Evolution of the Organization Part 2

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I recently shared seven ways organizations are evolving--including being fast to adapt, creating a global workforce, and encouraging innovation from anyone.

But organizations are changing even more than that. To stay relevant and thrive in the future of work, organizations must continually evolve and be forward-focused.

Here are seven more ways organizations are evolving:

Cloud vs. on-premise. There’s no reason for a company to rely on on-premise technology. Today’s workforce is mobile, and the technology needs to match. Moving to cloud-based technology allows for faster upgrade time, improved flexibility, reduced costs, and increased accessibility to technology platforms.?

Women in management. Although they are still in the minority, women have made huge strides in leadership positions. That will only continue to grow in the future. Women in management lead to huge company benefits, including higher return on equity, sales, and invested capital.?

Change in organizational structure. Companies of the past were hierarchical, with information flowing from the top and everyone in a strict position. But today’s organizations are becoming flatter to improve communication and collaboration and become more nimble.?

Storytelling. It used to be that companies only communicated through calculated marketing messages to get customers to buy things. Now, storytelling is an essential part of all communication, including building an employee experience. It isn’t about selling something--it’s about sharing the why and building relationships.?

Democratized learning. Instead of companies controlling career development, organizations are moving to employees being able to educate or learn from other employees. Employees no longer have to rely on their company offering the class or seminar they want but can use internal collaboration platforms and social networks to learn from anyone.??

Loyalty 2.0. People no longer spend their entire careers with one company like used to be the norm. Loyalty is becoming more geared toward projects, managers, and co-workers instead of the organization. Employees have shorter-term loyalty to people and projects.?

From profits to prosperity. Profit, or the financial gain of a company, used to be the ultimate measure of success. But going forward, companies and employees care more about prosperity, or a company's health and wellness, community involvement, sustainability, and world impact as a mark of success.?

As technology advances and trends change, companies will need to evolve further. To lead the charge for the future of work, organizations must constantly look to and prepare for the future.?

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Over the last 15 years, I’ve had the privilege of speaking and working with some of the world's top leaders.?Here are 15 of the best leadership lessons?that I learned from the CEOs of organizations like Netflix, Honeywell, Volvo, Best Buy, The Home Depot, and others. I hope they inspire you and give you things you can try in your work and life.?Get the PDF here.