Balance between singularity and multiplicity:
Lost are the days when individuals targeted a particular career, worked hard for career progression, and became content when they reached a particular peak in their career. This one-line career path appears to be fading for the next generation of employees. Individuals are more purpose-driven or less patient to find meaningfulness in their current careers. More than that, individuals once forced to learn and work in a particular field because it gave them their bread and butter, are now motivated enough to choose their path based on untravelled roads and their passion. There are numerous examples to demonstrate that people prefer multiple jobs: from YouTube videos to microworking, people swarm into multiple domains and excel. When you work in different domains, you may find the connections between the unrelated dots and interdisciplinary innovation becomes a near possibility. Steve Jobs’ philosophy is that technology should be married to art and humanities. To have that integration and synergy, we need interdisciplinary individuals. On the other side, certain works performed by low-wage workers are expected to become obsolete in the next five years, therefore there is an immediate need for the Government, organizations, and individuals to look out for opportunities and upskill/reskill so that the financial and social inequality caused by the technology disruption can be reduced to a considerable extent.
While Taylor’s scientific management is still in place in several traditional forms of businesses and firms, we should also recognize that we are in the midst of a work transition in terms of the location, type of work, number of jobs, and organizations in which individuals prefer to work. Individuals more often work with temporary teams as organizations embrace external crowdsourcing and agile teams. Therefore, their relationships with their co-workers are either fragmented or remain virtual. The properties of one job have been dissipated and the properties of multiple jobs now take centre stage. There might be a complete change in the organizational structure according to the work design changes that will be undertaken in the upcoming years.
A group of researchers discovered that working more jobs can make people happier and more content 1. Referred to as “Harmonious careerists”, these individuals prefer to come out of monolithic work designs and work for multiple platforms based on their interests and previous work experiences. Of course, taking multiple jobs comes with several challenges. The first is prioritization; though individuals prefer to multitask, it is also important to remember that we as a species excel at single tasks more effectively than we do multitasking. Therefore, prioritizing work is the key to juggling between different works that demand different skills and competencies.
While conventional individuals may argue that juggling between tasks may undermine your psychological energy, and increase exhaustion, which may ultimately lead to frustration, we must recall the theory of spillover to understand how positive energy from one domain can be transferred to another domain. Switching between jobs may increase one’s energy as the work in itself becomes a deviation from the other work, therefore, individuals feel rejuvenated. A break from routine labor/monotonous work enables people to relax, which is typically done by procrastination, but in this case through constructive activity that produces beneficial results. These multiple works also provide an immense sense of ownership and agility, as the individuals choose their basket of works and adapt themselves to deliver agile work outcomes. Multifaceted interests and passions can be revealed through these multiple works and not only that, but this workforce may create several skills that are required to fill the skill gap that will be more prevalent in the years to come. Organizations should start to embrace the concept of contingent work forms (such as micro-working, gig-working, and crowd-working) and design career portfolios with various career paths that can be chosen by the new-gen employees.
How can something grow and be round if it is flat?
“Flat” organizational structure is the new buzzword that has been ringing around the business horizons, from start-ups to several multinational corporations. Several leaders consider this contemporary transition very much essential, as there is a sea change in attitudes among the stakeholders and the volatility of the market. A flat organization represents fewer hierarchies and promotes individual decision-making and self-regulation. The fewer the layers of hierarchy, the lesser the tyranny. In a flat structure, employees can experience a great deal of self-direction and motivation, which are essential to fostering creativity and agility among the employees. In a nutshell, it is both an extrinsic and an intrinsic incentive to take risks and own their actions. However, this token comes with several conditions. When the firms think that the flat structure is just a plug-and-play, then that might be the tipping point of its downfall. To run a flat organization successfully, the management requires several cultural and technological changes within the organization that facilitate the growth of the flat structure.
Employees should take on several roles, such as negotiators, communicators, change agents, and monitors, as the hierarchies are blurred and therefore the employees become their own managers. One of the incredibly well-managed flat firms in India is Lijjat Papad. The firm, which was initially started by a few Gujarati women, has received tremendous attention across the globe. With the help of vernacular newspapers, simple strategies such as making women co-owners, and simple yet well-organized logistics helped them become a flat organization successfully focussing on women empowerment and the sustainable development of small-scale rural industries. However, these fairy tales may not apply to several large-scale firms or start-ups that intend to expand. Firms like Zappos had several challenges when they wanted to stay with a flat structure while expanding their businesses. Flat structure and business expansion do not go well together because business expansion necessitates effective leadership qualities, whereas flat structure necessitates self-regulation Therefore, there remains the impending question of how to grow a flat organization while maintaining the cultural values and entrepreneurial spirit of the employees. The solution can be found in several firms located in Nordic countries, which are placed very high on collectivism. These Nordic countries believe in interdependence and focus on interpersonal relationships through trust. Flat structures have been successfully implemented by Finland-based firms, such as Futurice, by designing agile modular teams and giving employees the freedom to make decisions as long as they meet the needs of their clients, targets, and colleagues. This specific example shows that a flat structure doesn’t compromise any of the stakeholders, as they can build a 360-degree self-monitoring system. Therefore, future managers should concentrate on making the flat structure round and organic so that the firm can be as agile as possible. By doing so, blended work arrangements can be beneficial for both the employees and the organisations
Debate between self-employment and Full-time employment:
There has been a steady increase in the intention to be self-employed among the majority of the working population in India. This seismic shift from full-time employment to self-employment desires is fuelled by several factors, such as a lack of meaningfulness in the current workspace, financial stability, and awareness of global opportunities. The digital economy has also paved the way for individuals to seek self-employment with minimal risks, as individuals can take up micro jobs and test the waters before plunging deep into businesses. One of the research studies conducted in the US reported that there is a strong effect of financial literacy on self-employment intentions. Surprisingly, the study also found that females show a greater affinity towards self-employment when they are financially literate. However, self-employment and the reason behind the desire to be self-employed should be analyzed in different dimensions. For instance, one of the surveys reports that individuals in developed countries find full-time employment a viable option to lead a happy and peaceful life, while individuals in developing countries find self-employment a viable option to pursue a content life. These reasons can be anything between the secure policies offered by the government and the cultural norms of those countries. Knowing this shift, companies can implement a variety of options, such as corporate entrepreneurship programs and independent business units, where individuals can spin off their ideas into a product while still working for a corporation. This will constantly motivate employees to stay in the organization without jeopardizing their aspirations.
