Unboxing The Future Workplace - Propelling Organizational Readiness

By Anupama Vaidya. Excerpts from the speech at the World HRD Congress 2024. 

Watch Video at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2ReRm8V0CI

Every year as February arrives, the HR fraternity awaits the dates: 15-16; a time to come together, celebrate and reinforce the oneness of the fraternity at the World HRD Congress! For me personally, the past few years, getting to share my views at the forum have been an excellent way to care and share with my fraternity!  This year, at the 32^nd edition of the World, it was a wonderful opportunity to be with Dr. RL Bhatia and his core team and all the participants, to once again share my perspectives at the Ballroom!

During the preparations, in discussions with Aasif Sayed, the CEO, we discovered striking resonance with the Congress’s central theme ‘Back to the Future’. Recognising the synergy between my work and the theme, mainly focussing on preparing organizations to be ready for what lies ahead, we decided to explore the topic  ‘Unboxing the future workplace – propelling organizational readiness’.

Seizing this opportunity to embark you as well on this voyage, as I share with you excerpts and highlights of my talk at the Congress. Are you with me?

Take a deep breath, and visualize this in front of you as I take you through the next few seconds ….

Year 2034. Mumbai’s iconic skyline standing tall, a symbol of the city’s evolution, adorned with gleaming chrome and glass towers that reflect the sun's radiant beams.

Nestled within one of these architectural marvels, is a vibrant collaborative workspace pulsating with energy and innovation.  Amidst this energy, you are indulging in a moment of tranquility, sipping your masala chai as you prepare for the day's proceedings. With seamless efficiency, a dynamic screen materializes before you, reminding you of the impending Management meeting just moments away. Ah, the wonders of modern technology! Life’s become so easy, your thoughts, as you take your next sip. Your virtual assistant, ever reliable, guides you through the highlights of the previous meeting, the agenda, questions to be posed from the submissions done for the meeting ensuring that you are fully prepared for what lies ahead.

As the meeting draws near, you are gently nudged by your virtual assistant, prompting you to don your VR headset and enter the virtual realm of the Boardroom. Across continents, your esteemed colleagues from London, New York, and Tokyo join you as life-sized holograms, their presence as palpable as if they are seated beside you. It's a marvel of modern connectivity, a testament to the power of technology to bridge the gaps of physical distance and foster real-time collaboration.

Open your eyes, my dear friends. This, you see, is the future workplace – a dynamic environment where innovation knows no bounds and collaboration transcends physical & geographical barriers. 

Rewind. Year 2014. Such a workplace was a distant dream. Still grappling with the pace of technological change and some preparing the workforce towards dealing with this shifting landscape, few others still figuring out what is happening. And 30 years before that, it was indeed a fiction in Star Trek, which as a kid, I rushed to see that very episode every week – to be tele-transported and whoosh there I too go…!  

Fast forward to the present day, Year 2024; what once seemed fiction is fast becoming a reality for us - the gap between imagination & reality - rapidly diminishing, propelled by the unstoppable exponential technological progress, societal shifts, and evolving human dynamics.

Numerous examples, some of them being ground-breaking achievements in the field of medicine and technology, world’s first quantum computer, the Neuralink Pro which blur the lines between mind and machine and the list goes on and on.   

Interesting it is we humans who have driven this change, adopting from writing with quills, to the invention of the typewriter to migrating to the computers. While it took 77 years from the invention of the typewriter to the first computer to emerge; the cycle of workplace evolution has only accelerated since then: from decades to years, to months to days to real-time adaptations.

So as technology propels us forward at an unprecedented pace, we must not lose sight of the human element at the heart of this transformation.  Our jobs and ways of life are being impacted. While there is a decline in many jobs, newer roles are taking over. Do read the recent Jobs report of the World Economic Forum of May 2023. It delves into this very topic of impact of structural changes of jobs, decline of jobs and how the overall shift of jobs seems like. Of the 673 million jobs reflected in the dataset of the report, respondents expect structural job growth of 69 million jobs and a decline of 83 million jobs.  A step beyond, as we continue to assimilate multi-generational workforce; the Gen Alphas are already round the corner; (refer to blog) swiftly gearing to knock the door – One such research shows that 65% of the Gen Alpha will work in roles that don’t even exist today!

These examples are illustrative how the very fabric of traditional workplaces is being challenged and transformed by the convergence of technological innovation and changing human dynamics.

This rapid evolution defines the reality of the future workplace. The future is not distant. The future is already here. 

Amidst this blizzard of changes, a pressing question emerges: 

Are we tuned to the rapidly accelerating landscape; do we possess the foresight and adaptability necessary to navigate it effectively? 

The competitive edge no longer hinges solely on how quickly you consume technology or introduce new services and solutions or manage the marketplace. Instead, it is being determined by how adeptly organizations adapt and evolve, much like an amoeba, to confront and conquer disruptions. It is majorly being driven by the “People”, as the rest will be readily to all. 

Propelled by the intrinsic human aspect, the mechanism of coping with the pace of change from decades to years, to months, to real-time adaptations; demanding a growth mindset, learning as a way of life and embracing change are inevitable. Culture and talent require attention at intensified levels for one thing that is certain is uncertainty!

The thrust for the getting organizations through this culture and talent require a strong force in the form of 3I guiding principles - Imagination, Innovation and Integration.

Together they form the foundation of organizational readiness in an uncertain world. How well organizations drive the culture of 3I will be pertinent to their ability to seize the moment before the competition does.

Imagination - 

to envision possibilities, spark the visionary thinking beyond the current paradigms, looking beyond the obvious, dream boldly, explore uncharted territories, beyond the horizon, comprehend challenges and conceive ideas to deal with them, ignite creativity, drive the exploration of new ideas, pushing the boundaries of what is deemed possible beyond the unthinkable. Imagine the purpose, Imagine beyond

Innovation –

The engine to propel progress, driving the transformation of imaginative ideas into tangible realities; Encompass the process of developing and implementing novel approaches, products, or services that revolutionize the way things are done. Thrive on experimentation, iteration, and a relentless pursuit of excellence, driving continuous improvement, taking risks, failing fast learning super fast,  adaptation in the face of change. Cultivating a culture of continuous learning, curiosity, resilience,

Integration –

The glue that binds disparate elements together into a cohesive and harmonious whole. The seamless blending of diverse perspectives, technologies, and processes to create synergies and unlock greater value. Communication at the heart of this integration with bringing together the contributors across. Breaking down vertical org to self-managed objective driven cross disciples teams; silos and hierarchies becoming redundant; Talent – Program integrators who work horizontally to drive a shared purpose with experimentation & Collective strength

 

Together, Imagination, Innovation, and Integration with a growth mindset and learning as a way of life, serve as the propulsion fuel for navigating through this intricate terrain of ever evolving landscape.

From the work I do in the space of neuroscience, the shift from the left to right of the human brain is inevitable and will be at heightened levels guided by the highest levels of heuristic thinking. Culture and Talent being shaped to unlearn and relearn through this right rewiring to drive the 3Is will form the propel the organizations in the direction of the readiness – The direction matters than the destination; the destination will keep on evolving, while the direction will keep us on track to this ever-evolving destination.

As custodians of culture and talent, the role of HR fraternity elevates as we are uniquely positioned to lead this human change, leveraging our expertise and insights of human capital as we guide organizations through the 3Is’ with our 4^th “I” – Influence… …

For possibilities are limitless when we dare to dream, experiment to progress and collaborate for the shared purpose.

With optimism, courage and determination, lets propel the organization readiness with our “I”s – Imagination, Innovation and Integration, and Influence the Workplace future.