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The re-working of "work"


Global connectivity, smart machines, and new media are just some of the drivers reshaping how we think about work, what constitutes work, and the skills we will need to be productive contributors in the future.  Rather than focusing on future jobs, we need to look closely at future work skills—proficiencies and abilities required across different jobs and work settings.



Six drivers of change

But first it is important to stop and think about drivers—big disruptive shifts that are likely to reshape the future landscape. Although each driver in itself is important when thinking about the future, it is a confluence of several drivers working together that produces true disruptions. We chose the six drivers that emerged from the research as the most important and relevant to future work skills.

1. extreme longevity: Increasing global lifespans change the nature of careers and learning

Aging individuals will increasingly demand opportunities, products, and medical services to accommodate more healthy and active senior years. As we move toward to a world of healthier lifestyles and holistic approaches to what we eat, how we work, and where we live, much of daily life—and the global economy as a whole—will be viewed through the lens of health.

2.rise of smart machines and systems: Workplace automation nudges human workers out of rote, repetitive tasksThe real power in robotics technologies lies in their ability to augment and extend our own capabilities. We will be entering into a new kind of partnership with machines that will build on our mutual strengths, resulting in a new level of human-machine collaboration and codependence.  

3. computational world Massive increases in sensors and processing power make the world a programmable system.  Our work and personal lives will increasingly demand abilities to interact with data, see patterns in data, make data-based decisions, and use data to design for desired outcomes.

4.new media ecology New communication tools require new media literacies beyond text. . New media is enabling new ways for groups to come together and collaborate, bringing in new levels of transparency to our work and personal lives. At the same time, our sensibility toward reality and truth is likely to be radically altered by the new media ecology. We must learn to approach content with more skepticism and the realization that what you see today may be different tomorrow.

5.superstructed organizations Social technologies drive new forms of production and value creation. A new generation of organizational concepts and work skills is coming not from traditional management/organizational theories but from fields such as game design, neuroscience, and happiness psychology. These fields will drive the creation of new training paradigms and tools.

6.globally connected world Increased global interconnectivity puts diversity and adaptability at the center of organizational operations. Presence in areas where new competitors are popping up is critical to survival, but it is not enough. The key is not just to employ people in these locales but also to effectively integrate these local employees and local business processes into the infrastructure of global organizations in order to remain competitive


Ten skills for the furture workforce








Sensemaking 
Definition: ability to determine the deeper meaning or significance of what is being expressed

Social intelligence 
Definition: ability to connect to others in a deep and direct way, to sense and stimulate reactions and desired interactions

Novel & adaptive thinking 
Definition:proficiency at thinking and coming up with solutions and responses beyond that which is rote or rule-based

Cross-cultural competency 
Definition: ability to operate in different cultural settings

Computational thinking 
Definition: ability to translate vast amounts of data into abstract concepts and to understand data-based reasoning

New-media literacy 
Definition: ability to critically assess and develop content that uses new media forms, and to leverage these media for persuasive communication

Transdisciplinarity 
Definition: literacy in and ability to understand concepts across multiple disciplines

Design mindset 
Definition: ability to represent and develop tasks and work processes for desired outcomes


Important implications

To be successful in the next decade, individuals will need to demonstrate foresight in navigating a rapidly shifting landscape of organizational forms and skill requirements. Workers in the future will need to be adaptable lifelong learners.


Educational institutions at the primary, secondary, and post-secondary levels, are largely the products of technology infrastructure and social circumstances of the past.
Some directions of change might include: 
  • Placing additional emphasis on developing skills such as critical thinking, insight, and analysis capabilities 
  • Integrating new-media literacy into education programs 
  • Including experiential learning that gives prominence to soft skills—such as the ability to collaborate, work in groups, read social cues, and respond adaptively 
  • Broadening the learning constituency beyond teens and young adults through to adulthood 
  • Integrating interdisciplinary training that allows students to develop skills and knowledge in a range of subjects

Businesses must also be alert to the changing environment and adapt their workforce planning and development strategies to ensure alignment with future skill requirements.A workforce strategy for sustaining business goals should be one of the most critical outcomes of human resource professionals and should involve collaborating with universities to address lifelong learning and skill requirements.


Governmental policymakers will need to respond to the changing landscape by taking a leadership role and making education a national priority. If education is not prioritized, we risk compromising our ability to prepare our people for a healthy and sustainable future. For Americans to be prepared and for our businesses to be competitive, policy makers should consider the full range of skills citizens will require, as well as the importance of lifelong learning and constant skill renewal. 



The Institute for the Future (IFTF) is an independent, nonprofit strategic research group with more than 40 years of forecasting experience. The core of our work is identifying emerging trends and discontinuities that will transform global society and the global marketplace

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