We are in a period of redefining “work” as technology continues to drive change… The societal changes we are currently experiencing are in my mind the largest in recorded history. Mobile phones have brought us continual social connection untethered from location. The Internet has seemingly boundless real-time information. Combining their technologies amplifies their effect. The result has been global and it’s not over. The breadth of change connects to all facets of our lives making it difficult to predict a final result.

Technology is no longer a means to an end; it is an integral partnership.  A proactive alliance will empower us (not enslave us) as we develop solutions together that drive change. We are like kids with shiny new bikes; proud of our good fortune and a little reckless with its use. We have yet to find good balance.

Our new age has also brought a focus to design and user experience; as products use this for market gain. This complex period of time has us evaluating what matters and redefining our needs in our new context.  The LinkedIn article “The Future of Work” discusses 3 changes that are reshaping work, and how companies should respond and evolve through cultural change and reinventing management due to a mobile workforce. Indeed the world of work has seen massive disruption in the last decade. The mobile workforce they describe could be an initial reaction to all the changes. And it’s possible that if an organizations location provided the right cultural support and better user/worker experience we’d see less of a mobile trend.

Humans are social before they are workers. The ability to have connection to our social networks wherever we are has changed our expectation of place. Many of us workers/people feel the need to align with others of like mind, as work is no longer just work; it’s our culture.

An article by Arianna Huffington “Burnout: The Disease of Our Civilization” digs into the issues of today offering a holistic approach she calls the “Third Metric campaign — to redefine success beyond the first two metrics of money and power to include well-being, wisdom, and our ability to wonder and to give” This Third Metric addresses balance.

Moving forward…

The future has always stretched us in ways that are often uncomfortable. Whether it’s a new idea or technology threatening the security of what we know. Some of us hold on to what we know, others expand into the newness.

Living successfully in the information age from my purview requires active foresight, steadfast purpose, and balanced agility.

Steadfast purpose comes from defining and aligning with a vision, mission, and goals in service to what is valued. By placing our purpose at the center of every choice, we have 360 degrees from which to engage the world meaningfully. From here we can respond maturely. Asking “what’s changed?” with every problem, approach, or potential solution offered. This lens will help keep us agile in our continually changing world, and bring clarity to what is a trend, what is noise, and what deserves attention and response.

Of course this is just one way to view the changes we face. And one lens isn’t enough for moving forward, we must to consider other perspectives.

It’s not business as usual in the future; we get to create it. Let’s make choices that will benefit us all and tell a beautiful story of how it will be.

Addendum 9/5/13

Steven Sinofsky posted “‘Continuous Productivity’ and the Next Generation of Work and Tools For Work” this has good info and is a nice compliment to the thoughts posted above. Of course I connected with this statement “Business communication becomes indistinguishable from social.” yet would have liked to have seen more emphasis on social and UX roles in business.

The article  is much longer than it needs to be. He belabors the past and present rather than stating everything we know about business and navigating life is up for review.  No doubt today is complex, but his long winded approach dilutes his message of flattening hierarchies, low barriers of entry, mobility, staying aware, and the need for an agile execution focused unstructured strategy that uses the world as a resource. AKA- Be smart about the data you have…which is pretty much everything, in real-time. If you have a clear vision and goals, don’t wait for the committee, just do it.

One way to be execution focused is to take advantage of this disruptive time and get good at perpetual triage in order to stay relevant. Again with continually asking- what’s changed?

Work is love made visible– Kahlil Gibran