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February 2012

What are you doing on February 10th? Would you like to spend an hour with me and 14 other smart people thinking out loud about the future of work?

I will be hosting "Talking About Tomorrow," an “open mike” conference call at 11 AM Pacific Standard Time on Friday, February 10. There’s no charge to participate, but you do have to sign up in advance.

We’ll be exploring what it takes to drive future-oriented change into organizations—to turn ideas into action. Don’t sign up expecting a single “magic answer” that will suddenly change your life or your career. But if you want to be provoked, to compare your experiences with those of 15 other forward-thinking people, and to take away some tangible insights, come along for the ride. There's more information about the call at this link.

All you have to do is send me an email asking to participate; if there is still room when I hear from you (remember, the conversation is limited to 15 people, plus me), you’re in.

Then, once you’ve registered for “Talking About Tomorrow,” please come back here and read on. The feature article (“How Can I Manage Them if I can't See Them?”) focuses yet again on how to manage employees who are working away from the corporate office. As always, there is no easy solution; building the right kind of performance measurement and management system is hard work. But it can be done.

And beyond that, be sure to read my review of a wonderful new book called “The Agile Workforce and Workplace.” Co-authored by my colleague Karol Rose, this book will show you how to design and implement a flexible work program, and why you should. It’s a must-read (I wouldn’t mention it otherwise).

Finally, we’ve pulled together our usual collection of important and interesting articles, videos, and websites that provide glimpses into the future (“The Future of. . .”):  insights I’ve found valuable and I hope you will too. And of course, we end the issue, as we do every month, with a quick listing of recent and upcoming events where I’m actively doing my best to create the future of work (“What’s Happened/Happening”).

Enjoy.
 

Jim

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1. How Can I Manage Them if I Can't See Them?.

I am convinced the fundamental reason that many organizations have not embraced flexible work programs is that middle managers fundamentally mistrust their employees. I continue to see evidence of a pervasive and deep-seated belief that if an employee is “out of sight” his or her work will be out of mind. For me, there is only one way to overcome that kind of basic mistrust: measure what employees produce, not how much time they spend on the job.

2. My Bookshelf: "The Agile Workforce and Workplace"

There have been thousands of books, articles, speeches, and blog posts in recent years on how to implement flexible work. Some of those sources have even been useful. But The Agile Workforce and Workplace, by Karol Rose and Lori Sokol, is by far the most comprehensive, and the most practical, guide I have found to date.

3. The Future of. . .

A small sample of the stories and developments we are paying attention to these days. It’s entirely possible that you missed some of these important ideas and events that offer clues about how the future of work is unfolding.

4. What's Happened/Happening?

Brief announcements and notes about where we've been, and will be, holding forth in public conversations and other activities.

As usual, your comments and reactions to any of these articles are more than welcome. Please send your thoughts to us at any time.

The Future of Work Agenda is produced by Jim Ware of The Future of Work. . . unlimited. We encourage your comments, suggestions, and submission of materials for possible future publication.

Please contact Jim Ware anytime.

To subscribe to Future of Work Agenda, please click here and register on our web site. Please pass this newsletter on to other interested individuals and encourage them to subscribe as well. The newsletter is free, and will remain free as long as possible.

For republication rights, contact Jim Ware.

Production design by CJ Ware (www.cjbuilt.com)

  
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This is the November/December 2010 issue of our free monthly newsletter, Future of Work Agenda. We welcome comments on any of these articles. You can also access the newsletter directly on our website, at this link.

"Two roads diverged in a wood. . ." (Robert Frost)

Believe it or not, this is the 100th issue of Future of Work Agenda. Our initial newsletter was published in 2001. Even though we claim to be futurists, when we first began, we had no idea our venture would last this long.

Alas, however, we've come to the end of a road. Or, more accurately, to a fork. Charlie is going one way, Jim another. In case you missed it, here's the announcement we recently published:

From Charlie:

2011 is going to be a year of change. The Work Design Collaborative is no exception.

I would like to announce that I have accepted a full-time faculty position at Capella University, effective Jan 1st. I will be teaching leadership and organizational development and mentoring a few graduate students doing research.

While clearly "out of the blue," this is an opportunity and challenge I am very much looking forward to. I want to take this time to say a heartfelt "thank you" to all of you who have been friends, colleagues, clients, and members of the tribe.

The next few weeks will be a transition time, so expect to hear more from Jim on his plans for the future of the business and the community.

