Globally networked and "always on" - the technological revolution of the past two decades has radically changed the world of work . Increasing technological networking redefines rigid spatial and temporal concepts of work. The age of the "open economy" is breaking: Employees work more flexibly , the workplace is everywhere and smarter. Digital nomads, using new technologies, are leading a multilocal working life characterized by openness, fluid boundaries and flexibility.
I have looked more closely at the central characteristics of this "brave new world" and come to the following theses:
Creativity and free thinking
Tomorrow's core competencies Innovative technologies and artificial intelligence will lead to changes in sectors such as retail, telecommunications or logistics. But they will also relieve people by taking on everyday and repetitive tasks. Just think of the multitude of chatbots that are already being used in retail today.
The growing role of technology in analytic, planning, and repetitive processes is turning human judgment and creative thinking into key features in the search for new talent. Jobs that require inventiveness and imagination will be increasingly in demand for both employees and employers in the future. A report from the World Economic Forum shows that from the point of view of executives, creativity by 2020 will count among the most important and sought-after skills of employees. It will be equally important in the future to specifically promote these skills.
Reading tip: food for thought for more creativity
Freelance models on the rise
The global job market for freelancers will be worth around $ 10 billion by 2020 , according to the study . What is often called the "gig economy" today means a profound change in the world of work and a departure from the model of classic permanent employment.
This has long been a clear trend, especially in the creative industry. In the future, this will also cover other industries and also bring with it new challenges. For example, companies have to deal with how data protection can be guaranteed when working with freelancers who work for different companies.
The fact that data protection is one of the major challenges of new working concepts is also confirmed by a recent survey among German executives : When asked about the biggest challenges in mobile work concepts, executives most often cite security concerns.
In addition, there are new demands on the physical and digital workplaces: Centralized access and entitlement management systems must clearly define throughout the enterprise who will be able to access for how long and to what premises and files. In the future, this "phygital" protection will increasingly occupy companies - in addition to the freelancers, think only of the large number of customers, partners or suppliers from all over the world who pass through the entry points of companies every day.
Establishment of mobile work
By 2020, almost half of the workforce will work independently of location, while in small companies the number is expected to increase to 70%. This will make mobile solutions that enable location-independent productive work to play a central role in the Open Economy. These developments are already clearly noticeable today. For many employees networking is a part of everyday life , using modern collaboration tools that provide, for example, instant messaging or video applications in real time.
More and more managers are leading their teams "remotely" and personal feedback talks via Skype are no longer a rarity. This development is already anticipated by German employers: In a recent YouGov survey, executives in Germany rate the importance of mobile work concepts as high: 73 percent of respondents said that mobile work concepts are relevant for their company. More than 40 percent of them rated them as very relevant. Executives expect a significant shift towards more flexible working hours and more work from the home office over the next five years .
