Pontydysgu – a model organisation of the future?
Interesting coverage in the Guardian newspaper of a report from the UK Chartered Management Institute on the future of work.
Amongst their predictions for the year 2018 are that there will be a proliferation of “virtual” companies, often small community-based enterprises without conventional business premises.
“These enterprises would have to compete for employees, who will become more footloose and less inclined to work for an organisation that does not allow individuals to tailor the working day to meet their personal requirements. “Organisations will have to address the growing power of the employee,” the report said.
Whether or not workers enjoy this extra flexibility, they will not be allowed to cling to traditional patterns of employment. “On all levels there will be a move towards upskilling and multi-skilling … Employees will be required to be more flexible with regard to organisational needs,” the report said.
This may mean workers abandoning traditional shifts. People may work from home on assignments during specific time slots, or be available on call when work needs to be done.
They will communicate by high-speed broadband, perhaps supplemented by hologram technology permitting virtual presence at meetings.
Many talented people would become “multi-employed”, some working for a day or two a week in “third place locations” outside their organisations or home office.
As work becomes more project-based, people will need to use specialised services to market themselves for individual ad hoc projects.”
“It said collaborative working would become so important that companies should consider abolishing positions and job titles. “Instead each employee should be seen as a valuable resource, to be employed according to specific organisational needs.”
Companies would come to regard wisdom as a valuable resource. Some would try to nurture an organisational memory by arranging rituals and storytelling, and listening to the accounts of long-term employees.”
I don’t know about 2018. this describes Pontydysgu today. are we so forward looking or are the big companies surveyed for the report so much behind the times.
N.B. There were two technical scenarios which interested me. The idea of holograms attending meetings may sound far fetched but surely this is just an extension of an avatar.
I’m not so sure about enhancing the capabilities of staff by implanting microchips in their brains. Hm…has some attractions though.-:)