Please update your address books for Charlie to cegrantham@gmail.com. Phone numbers will remain the same. Good luck in all your future efforts and God speed.

Charlie

From Jim:

I'm excited about the variety of opportunities ahead. The future of work remains as important—and as dynamic!—as ever.

Charlie and I have had a great eight and a half years together, and we both remain committed to helping create the future of work. I wish him all the best in his new venture.

Most importantly, I want to assure all of you that Charlie will remain a close friend going forward. He'll be accessible to me as a Senior Advisor, as well as to any of you who have questions or need occasional advice.

I look forward to working with you to address the continuing challenges of the changing workplace.

My email address and phone numbers remain the same. Please contact me any time with your questions and suggestions. And look for some more announcements in the coming weeks as we reshape and refocus our efforts.

Jim

We'll still collaborate when we can, but as we each look ahead to a highly uncertain future, our journeys are diverging.

Please enjoy this year-end newsletter. One final note: given the upcoming holidays and Jim's plans to refocus the business a bit, the newsletter is going to take a brief vacation.

We'll be back in a few months, spiffed up, refueled, and ready to continue setting the agenda for the future of work. Meanwhile, Happy Holidays!

Charlie and Jim

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1. Feature Article: One More Time: Back To The Future

When we look back on our predictions about the future of work over the last decade, we were right about 50% of the time. Like most other futurists we failed to foresee the massive economic meltdown the whole world experienced in 2007/2008. We remain hopeful, but for things to turn up significantly we'll have to see major changes in the legal structures that govern how we work. Attitudes usually change before behaviors, and behaviors before legislation. We note that attitudes towards work have changed. We wait, not-so-patiently, for the rest of the process to unfold.

2. Meet The Associates

We recently invited a small group of people to become Future of Work Associates, a new community of world-class experts who, like us, are committed to helping create the future of work. We introduce several more of the Associates here, in the belief that the more you get to know them the more you'll want to engage with us and them as you create your own future.

3. The Future of Technology

How do the tools we use affect the way we learn and understand our world? Here are two thought-provoking articles from the New York Times on what it's like to grow up "digital" and to teach in a digital world.

4. The Future of Place and Space

Two intriguing views about how connectivity is changing the way we work, live, and congregate. First a new look at "Connected Britain"; and, second, news and some speculation about how the recently-passed federal legislation mandating telework in federal agencies might affect the future of work.

5. The Future of People and Organizations

First, a new website focused on recording the life and work experiences of people from every part of the work world you can think of—and many you haven't. Second, a look at Work 2.0, courtesy of Bill Jensen who offers a new way of thinking about your "contract" with your employer. And third another reminder of the basic reasons why assembling a dispersed team makes so much sense.

6. The Future of Work Design

We lead off with "70 Jobs for 2030," from the World Future Society. Then "Smashing the Clock," published in Business Week in 2006, a now-classic look at how Best Buy implemented a results-only work environment where, among other things, all meetings are optional. And "The Fifth Imperative" is a much more recent call for Sustainability as our best hope for improving organizational effectiveness.

7. What's Happened/Happening?

Brief announcements and notes about where Jim and Charlie have been, are, and will be, holding forth in public conversations and other activities.

As usual, your comments and reactions to any of these articles are more than welcome. Please send your thoughts to us at any time, or add a comment below.

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This is the October 2010 issue of our free monthly newsletter, Future of Work Agenda. We welcome comments on any of these articles. You can also access the newsletter directly on our website, at this link.

It's often said that it's darkest before dawn. But we like to pay more attention to the "early light" that always precedes sunrises. And we think we may be seeing some early signs of an economic re-awakening. No, the traditional signals (GDP growth, dropping unemployment statistics) haven't shifted yet, but we do see plenty of evidence that innovation is alive and well—and we truly believe that's a "weak signal" that a healthy recovery may be just over the horizon.

We don't base that assessment on hard-nosed quantitative data or traditional leading indicators, but on our own gut sense of what's happening across the business landscape.

Just look at the plethora of research reports, white papers, and new technology products that are popping up all over the place; see our "Future of . . ." sections for an almost overwhelming sample of what innovators and thought leaders are doing and thinking about today. And be prepared for some very exciting developments as these kinds of ideas make their way into the mainstream of the world economy over the next several years.

Pay attention, also, to the plethora of new startups beginning to appear. They may not be getting the kind of funding that stoked Silicon Valley earlier in the decade, but they are beginning to produce many exciting new products and services.

