On the eve of the industrial revolution, in the 19th century, to produce more with less became the utmost goal for us (Henry Ford’s assembly line became a real breakthrough in this quest). A century later, when globalization has triggered a shift in the way enterprises function, the purpose is the same: increase of the wealth through effective resources management. Only, the emphasis now is not on goods, but on the knowledge, used in producing them, and the bottom line is to automate information resources.
New technologies, such as business processes and customer relationship management, were developed to release humans from physical work in the environment of complex business relations (outsourcing manual labour to “emerging markets” has been the preceding trend since the 1980s). A surging wave of technological innovations gave birth to the concept of “knowledge workplace”. It consists of numerous technologies like instant messaging, e-learning, voice over Internet Protocol, radio frequency identification, teleconferencing and many others, used by today’s “knowledge worker” (term introduced by Peter Drucker).
Knowledge workplace has dramatically increased efficiency and character of the knowledge labour and with the flood of innovation it is tough to tell how the workplace of tomorrow will look like. The only thing remains clear: it will constantly progress according to and in the direction of the knowledge workers’ skills and needs.
Therefore, it makes sense to study the human component of the workplace of tomorrow. Tomorrow’s knowledge workers are of my age and younger. They are called Generation Y, or Net Generation. Internet, cell phones and computers are as indispensable for them as mail service and typewriters have been for their parents. They are the early adopters of new gadgets and technologies. Brought up in the age of liberalism, they are highly individualistic and democratic at the same time. They love to have fun and do not love to defer it until the weekends: they download mp3s and videoclips via Internet or GPRS and enjoy them continually. Their main distinction is that they wake up every day thinking the world will be different and are eager to embrace this change.
Self-confident and decisive, they do not miss out on life and know what they want. The workplace they would fit should induce in them the feelings of freedom, fulfilment and belonging. In fact, new sorting of human work is likely to emerge: “off-site – in-site worker” versus today’s white and blue-collar division. “Off-site” workers will perform their tasks from outside, not necessarily their homes, and maintain constant contact with office by teleconferencing and mobile devices. In-site employees will work in traditional way and/or conduct tasks requiring immediate presence. Their duties will mainly involve smoothing information stream for information technology and software.
I believe the workplace of tomorrow will help us clearly distinguish the difference between manager as an executive and controller and leader as an inspirer and strategist because future workforce will expect from their workplace more than fiscal compensation. What they will need most is the feeling and state of achievement and fulfilment.
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