Engagement with hedonic systems:
Organizations now more than ever encourage employee diversity. Individuals with different cultural values, different demographics, personalities, and varying ideologies are being recruited by firms to infuse creativity and inclusiveness in the workplace. However, diversity comes with several challenges. Firms have to think strategically to reduce the stereotyping and biases, which are unconsciously made by the employees. Further, attrition, great resignation, and migration to different industries are all on the rise during the past few years. These issues call for a solution, which may sufficiently motivate the employees to stay engaged, find meaningfulness, stay connected with the work community, and be productive. This is where the concept of gamification came into existence. Gamification, the term coined in the early 2000s, is the application of game-like features in a non-game environment to create value and deliver creative solutions.
Significant reasons why gamification has been successfully applied in various industries such as consumer services, sustainable lifestyle-related processes, employee performance, and education services are that gamification provides a multitude of benefits beyond hedonic pleasure. For instance, gamification is found to increase the transcendent, intellectual, and flow experiences of the employees, which further motivates employees to be creative, agile, and engaged in the workplace 4.5. Several game mechanics, such as leaderboards, avatars, and points have been incorporated in gamified workplaces to induce intrinsic as well as extrinsic motivation among the employees. According to the Gartner report, 70% of the top 2000 corporations are already using gamified work systems and these corporations fundamentally implement gamification to enhance user experiences, learning, and productivity. A digital workspace can be further developed into a metaverse-enabled gamified workspace and such a paradigm shift may help employees be both emotionally and physically present while working anywhere away from their firms. Choosing digital nomadism can be made constructive this way However, gamification may also act as a double-edged sword, as many reports have claimed that extrinsic motivation driven by extensive competition may kill individuals’ intentions to work as a team and increase self-oriented activities. Therefore, the future workplace is expected to focus on gamified systems based on personalization, collaboration, and collaborative competition, which are essential for employees to work as one unit while still being motivated to achieve their individual goals.
Beyond value creation, firms are also increasingly implementing gamification to enhance the social responsibility of the employees (e.g., badges for carpooling) and customers (e.g., Toyota encouraging customers to be energy efficient) and also improve the psychological and physical well-being of the stakeholders (e.g., badges for weight loss/organic consumption)”. In the years to come, we can anticipate a higher level of gamification as technologies such as Artificial intelligence (AI), Virtual reality (VR) and Augmented reality (AR) are expected to integrate with gamification applications. As a result of the continuous rise of gamification applications in various domains, we will see a plethora of opportunities for young managers in the gamification field, including design, feature experimentation, integration of existing business processes with gamification, and analytics related to data obtained through gamified systems.
Social consciousness, a new norm:
There is a phenomenal attitudinal change among the stakeholders towards the environmental impact the businesses create. Firms have started to align their business processes from an environmental perspective and according to reports, employees are placing greater emphasis on climate change and choosing organizations based on the stance these firms have on environmental policies. While countries like Sweden remain at the top in building a green economy and sustainable competitiveness, several reports also accuse the firms of “greenwashing” “. Several firms have taken environmental responsibility and consciousness as opportunistic tendencies to generate more profits. Because of these false communications, stakeholders are becoming more skeptical about the credibility of the environmental policies put forth by several organizations.
The attitudinal shift of the stakeholders and the in-built challenges of trusting the environmental regulations and policies necessitate the need to employ environmental policymakers in managerial roles. Several business schools are encouraging management students to take courses focussing on combating climate change and building environmentally friendly business strategies. These lines of work will play an important role in shaping the managers of tomorrow. Beyond being a scientist or an ecologist, future of work offers a multitude of opportunities for management graduates to make a positive environmental impact. From sustainable clothing design to environmentally friendly technologies, there are a million options for management graduates to choose from. According to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, green skills will be one of the most sought-after skills shortly as they focus on the knowledge and capability needed to build a sustainable society. Professionals including specialists in environmental compliance and regulation, specialists for environment-related negotiations with their stakeholders, and legal experts will soon join the lines of work to make the firm more visible in terms of environmental business practices. Therefore, from “gamification” to “gig-working”, from “green skills” to “self-management skills”, there are several options beyond the conventional schema of works for the young generation to learn and explore. It is not as delusional as it seems to be!
Author: Dr. Nivedhitha K S
About the Author
Dr. Nivedhitha K S is an Assistant Professor (Grade I) in Organizational Behaviour and HR at
IIM Kozhikode. Her research focuses on gamification in the workplace, employee
collaboration tools, and women’s psychology.
She has published in top-tier journals like Behaviour & Information Technology, Internet
Research, and Journal of Leisure Research. Her work examines how gamification enhances
employee agility and creativity while reducing cyberslacking. With a strong academic foundation
and impactful research, she contributes to advancing workplace dynamics and organizational
psychology, shaping the future of HRM.
