Unstructure

At the outset let me thank Julian for the invitation and giving me a chance to participate in this interesting discussion. Thanks also to Venessa Miemis for a well written note on the future of work. The slideshow link is superb and really opens your minds to how the future of work will pan out.

Although the future of work is impossible to predict I would like to identify one key input which will drastically change the way work happens. The advent in technology both in terms of computing speed and bandwidth will make it possible to work and contribute virtually from anywhere. This would mean that employees may not need to be in office and that they may not even need to live in the vicinity of the office. Things like commuting and going for a vacation will have new meanings and connotations. Employees could literally log in and out and be present as per their convenience.

A big challenge in this scenario will be the ability to measure output. While this could be easy in the case of a person taking customer calls it can be very difficult in the case of a person doing creative work like writing a report. New techniques of measurement will have to be introduced as this will be critical to keeping your employees motivated. A good measurement system may not motivate an employee but will definitely demotivate her.

With a significant change in the way we live and work our drivers for motivation are likely to change as well. As we move into a world which does not have people living below the poverty line and where people have the basic necessities like food, clothes and shelter the definition of musts and wants is likely to change. This will lead to a change in both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators.

People will value freedom and flexibility. They are also likely to be more worried about the kind of people they work and interact with. The culture created in the organization may become a key motivator.

My comments are not based on any research but are extensions of the way I see the new world evolve.