For us, however, all the technological and management innovation in the world isn't going to change the way businesses operate on a day-to-day basis—until practicing managers grow up and begin acting like adults who are focused on achieving results. That's the theme of our feature article this month, "Oh, Grow Up!" We hope you'll find it provocative and perhaps even useful in your own work.

We also introduce you to three more of our Future of Work Associates, Dave McCarty, Jacob McNulty, and Jen McClure (coincidentally, the only three "Mc's" in the group). You'll find them every bit as interesting and talented as the rest of the Associates, and we encourage you to call on them (and us) as you create your own future of work.

Enjoy.

Charlie and Jim

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1. Feature Article: Oh, Grow Up!

Being an adult. And behaving like one. What a radical concept! A recent conversation reminded us of how central the basic notions of accountability and taking personal responsibility for one's actions are to the future of work. The more distributed organizational work becomes, the more critical it is to develop results-based management systems, and to build cultures that value, expect, and reward adult behaviors.

2. Meet The Associates

We recently invited a small group of people to become Future of Work Associates, a new community of world-class experts who, like us, are committed to helping create the future of work. We introduce several more of the Associates here, in the belief that the more you get to know them the more you'll want to engage with us and them as you create your own future.

3. The Future of Technology

Two stories about how the new social media and "cloud computing" are becoming essentially mainstream—and changing the way we human beings relate to each other. Plus a wonderful story about augmented reality and how it's going to change the way we related to things.

4. The Future of Place and Space

Two stories about telecommuting (it's happening more and more, and telecommuters like it – big surprise!). And one about where to find the world's best brains.

5. The Future of People and Organizations

McKinsey Consulting has just republished a classic, comprehensive review of the research on change management. Well worth a serious read.

6. The Future of Work Design

All kind of exciting things happening on this front. A summary of major trends affecting us all from Intuit and Emergent Research, a compelling vision of the future of cities, and a comprehensive look at the future of work from London Business School.

7. What's Happened/Happening?

Brief announcements and notes about where Jim and Charlie have been, are, and will be, holding forth in public conversations and other activities.

As usual, your comments and reactions to any of these articles are more than welcome. Please send your thoughts to us at any time.

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This is the September 2010 issue of our free monthly newsletter, Future of Work Agenda. We welcome comments on any of these articles. You can also access the newsletter directly on our website, at this link.

Fall is in the air—at least here in North America. We're all back from our summer vacations and gearing up to push that big economic rock back up the hill. At least that's what we hope is going on.

We're doing our small part by featuring this month a quick look at five new workplaces—what some people call "co-working" facilities ("Alas, It's Not Working").

Reducing the cost of workforce support remains a priority for most organizations; we believe that establishing flexible work programs and embracing shared work centers closer to where your employees live is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways of doing just that. However, as you'll see from our comments below, senior management doesn't seem to have gotten the memo. Isn't it time to do something?

We also introduce you to three more Associates—members of our new Future of Work Collaborative. This group of world-class experts is meeting regularly (if virtually) to explore how we can leverage our combined knowledge to tackle basic issues surrounding the future of work—like how to convince senior executives that the world has changed and that continuing to manage in the same old ways isn't going to produce the results they are looking for.

And, as usual, we point you to a number of links where you'll find important ideas about the future of technology, the future of people and organizations, the future of place and space, and the future of work design.

Finally, we offer a new white paper, "Understanding Transformation," to help you make sense out of the many and often-confusing changes that hitting our economy, our society, our communities, and our very culture. The Executive Summary is included in the "What's Happened/Happening" section at the end of the newsletter.

Enjoy.

Charlie and Jim

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1. Feature Article: Alas, It's Not Working

"Third Places" for work, or Business Community Centerssm as we prefer to call them, have not yet become a common part of the commercial workplace portfolio. We take a look at the state of the practice by highlighting five examples of current remote work options. We conclude that the major impediment to the development of this workplace innovation is primarily the powerful inertia against change in the commercial real estate market. We continue to believe that may finally change—and soon.

2. Meet The Associates

We've recently invited a small group of people to become Future of Work Associates, a new community of world-class experts who, like us, are committed to helping create the future of work. Each month for the foreseeable future we're going to introduce several of the Associates here, in the belief that the more you get to know them the more you'll want to engage with us and them as you create your own future.

