Humanity Works summary

Imagine a factory at the turn of the nineteenth century, and you’ll probably picture a massive room where hundreds of workers toil at assembly lines. Such large-scale production was made possible by the invention of steam power and other technologies, which transformed nearly every industry. Today, a similar revolution is taking place, and new innovations are shaking up how work is done.

So, what comes after the industrial revolution of the nineteenth century and the information revolution of the twentieth century? According to experts such as the Boston Consulting Group, we’re on the cusp of a revolution called Industry 4.0. Just as the steam engine vastly expanded our control over physical power, the new technologies of Industry 4.0 are greatly augmenting our mental powers, opening up new possibilities for manufacturing and management.

In yesterday’s law firm, preparing for a case required a team of lawyers and paralegals to spend hundreds, sometimes thousands, of hours poring over legal briefings and other documents. Today, a well-honed algorithm can process the same amount of information in a fraction of the time and still identify relevant patterns and insights. Given this massive change, it may seem that lawyers should start looking for a new career. 

And the legal field isn’t the only sector that has begun to automate many traditional professional skills. Nearly every industry is taking advantage of new automation technology. For example, more than half of US doctors use specialized software to screen drug interactions. Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, the consulting firm Deloitte replaced the work of 250 tax experts with one finely-tuned automatic tax-preparation system. 

What constitutes a typical office job? A nine-to-five schedule, a beige cubicle and maybe a watercooler to gather around before hitting happy hour? These elements have been so common that they’ve become clichés for comic strips and sitcoms. But, as industries continue to adapt, the expected contours of the workplace will transform as well.

One major change might be that your office will no longer be your office. While companies such as Apple and Facebook spend billions on exclusive campuses, others are opting for a coworking model where many different types of workers, sometimes from different industries, share a common working space. Once a popular option for freelancers and entrepreneurs, this model is growing in popularity with many lean companies as well. In the past few years, the number of coworking spaces, such as WeWork, has risen 700 percent worldwide.  

Today, you can hire an Uber to drive you into town, a worker from FreshDirect to deliver your groceries, and even have someone from TaskRabbit come walk your dog. These are some of the most visible examples of work in the “gig economy.” But that’s just the tip of the iceberg – work using new, flexible labor arrangements is becoming more commonplace across many sectors.

So, what is the gig economy, exactly? This term usually refers to the growing number of industries organized around a contract workforce. That is, workers hired on a non-permanent, flexible basis – think independent contractors, freelancers and consultants. According to a study from the online employment broker Career Builder, these types of labor arrangements have more than doubled in the past decade, accounting for nearly 16 percent of all work in 2015.

The traditional career trajectory follows a linear path. After all, the metaphorical corporate ladder only offers two paths forward – up or down. However, companies preparing for the future of work are turning this ladder on its side, allowing employees to explore new paths and develop a wider set of skills. This is the world of career customization. 

And why are these companies increasingly enabling customized careers? The short answer is simply to retain workers. 

Let’s say you have to decide between two job offers. The first comes with a great salary, but the company is known to be stressful and disorganized. The second pays less, but everyone is happy, respectful and satisfied at work. The choice is easy, right? When it comes to the workplace of the future, culture counts.

If twenty-first-century companies want to attract the best talent, they must increasingly foster a culture that meets the personal and psychological needs of their employees. This is easier said than done. According to Deloitte, only 19 percent of HR managers think their company is getting it right. That means a full 80 percent of companies may not have the ideal company culture.

Looking around a contemporary office, it’s clear that younger generations are already changing workplace norms, right down to fashion. It’s out with the three-piece suits and in with hoodies and jeans. But it doesn’t stop there. These young workers are also transforming the nature of professional leadership.

As mentioned earlier, Millennials – those born between 1980 and 1995 – are becoming the majority of the workforce, and that includes taking up management positions. Importantly, they’re bringing with them a completely different approach to leadership. This is shown in a recent survey of 1,200 Millennial workers. It found that this generation favors a workplace that is flatter, less-hierarchical and more focused on collaboration.

“What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” is a flashy catchphrase for a tourist city. The same logic doesn’t apply to the modern workplace. In the twenty-first century, what happens at a company doesn’t stay at a company – it often becomes a headline. The truth is, the importance of managing your organization's reputation and brand will only grow in the modern era.

While branding used to be about informing consumers about specific products, today it has a larger, more nuanced role. A company’s brand is about communicating its vision, purpose and values to both consumers and potential employees. Thanks to social media, this communication is often a two-way dialogue. Given this new dynamic, organizations must develop a new set of skills and practices to disseminate their message effectively. This includes using media channels to target different audiences and choosing the right metrics to measure a message’s success.