about Future Work …. new and expanded edition

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Green cover of Future Work book

A new, updated and expanded edition of our business bestseller, Future Work, is now out. It has a lot of exciting new content, as well as a fresh green jacket with testimonials from leading experts and executives.

The book covers the latest developments transforming the world of work, and demonstrates how pioneering organisations are adapting to rapid advances in communications technology, demographic shifts and changing attitudes to work.

With dozens of case studies, including new ones from Accenture, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Shell, Swiss Re and WPP, the book sets out the compelling case for a revolution in organizational cultures and working styles to boost output, cut costs, give employees more freedom and contribute to a greener economy.

With a new chapter on how individuals can make change happen, the book provides step-by-step advice for leaders, managers and employees, based on our popular TRUST framework. It addresses both the opportunities and the challenges, offering the most up-to-date guidance on progressive business culture for all readers who want, or need, to embrace the new world of work.

Many organizations still cling to a rigid model of fixed working time and presence better suited to the industrial age than the digital age. Managers often equate status with a misguided belief in their ability to control people. Long hours remain the rule in many workplaces, irrespective of whether they improve performance.

This is bad for business. There is ample evidence that trusting people to manage their own work lives, whether individually or in teams, pays off. Organizations that measure and reward people by results, rather than hours, benefit from higher productivity, more motivated workers, better customer service, and lower costs.

Drawing on interviews with future work pioneers and a unique international survey of managers, the book also explains:

  • Why current flexible work arrangements fail to achieve the business benefits of a wholesale shift to an agile work culture
  • Why 21st century work requires distinct leadership styles
  • Why offices are becoming meeting places rather than workplaces
  • How managers can enable dispersed, virtual teams to collaborate
  • How to ensure that technology is our servant, not our master

Future Work is not crystal ball gazing. A growing number of organizations are showing the way. It requires bold leadership and a break with old habits. But future work will not wait for those who fail to grasp the opportunities now.