The increasing pace of work transformation is evident in the surge of gig work, demands for increased work flexibility, the institutionalization of remote/hybrid work accelerated by the pandemic, and the increasing integration of robots and Generative AI with human workers. It should come as no surprise that the number of resumes mentioning the “Future of Work” has surged over the last decade, with a slight decline recently, possibly due to layoffs and changing priorities.
Research and Insights Archive
Research and Insights from the Center for Effective Organizations
Available Content
WEBINAR: Embracing Uncertainty with Agile Work Design Experiments
March 8, 2023
With John Boudreau and Alec Levenson (Host)
What ChatGPT Teaches About Agile Work Design Experiments
Many of us have conducted at least one experiment, asking ChatGPT a question. You can try it here. HR discussions about generative AI often focus on how it will change HR systems, such as offering answers to employee benefit questions by reading the company employee...
Work without Jobs: How to Reboot Your Organization’s Work Operating System (Management on the Cutting Edge)
Work is traditionally understood as a “job,” and workers as “jobholders.” Jobs are structured by titles, hierarchies, and qualifications. In Work without Jobs, the Wall Street Journal bestseller, Ravin Jesuthasan and John Boudreau propose a radically new way of looking at work. They describe a new “work operating system” that deconstructs jobs into their component parts and reconstructs these components into more optimal combinations that reflect the skills and abilities of individual workers. In a new normal of rapidly accelerating automation, demands for organizational agility, efforts to increase diversity, and the emergence of alternative work arrangements, the old system based on jobs and jobholders is cumbersome and ungainly. Jesuthasan and Boudreau’s new system lays out a roadmap for the future of work.
How to Do Relevant Research – Part 2
with Dr Susan Albers Mohrman, Prof Christopher G. Worley and Prof John Boudreau
COVID’s Hidden Promise: Future Work Design Is Agile Innovation
As organizations plan for a future where COVID-19 is no longer a health threat, leaders are setting the stage for what is sometimes called “return to work.” Leaders are tempted to pronounce broad policies, that are often inconsistent from one organization to...
Intelligent Automation (IA) to Accelerate Human Potential (Human Element Unplugged Webinar)
Intelligent Automation (IA) to Accelerate Human Potential (Human Element Unplugged Webinar)
with John Boudreau and Ben Schneider
Putting Fluid Work on a Solid Platform
My previous blog described how COVID has accelerated the melting of traditional jobs into more fluid work elements (such as tasks) and melting traditional job holders into more fluid worker capabilities (such as skills). Fluid work can empower or exploit workers, and...
Jobs are Melting into Fluid Work
The COVID crisis has revealed how remarkably workers apply “hidden” capabilities their organizations never used before, shifting quickly to their most pivotal contributions.* What may be less obvious is how this has accelerated melting traditional jobs into fluid...
Robots Don’t Get Sick
COVID and other current crises have revealed the value of work automation, with justifiable celebration.* Scientists at the University of Liverpool have a new lab assistant with a very strong work ethic: a robot chemist that conducts experiments by itself. The 1.75-metre-tall intelligent robot moves around the laboratory, avoiding human co-workers and obstacles while performing […]
Looking Beyond the Novelty to the Future of Work
Navigating the Paradox with Four Questions The current paradox requires effectively managing the crisis, AND looking beyond today’s accomplishments to take actions now, that will sustain the vital lessons for the future. These four questions help guide the journey through the paradox, to create the most pivotal value for the future of work: What are […]
Why Your Work Automation “Climate” Matters As Much As Upskilling
This article originally appeared on Visier.com New research on workplace climate offers important insights for measuring, facilitating and enhancing successful work automation. John Boudreau and Benjamin Schneider share why workforce automation readiness requires more than just enhanced worker capabilities. When it comes to preparing for future work automation, the dominant focus is on upskilling worker capability, […]