The Evolving Workplace
Dell and Intel recently published a report on the Evolving Workforce, the first in a series outlining findings from studies on the changing makeup of the workforce and how employee demands will shape future IT trends. This first study enlisted experts in 11 countries to gain insight into factors that are driving change. That research identified seven main trends, including the following. Further studies will utilize employee insight and tests to gain deeper insights.
Crowdsourcing and Crowdsourcing Service. The study looked into whether the workforce of the future includes thousands of people working in different places, as cloud computing and other applications makes it easier to distribute tasks and adhere to a just-in-time labor force model. Research found that corporate cultures will become more meritocratic and that a more flexible, fluid labor market could lead to quality and cost benefits for employers as well as increase workers’ earning potential.
Productivity Measured in Outputs not Hours. As advances in hardware and systems allow workers to deliver quicker and better output, standardized measures of productivity based on numbers of hours become less relevant. Rather, workers may more likely be rewarded for quality and value of work.
Values vs. Rules. As it becomes easier to know what employees are doing but harder to tell them what to do, will distrust accelerate? The study found that as more freedom leads to greater surveillance, organizations should ensure monitoring is explicit, not covert.
Role of the IT Manager. Autonomy and IT choices are becoming increasingly related to recruiting and retaining staff. IT managers will have to become more aligned with HR, thinking of more wide ranging issues associated with IT.
Employee-led Innovation. Companies must empower employees to reap the benefit of innovation, offering time, resources and support. When systems hinder progress and efficiency, there may be resentment.
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