What does Leadership mean in the New World of Work?

You may have seen Hudson recently released an executive summary on The New World of Work - if you haven’t already, I would give it a read as it is a great resource for looking at global trends impacting all organisations. One of the purposes of this report is to shift the conversation from ‘The Future of Work’ to start taking action to address the changes that have already occurred, summed up in this extract:

“Forget about the ‘future of work’. Attitudes to work, organizational structures and effective leadership styles have already changed and continue to evolve. The New World of Work is here.”

With this in mind I would like to take a specific look at the changing role of leaders and what the New World of Work means for leadership positions moving forward.

It is important of course to place this conversation in its proper context and look at some of the mega- trends that are acting as the catalyst for change.

Multiple Generations in the workplace

With a move towards 5 generations in the workplace and with projections of a 50% millennial workforce by 2020, climbing further to 75% by 2025, there is increasing pressure on traditional hierarchies and management styles which are not in line with the expectations of the new talent pool of digital natives and disruptive thinkers alongside the more traditional expectations and values of the generations that have preceded them.

One of the biggest challenges for leaders in a multi-generational workplace is to understand the multiple value streams, attitudes towards work as well as attitudes towards recognition & reward that may not be mirrored by their own.

Political, Social and Economic

It would be hard to talk about change without using the phrase VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity). Now more than ever organisations are having to operate within a VUCA environment and are having to become more agile and flexible to meet these pressures which have a significant effect on the type of leaders and leadership styles needed to navigate an environment of constant change.

So too is ‘Purpose’, which is also increasingly driving the behaviour of employees and those outside of the organization that you wish to engage. Attraction, engagement and retention strategies are now having to take the social responsibility and impact of the business into consideration when projecting messages externally and internally. With this, authenticity is key.

Technological Change

The third of the biggest mega trends as I see them is technology and the influx of disruptive technology platforms, products and businesses whose primary goal is rapid and constant change and challenge to the status quo.

With this disruption comes a need to be more agile and flexible, which in turn demands leadership teams capable of enabling and not inhibiting change initiatives. Building a culture of innovation is increasingly important to maintain competitive.

Automation, AI, predictive analytics and big data (to name but a few) are also having enormous impacts on the workplace and the role which employees play within it. A process of augmentation is happening at a rapid rate as organisations and employees are having to rethink their roles in order to integrate and enhance the interface with technology rather than resisting it.

So what does all of this mean for the role of leaders within the New World of Work?

Well, it means many things. But significantly it means change.

I would reiterate my earlier suggestion and start by downloading Hudson’s executive summary on the New World of Work, it is great place to start and will expand on all of the ideas I have introduced in this article.

But to summarise some of the key takeaways from the report in relation to leadership within an agile organisation I would have to point towards three fundamental traits:

1.      Empowerment

Historically power has come from positions of authority within a tightly regulated hierarchical structure of top down management of task and resources. Leaders in the New World of Work should be moving away from this and finding ways to empower colleagues at all levels.

2.      Collaboration

Decision making and problem solving have often been driven by management and collaboration historically has been prescribed and instructed. Collaboration isn’t collaboration if it is forced. New world leaders will actively engage their teams in solution design and will encourage collaboration at any and all levels.

3.      Team Fluidity

As a consequence of the historic actions above, clear reporting lines and rigid roles and responsibilities have often been enforced further reducing the freedom for collaboration and innovation. In the New World of Work it is important for leaders to take a fluid, project based approach where possible. This will allow for evolving roles and responsibilities and a recognition of leadership at all levels in a way that decentralises power and heightens ownership.

These are my top picks and reflect all that I have experienced, read, watched and heard about over the past 12 months. I can also speak from personal experience when saying this as this is exactly the type of leadership and environment where I have found I have the most impact and feel most valued.

Take a read of the report and get in touch, I would love to hear your thoughts. I hope that my blog has added some insight into your understanding of leadership within the New World of Work as I see it, but appreciate I have only scratched the surface and would value any and all contributions and comments.

I have a real passion for understanding the workplace and making it an enjoyable place to be, as well as sharing my thoughts and findings on HR and Talent – I am always happy to arrange time to speak about any aspect of these topics, feel free to get in touch if you share my passion :)

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0207 187 6206 – 07507 512 809 - [email protected]