CX Research

PSFK Labs unveils key themes driving change in their Future of Work Report.

As we look at the trends in PSFK’s Future of Work report, we see that we are in the midst of a major upheaval in the way that we work.  These changes are marked by the consumerization of IT, increases in worker mobility and the return of the individual within large organizations. Companies need to adopt new ways of working to accommodate the changing behaviors and expectations of their employee base. The good news for businesses is that these social and mobile tools of change are readily accessible. And, when deployed correctly can result in rapid increases in worker satisfaction, creativity and productivity.

The PSFK Labs team has broken down these major changes into five macro-level themes, each supported by trends within the report.

TALENT ON DEMAND Individuals and employers alike are benefiting from new systems that match talent and opportunity with great specificity. This matchmaking is being driven by a new breed of tools that operate on algorithms developed to identify opportunities for connections, assess the skill sets of individuals and connect like-minded collaborators.

Driving trends: Skills Marketplace, Contextual Rolodex and Quantified Employee

DRIVE SUCCESS THROUGH COLLABORATION Physical, mobile and web workspaces will be designed to optimize interactions between colleagues, vendors, partners and customers, allowing each party to volunteer their expertise in order to achieve the best possible outcome.

Driving trends: Visual Collaboration, Telepresence and Co-Creation Spaces

DYNAMIC WORKPLACE The physical and virtual workplace is becoming a more dynamic environment. Walls and fixed-furniture are melting away in favor of modular environments that suit a wide range of activities. And mobile workers are more connected to the homebase than ever, with a wide array of dynamic tools that are being folded into smaller, multifunctional technology packages.

Driving trends: Work(out) place, Fluid Technology and Pop-Up Workplaces

DYNAMIC KNOWLEDGE BASE New systems are being developed that allow information to flow across organizations, both between teams and up and down the chain of command. These systems enable collaboration between massive numbers of people in real-time on projects that are ever increasing in their sophistication. And the ease of use tied to their operation is enabling a new class of people to participate in projects that were previously the domain of a small group of experts.

Driving trends: Networked Knowledge, Social Workflow and Feedback Culture

CONSTANT LEARNING There is a proliferation of online and offline tools that foster ongoing education and experimentation. These digital platforms and physical innovation labs serve to enhance knowledge sharing and shorten the innovation timeline. The benefits of this shift are being felt by workers and companies alike, as they collectively build their knowledge base and find new ways of working together.

Mobile, cloud, social media, and analytics are tools that have given 

birth to an age where technology has become the foundation of 

any successful business—a prime driver of market differentiation, 

business growth, innovation, adaptability, collaboration and 

profitability. In short, every business is now a digital business, 

and those in which the full C-suite understand the benefits of