Managing tomorrow’s people: Future organisational case studies
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.
Business models
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
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
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.
Contacts
| Michael Rendell
Partner and leader of Human resource services
Tel: +44 20 721 24945 |
Justine Brown
Global Marketing & Business Development, Human Resource Services
Tel: +44 (0)113 289 4423 |
Global HRS contacts
Emerging from the downturn
Explore the impact of the downturn on people management, the options open to companies and the scenarios that may play out in this time of great change.
Chart the paths of 3 fictitious companies 
Understand the perspective of a new generation
What drives this new generation? What are their priorities and expectations of employers and the world of work? Are they really so different from previous generations?
Meet the workforce of the future
Managing tomorrow's people
Download the series
Emerging from the downturn
