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...
Editorials
Research and Insights from the Center for Effective Organizations
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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 […]
Four Key Processes for Developing Advanced Change Capabilities in Agile Organizations
Adapting to digitalization and to the COVID-19 pandemic has stoked interest in the design and operation of agile organizations. But what gets lost in the search for the right structure or the best work methods is how agile organizations change. Agile organizations 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, […]
Organizational Resilience – Immediate & Sustained
As a service to our sponsors, we want to provide clarity on where you can focus to help your teams and organizations through these challenging times. Our Senior Researchers have designed a multidisciplinary approach that spans strategy, organization design, technology systems, data and analytics, leadership, and strategic HR. With your CEO Sponsorship, our team is […]
6 Barriers to Becoming Agile and How to Overcome Them
Research conducted by CEO’s Dr. Chris Worley at USC’s Marshall School of Business, in partnership with goetzpartners – a German advisory firm – and the NEOMA Business School in France, offers insights into the movement of companies’ agility levels. (A full version of...
A Long Time Until the Economic New Normal
This originally appeared on MIT Sloan Management Review We are in the middle of a historic rupture in the economic fabric of our society. The COVID-19 pandemic has already had a pervasive impact on the United States, and economic and financial market experts are hotly...
HR Resources for COVID-19
Last updated January 18, 2023 As we continue to adjust to a “new normal”, we would like to remind you of the resources available to help you and your organization. Most businesses have been transitioning to increased remote work, and have moved events and learning...
Fear and Coping: How Employee Resource Groups Can Help Manage COVID-19 Fears
With wide-spread work from home directives for those whose jobs allow, millions of workers are at risk of losing a key piece of their social safety nets: The connection they feel to their co-workers. The coronavirus, also known as COVID-19 may force us into prolonged...