Towards Workforce Ecosystems

The Future of Work Is Through Workforce Ecosystems 

Workforce ecosystems can help leaders better manage changes driven by technological, social, and economic forces.

Elizabeth J. Altman, David Kiron, Jeff Schwartz, and Robin Jones  in SloanReview

Ask leaders today how they define their workforces, and you’ll immediately hear some version of “Well, that has become a very interesting question, and even more so recently.” Today’s workforces include not only employees, but also contractors, gig workers, professional service providers, application developers, crowdsourced contributors, and others.

Effectively managing a workforce comprising internal and external players in a way that is both aligned with an organization’s strategic goals and consistent with its values is now a critical business necessity. However, legacy management practices remain organized around an increasingly outdated employee-focused view of the workforce — that it consists of a group of hired employees performing work along linear career paths to create value for their organization.

More than 75% percent of respondents to our 2020 global survey of 5,118 managers now view their workforces in terms of both employees and non-employees. Growth in the variety, number, and importance of different types of work arrangements has become a critical factor in how work gets done in (and for) the enterprise.

We see many companies experimenting with ways to manage all types of workers in an integrated fashion. Several novel management practices have emerged across the business landscape. Even so, few — if any — best practices exist for dealing strategically and operationally with this distributed, diverse workforce that crosses internal and external boundaries. Executives seeking an integrated approach to managing an unintegrated workforce are left wanting.

We contend that the best way to conceptualize and address these shifts and related practices is through the lens of workforce ecosystems. We define workforce ecosystem as a structure that consists of interdependent actors, from within the organization and beyond, working to pursue both individual and collective goals.

Managing a workforce ecosystem goes beyond efforts to unify the dissimilar management practices currently organized around employees and non-employees. It’s a new approach to a new problem that demands a fresh solution. Our view draws upon two years of research that includes two global executive surveys and interviews with leaders and academic experts. This brief article introduces the concept of workforce ecosystems and discusses how they can help managers rethink the way they align their business and workforce strategies.

Four Reasons to Focus on Workforce Ecosystems:

Below, we highlight a series of shifts — driven by technological, social, and economic forces — that current management practices do not sufficiently address.  ... '

Microsoft Points to Future Disruptions of Work

 Microsoft has done a good job in following the changes that have happened in the last year,  Now they need to make sure they protect that work by better securing their systems.

Microsoft releases findings and considerations from one year of remote work in Work Trend Index

Exclusive research and expert insights reveal urgent trends for leaders as the next phase of work unfolds. in PRNewswire.

REDMOND, Wash., March 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp. on Monday announced findings from its first-annual Work Trend Index. Titled "The Next Great Disruption Is Hybrid Work — Are We Ready?"     the report uncovers seven hybrid work trends every business leader must know as we enter a new era of work.

The report indicates that business leaders should resist the urge to see hybrid work as business as usual. It will require the rethinking of long-held assumptions.

"The choices you make today will impact your organization for years to come. It's a moment that requires clear vision and a growth mindset," said Jared Spataro, corporate vice president for Microsoft 365. "These decisions will impact everything from how you shape culture, to how you attract and retain talent, to how you can better foster collaboration and innovation." 

The findings suggest that this past year has fundamentally changed the nature of work:  ... ' 

Automation and Future of Work

 Classic issue, but underestimates how fast technology has been advancing.   Good thoughts though on the challenges. 

MIT Study: Effects of Automation on the Future of Work Challenges Policymakers   By John P. Desmond, AI Trends Editor  

Rising productivity brought on by automation has not led an increase in income for workers. This is among the conclusions of the 2020 report from the MIT Task Force on the Future of Work, founded in 2018 to study the relation between emerging technologies and work, to shape public discourse and explore strategies to enable a sharing of prosperity.  

Dr. Elisabeth Reynolds, Executive Director, MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future

“Wages have stagnated,” said Dr. Elisabeth Reynolds, Executive Director, MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future, who shared results of the new task force report at the AI and the Work of the Future Congress 2020 held virtually last week.   

The report made three areas of recommendations, the first around translating productivity gains from advances in automation to better quality jobs. “The quality of jobs in this country has been falling and not keeping up with those in other countries,” she said. Among rich countries, the US is among the worst places for the less educated and low-paid workers.” For example, the average hourly wage for low-paid workers in the US is $10/hour, compared to $14/hour for similar workers in Canada, who have health care benefits from national insurance.  ... "