value out of their employee investment, and their people — especially Millennials — will feel more invested in the company and its mission.
Want to learn more about the future of work and how people analytics, Millennials, and crowdsourcing are acting as catalysts for change?
Download our "A Look at the Future of How We Work" whitepaper below.
