FUTURE OF WORK
20 Key Predictions about Work in 2025
Find out what the Future of Work Consortium has discovered about work as it will be performed in 2025.
Jan 2011 | These 20 key predictions have been segmented into the four main categories as below.

Leader and Talent Management
1. The executives and leaders of companies will be expected to behave in a transparent and authentic manner.

2. The executives of companies will be expected to have highly developed, strong, diverse and valuable global networks into other companies and suppliers.

3. The executives and leaders of companies will be expected to take the lead in focusing on global issues and the role of the company in the community.

4. The executive team will be expected to behave in a collaborative way and encourage and reward collaboration.

Organisational architecture and communities
5. Companies will need to become skilled at creating and leading virtual teams, task forces and project teams that can work effectively across the world.

6. Companies will need to become skilled at building valuable networks and relationships across the various businesses and departments of the company.

7. Successful companies will develop strong and valuable relationships with partners, consumers and entrepreneurs who work with the business: that constitute their Ecosystem.

8. Successful companies will have well developed democratic processes which enable employees to be actively involved in decision making around topics such as choice of leaders and resource allocation.

People practices and polices
9. Companies will enable employees to work flexibly – with regard to working from home and working flexible hours.

10. Company focus on helping employees have a good work/life balance and general wellness will increase.

11. Companies will need to be able to identify and attract talented people from across the world to work on one-off projects and tasks.

12. The performance management practices companies will focus on work and task output rather than hours worked.

People aspirations and competencies
13. Successful companies will become more skilled at working collaboratively and with diverse team members and offer a variety of training to support the development of collaborative working.

14. Companies will be expected to encourage and support people to build their own career portfolios and to engage in life-long learning.

15. The talent management systems in successful companies will enable employees to develop deep skills and competencies in specialized areas.

16. There will be an increase in focus within companies to create interesting work that has meaning both in terms of personal development and values.

Organisational culture and values
17. Companies will be expected to develop strong values and practices around reducing our carbon footprint.

18. Successful companies will become skilled at identifying the future needs of the market and changing and transforming the company to prepare for these future needs.

19. Companies must become skilled at Open Innovation – i.e. the use of social technology to pull together the ideas and knowledge from people within and outside the company to focus on innovative challenges.

20. Companies will become experienced at valuing the skills of all three generations – the young in Gen Y, Gen X in their 40’s and the experience and talents of the baby boomers – those over 55.