Managing tomorrow's people: The future of work to 2020

As the world continues to evolve at breakneck speed, how will business be affected? Will large corporations turn into mini-states, taking on an ever-bigger role in society? Will the trend toward specialisation foster the rise of collaborative networks? Will the environmental agenda force fundamental changes in business strategy?

We believe it is possible that all three worlds? Blue, Orange , and Green—will co-exist in some form, perhaps delineated along geographical or industry lines.

See how the interplay of global forces—individualism versus collectivism, corporate integration versus fragmentation—affect tomorrow’s business models.

Contacts

Michael Rendell Partner and leader of Human resource services Tel: +44 20 721 24945

Leyla Yildirim Marketing, Human resource services Tel: +44 1481 75 2039

Global HRS contacts

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Business models will change dramatically

Technology, globalisation, demographics and other factors will influence organisational structures and cultures. Our scenarios outline three future business models:

• Large corporates become mini-states and take on a more powerful role across society.
• Specialisation triggers the rise of collaborative networks.
• The environmental agenda forces fundamental changes to business strategy.

People management will present one of the greatest business challenges

Businesses are grappling with the problems of growing skills shortages, managing people through change, and optimising workforce performance. By 2020, with the radical changes in business models, they will be facing issues such as:

• The boundary between work and home life further fraying, as companies assume greater responsibility for the social welfare of their employees
• The need to implement rigorous people measurement techniques to monitor productivity and performance
• The rise in importance of social capital and relationships as the drivers of business success

Human resources will be fundamentally transformed

HR has often been perceived as a passive, service-oriented function. But, given tomorrow’s workplace and business environment, we believe HR now stands at a crossroads. It could go one of three ways:

• Adopting a proactive, strategic focus, HR will become the heart of the organisation—taking on a new, wider people remit and influencing many other aspects of the business.
• HR will become the driver of the corporate social responsibility agenda within the organisation.
• The function will be seen as transactional and almost entirely outsourced. In this scenario, HR will exist in a new form outside the organisation, while in-house HR will be predominantly focused on people-sourcing.

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