Future-scape: Reimagining the Who, What, How, Where of Work

As businesses reconfigure their operations for new economic, geopolitical, and social realities, human capital leaders are focusing on building the right culture and context for workers to thrive.

In this report, we present a framework aimed at helping human capital leaders envisage what the future of work means for their business and people strategies. The framework was developed for and refined by approximately 40 Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA) and global heads of human capital, with follow-up interviews with 10 of these leaders.

At the center of the framework are the human constants that make up a company’s distinctive identity or DNA—its sense of purpose, values, culture, way of leading, the experience it provides to workers, and the learning that takes place on a collective and individual level. This DNA must determine leaders’ choices about how to meet and shape the future. Leaders need to be vigilant that major decisions on the future of the business remain true to corporate purpose and values.

Four dimensions of a company’s potential future-scape:

1. Business model(s) that enable a business to compete successfully and deliver value to customers and other stakeholders;
2. Work the company performs to create this value;
3. Workers who perform the work; and
4. Workplace where work takes place.