…in the new world
of work? Well, not very much is new new. But if you add up all the factors that
have entered into the equation in recent years decades, I'd humbly argue that work
needs to be rethought – again. Consider among other things:
- sustainability
- financial turbulence
- climate change
- networks
- communication technology
- globalization
- oil prices
- over-population
- poverty
- consumerism
- individualism
My experience is
that organizations factor these things in one at a time, but seldom as a whole.
And that is more or less my whole point – work needs to be re-thought from the
perspective of the whole, not from any separate part.
Man has always
worked. Work has put us where we are – for good and for worse. In the light of
environmental degradation, increasing inequalities and financial unrest calls
are heard for new priorities in human enterprise. If we want to change where we
are, we need to change work. And that, in turn, starts with challenging the
prevailing ideas and mental models behind work.
//jan