by Sam at Management 3.0
In October, the World Economic Forum put out the Future of Jobs Report for 2020. It shed light on the pandemic-related disruptions and cycles and what we can expect to see in terms of technological adaption for the next five years. The report looked at 15 industries in 26 advanced and emerging countries and found that after years of growing income inequality, concerns about technology-driven placement of jobs and rising societal discord worldwide, the “shocks of 2020 have thrown economies into freefall.
“We find ourselves at a defining moment: The decisions and choices we make today will determine the course of entire generations’ lives and livelihoods”
At Management 3.0 we have been paving the path for the future of work for years. We began as a fully remote company, something that many companies only switched to because of COVID-19 and have been advocating for a flat, non hierarchal management system, one that embraces learning, agility, flexibility and values people. Many of the findings in the report are things that we, as a company, already embody. In this article we delve into the report’s main points and look at how Management 3.0 was already ahead of the curve.
What were some of the report’s key findings and how do we embrace them at Management 3.0?
#1: Technology adoption could accelerate
People have been adopting technology for years, but COVID-19 has sped this up. Adoption of cloud computing, big data and e-commerce will be high priorities for business leaders going forward. There’s also been a rise in the interest for robots and artificial intelligence.
At Management 3.0, we’ve been embracing technology since inception, as a fully remote team. We use tools like Slack, Trello and Google Drive, although we have yet to have any robots or artificial intelligence.
#2: Automation + COVID-19 is creating a double disruption for workers
The report indicates, that by 2025 companies will transform tasks, jobs and skills. More than 40% of businesses said they wanted to reduce their workforce due to technological integration. “By 2025, the time spent on current tasks at work by humans and machines will be equal,” said the report.
At Management 3.0 we try to automate as much as possible, using tools like Zapier and others to reduce repetition of tasks and make our lives easier. Although we don’t plan to get rid of anyone due to automation.
#3: The most in demand skills leading up to 2025 include….
- Critical thinking and analysis
- Problem-solving
- Self-management such as active learning, resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility
At Management 3.0 we talk about critical thinking and problem solving all the time. We believe that life and work isn’t always smooth sailing, which is why we recognize that it’s important to know what to do when problems arise. Reported problems are better than unreported problems and we believe that no problem should be kept hidden. People should feel safe and incentivized to report any issue they find.
As for self-management, we’ve been advocating for this for years. The idea that companies have to manage the system and not the people. This fosters, active learning, resilience and tolerance and flexibility. We focus on this in all of our workshops, especially in our Fundamentals Online Workshop.
#4: Creating a sense of community among remote workers
Approximately one-third of all employers expect to try and create a sense of community, connection and belonging among employees through digital tools and to tackle the well-being challenges posed by the shift to remote work.
At Management 3.0 we focus a lot on the well-being of teams and what it takes for teams to work successfully together, be it remote or in-person. Our new Teams Module delves into the six pillars that create successful teams. We also help teams energize and motivate employees with our Energizing People Workshop, which also focuses on the well-being of teams, how to build trust, foster happiness and make people more successful.
#5: Online learning and personal development training is on the rise
Four times the number of people are looking for online learning opportunities and fives times the number of employers are providing online learning opportunities for their workers. People with jobs are putting a huge emphasis on personal development courses and people who are unemployed have placed greater emphasis on learning digital skills such as data analysis, computer science and information technology.
At Management 3.0 we created new online workshops to adapt to the age of COVID-19. As much as we value in-person learning we’ve adapted online and realize that online learning is here to stay.
#6: The value of human investment
Companies are seeing the value of investing in people, teaching them new skills and making sure employees are engaged. There’s a greater emphasis on re-skilling employees and ensuring people are motivated and happy at work.
At Management 3.0 we’ve embraced Agility in HR and have repeatedly stated the importance of having an agile, robust and nimble HR department to foster employee engagement. Our Agility in HR workshop is a great way to understand how to encourage employee engagement and make sure people are happy in what they’re doing.
How in line with this report is your company? Do you agree or disagree with its findings for the next five years? Share your thoughts in the comments below, or contact us!
