The beginning of every year presents itself as a new season. It becomes even more exciting when it is the turn of a new decade. This is where we all have to pay attention because there will be new ways of doing things- experts call it trends.
In the first of this series we will take a look at some major changes that will happen especially at the work place.
These mega trends will impact the way people will carryout their responsibilities at work in 2020 and beyond;
Exponential growth in Enterprise Leadership:
If you have noticed businesses are begining to move away from a command and control structure to a more collaborative style in which common goals are set and accomplished and staff are encouraged to bond to achieve them.
Research indicates that up to two-thirds of success in leadership is attributed to Emotional Intelligence. This is supported by recent research by the World Economic Forum highlighting people management skills as being one of the most important skills for this decade. Managers will need to begin to quickly change their style of leadership while potential leaders should begin to develop skills and experience in enterprise leadership. That way climbing to the top won’t be that difficult.
More Focus on EQ than IQ:
Emotional Quotient is commonly called Emotional Intelligence in today’s parlance, with the implications of this shift being profound.
Companies are paying more value on EQ while the initial value placed on IQ will reduce. The purpose of this represents the need to be more human and empathetic towards employees and customers. So, employers are placing greater emphasis on ensuring the right personality types are hired and are considering how to attract younger workers – who instinctively understand emotional intelligence over their predecessors.
Social media skills:
With predictions coming true about the rise and stay off social media, managers now encourage staff members to use social media as a collaborative platform, while some have gone as far as ensuring that those with social media skills are given preference. This is becasue most customers are now online and regardless of when a content is published, one thoughtless tweet or post has the power to ruin a company’s reputation.
Preparing for roles that don’t exist:
Recent study by the World Economic Forum forecasts that 65 per cent of school children will, in future, be employed in jobs that don’t yet exist. If you’re very observant you would have realized that most in-demand roles in today’s workforce did not even exist five or ten years ago, showing the rapid pace of industrial change.
Leaders and career professionals need to begin to prepare now to ensure that they adapt well to an uncertain future. Nearly nine in 10 workers should anticipate having to learn new skills throughout their lifetime in order to keep up with development. Managers should incorporate experiential learning into workplace training programmes to ensure employees are constantly learning and adapting to new workplace requirements and skills.
Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality:
AI and AR is here to stay. A variety of forecast estimate the percentage of job roles at risk of being automated, with highs at 47% and lower estimates at 14% and this will bring about huge job losses anyways.
With wearables and other technology influencing how we interact with the office spaces around us, businesses are beginning to view wearables as crucial to success. Yes, machines will take over mundane tasks but we should be smart to know That although job losses will take place, employers may expect more creative and complex tasks to be completed by their employees.
Increase in Social Enterprise:
A study by Social Enterprise UK reveals that British social enterprises are outperforming mainstream business in growth and innovation and reporting about 47% growth in turnover in comparison to 34% of the others. These big businesses are already taking social enterprise more seriously.
This serves as a notice to modern-day businesses to go beyond being a money-making vehicle(s) and look at its place in society and within its local community. Putting community impact in the heart of a company’s values and mission is now a must.
For some of us, the above list may at first appear daunting and vast. But you can continue to have your business on the map or improve your chances of meaningful employment in the future by becoming more aware of the changes that occur and incorporating experiential learning into work.
Future-proof yourself for the world of work in 2020 and beyond.
Are there any other trends you’ve observed, please share with us in the comment section.