The future of work: new perspectives on disruption & transformation

The future of work isn’t just a far-off thought – it’s here. Years of global economic and political upheaval have already changed the way we live and work.

The global financial crisis of 2008 paved the way for sharing and gig economies. Today, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced all types of organizations to overhaul their day-today operations with little notice or preparation. And technology has played a key role in facilitating this change.

This report is a follow-up to our 2017 study. Just three years on, it’s clear the way organizations function and ask their people to work has changed even faster than we anticipated. Many organizations have the same long-term goals today as they did three years ago – but with a new perspective on the future of work, influenced by changes in our society and culture, as well as advances in technology.

We surveyed over 3,000 senior managers and frontline IT staff on how work is changing. From their insights, we’ve learned that:

• COVID-19 played a big part in motivating organizations to invest in digital transformation.
• Intelligent automation is a key investment for businesses looking to guard against future disruptions.
• Many organizations are missing out on the benefits of low-code application development.
• Technology decision making will move from top-down to consensus.

What’s changing about the way we work

Technology, and the way it has been adopted, has changed considerably in 2020. For example, moderately used tools such as Zoom and Google Meet exploded in popularity during the global pandemic. Millions of people, from teachers and engineers to physicians and mental health workers, have embraced these tools out of necessity in a world that became virtual overnight.

Organizations across the globe have experienced many disruptive periods over the years. New disruptions will take shape in the future, and society will have to continually adapt to new ways of living and working. Will the pace of change we are seeing today continue?

Download the research to find more.