Fluid work can empower or exploit workers, and COVID and other disruptions have accelerated and starkly illuminated the difference. Will fluid work evolve on a solid platform that offers empowerment rather than exploitation? A …
The COVID crisis has revealed how remarkably workers apply “hidden” capabilities their organizations never used before, shifting quickly to their most pivotal contributions.* What may be less obvious is how this has accelerated melting traditional …
Should work automation replace people? This is a debate as old as the dawn of technology, famously illustrated by the Luddites who opposed automated textile manufacturing machines. As the COVID crisis accelerates work automation, crisis-driven imperatives may lead …
The current paradox requires effectively managing the crisis, AND looking beyond today’s accomplishments to take actions now, that will sustain the vital lessons for the future. These four questions help guide the journey through …
Consider how much of your HR focus is on the quality of the individuals in your organization, but research suggests it may be equally or even more enlightening to understand the collective similarity–not just …
Rob Cross and I have suggested how organization social networks can be sources of strategic success, including encouraging newcomers to create “pull” toward themselves, rather than excessively “pushing” themselves on others. However, Rob, and …
Whether you call it “gig,” “fluid” “liquid,” “agile,” or something else, an increasing proportion of work is done through engagements other than regular full-time employment. While estimates of the number of workers who fully …
Patterns in nature are remarkable, from the smallest to the largest scale: The symmetrical pointed star shows up in starfish and segments of fruit. The same fractal patterns are seen in leaf veins, wood …
Over two decades of research, Cross and colleagues have found that 3-5% of people in a typical organization network account for 20-35% of the value-adding collaborations. Yet even sophisticated talent management systems tend to …
Work automation is often framed in simple terms – how many jobs will new technology replace? On June 14, 2011, U.S. President Barack Obama stated that ATMs allowed businesses to “become much more efficient …
