The Work Force of the Future

• Jan 20, 2023
• Grant Furlane, Locomobi World

People are very interesting creatures, and they can be a blessing or a tough nut to crack when it comes to working, leadership, and team dynamics. Every single human relates and behaves just a little differently than every other human and somehow you must learn how to bring humans together for a common cause. Whether it is leading, learning, or sales, they must come together for success. The avenue of success by these humans is called interactions, they are filled with their own challenges and at times outside help or coaching is needed to fix the internal work so success can come forth. Who has not seen this up close and personal with COVID and being stuck at home all those months?

People as people are not often going to work just because they have nothing better to do with their time.  COVID brought forth just how precious time, family, and balance in our lives really are. We are better able to manage our time and talents with emerging technology and this allows us to drill down and find out what makes us tick and what makes us good team players.  Part of the work of industrial psychology is to help people gain perspective overall and then bring it into focus with work so that they make better team members and leaders in today’s technology-driven workplace.

As we already said, it is a rare person that will boldly state that work is what makes them tick at their very core. COVID changed so much that it is more important than ever for both employers and employees to understand the vital role of what makes them interested in coming to work, how they fit in, and why they are important in today’s changing landscape. It is human-centered leadership mixed with what we call curiosity and creativity that often produces great results for both sides.

We are hearing so much news today about AI, smart technology, data and data sharing, the emerging robot age, camera-assisted work, and monitoring that some humans are wondering if there will be jobs in the future. So, part of what happens when an outside company comes in to help smooth over the rough patches is to get the team to settle into their position and learn to survive there, quickly. Then pivot to excelling which benefits everybody, from the top down and bottom to the top. This works with leadership, sales, and mixed teams very well.

We have all been raised on the winner takes all, you either win or lose, and there are never two winners type of thinking. But what if the culture of the business world shifted so that the game is not a winner or loser, but a tangible, profitable outcome for both sides, or teams? Technology is causing us to redefine many things because we can do more now, do it with less and yet people will always be needed. However, the cultural shift is that winner versus loser is not in the game, and we are seeing the very harmful effects that this has had on the workplace for decades. Leadership and outside consultancies are looking to bring forth AI software and technology to shift professional business leaders to a win-win culture that is healthier and more productive.

As most already know, a class on seeking to change culture, and change behavior never really takes hold when you use the old model of textbooks and ‘follow the bouncing ball’. The internet is filled with content and any team, leader, or group can access that content and attempt change. What must happen, and AI can be helpful with this, is to contextualize the content, make it real life, and apply it to reality for the teams. This only happens with observable human behaviors. Think back to how your parents nailed you when you stepped out of bounds, this is that, but in a professional application. This is how you shift culture, behavior, and productivity.

For the workforce of the future, nothing will be as it was for the generation of our fathers and certainly not of our grandfathers. The workforce of the future will be leaner, smarter, more focused, and able to shift and adapt more than any other to date. This will require the unique blending of teams, leadership, and cross-team compatibility so that the work can be accomplished at the speed that will be required. Where the balance will likely come in with the number of days and hours being less and the pay better, ease of life, and adaptability of lifestyle. Infrastructure, culture and society, and technology will all come together with this change, but without internal adaptability, nothing will withstand external changes.

Finally, these consultancy groups and people are very helpful in supporting teams, leaders, and groups to learn to quiet down in our very noisy society. In an era where we are constantly connected, on the go, and moving, quiet is hard to find, especially at work. The phrase you hear today is, ‘getting yanked around’. This just means that you can’t figure out how to settle down, between the noise, the dopamine, the news, the job, the family and the technology, it’s all too much. You can be taught, you can learn and quietness must return for peace and effectiveness, and success in life and at work. Consultants are leading the charge in this new, noisy environment. That is a great part of the tool kit that is creating the workforce of tomorrow alongside the technology that is breaking out rapidly.