3. The Future of Technology

Two brief looks at how technology is changing the way we access and use information, and one guide on how to read a technology patent.

4. The Future of Place and Space

One very immediate issue to be concerned about: proposed changes in lease accounting standards that could transform your workplace strategy. And one much longer-term development that could completely revolutionize the way you provide power to your buildings.

5. The Future of People and Organizations

Believe it or not, there are still major shortages of critical-skill talent, not just in the U.S., but around the world. So we point you to some helpful suggestions on how to retain key talent—and we highlight a report suggesting that flexible work programs are good for employees' health.

6. The Future of Work Design

Since many of you are having trouble finding the talent you need, we included an article on boosting the productivity of knowledge workers—in five easy steps. And we highlight an intriguing analysis suggesting that the whole concept of unemployment is so 20th-century.

7. What's Happened/Happening?

Brief announcements and notes about what Jim and Charlie have been up to, and where they will be holding forth in public conversations and other activities.

As usual, your comments and reactions to any of these articles are more than welcome. Please send your thoughts to us at any time.

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This is the July-August 2010 issue of our free monthly newsletter, Future of Work Agenda. We welcome comments on any of these articles. You can also access the newsletter directly on our website, at this link.

By the time you read this newsletter it will be almost August, followed closely by September. Where did the summer go?

Actually, of course, if you are anything like us, you may slow down just a bit during the summer months, but it's generally more satisfying to stay busy (we know we're ignoring our friends and colleagues in the southern hemisphere, but we hope you'll bear with us).

And in addition to our recent client work we've kept our brain cells in hyperactive mode the last several months by trying to wrestle " to the ground a really "wicked problem. You can read about our current state of mind in this month's Feature Article, "21st-Century Space Planning," so we won't dwell on it here.

But we want you to know that we've developed some deep compassion for those of you out there who have to make major financial commitments to buy, lease, and build out commercial office space. With so much of the workforce on the go almost all the time, how can you possibly predict how much space you'll need, for how long, and in what locations?

If you suffer from that challenge, read on. We don't have any answers, but we think we at least know how to think about the problem. And that's an important first step.

In this issue, you'll also meet three more of our very talented Future of Work Associates, and you'll get to peek over our virtual shoulders as we try to stay abreast of the future of technology, of people and organizations, and of place and space. And if you have any "spare" time, we've got a couple of important books we think you should be reading.

We also want to take a moment to express our appreciation to our Production Editor and Future of Work Associate Lise LaTorre for her outstanding work on this issue, and on every issue of this newsletter for the past eight years. It couldn't happen without her, and all too often we take her incredible skills for granted. Thank you, Lise, for work well done!

Finally, as we say every year at this time, we'll see you in September—this is a combined July/August newsletter. Maybe we can indeed slow down just a bit after all!

Enjoy.

Charlie and Jim

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1. Feature Article: 21st-Century Space Planning

In today's mobile, location-independent economy determining how much and what kind of office space an organization needs is an overwhelming task. Organizations can no longer simply build out and maintain a workplace; they must provide many kinds of spaces to support the many different activities we call "work." And determining how much of each kind of spaces can be extremely difficult.

2. Meet The Associates

We've recently invited a small group of people to become Future of Work Associates, a new community of world-class experts who, like us, are committed to helping create the future of work. Each month for the foreseeable future we're going to introduce several of the Associates here, in the belief that the more you get to know them the more you'll want to engage with us and them as you create your own future.

3. The Future of Technology

Technology—can't live with it, can't live without it. This month we heard about two research studies showing that learning via computers and Internet access produces lower math and reading scores, while reading old-fashioned books improves academic performance. On the other hand, there are now robot teachers that actually help autistic kids get better.

4. The Future of Place and Space

On July 14 the House of Representatives passed the Telework Improvements Act, which will make it far easier for federal employees to telecommute. While the Act must still be reconciled with a similar bill passed by the Senate in May, the future looks very promising for telecommuting.

5. The Future of People and Organizations

Trust is an essential foundation of organizational design and leadership. We point you to a thought-provoking essay on trust-based organizations from Bentley College Professor Raj Sosidia.

6. The Future of Work Design

We point you to a very thoughtful and incredibly important article about creating jobs in the United States, by Andy Grove, former CEO and Chairman of Intel.

7. The Bookshelf: Stuff We Are Reading (and So Should You)

This month we highlight two books focused on talent management and relationships.

8. What's Happened/Happening?

Brief announcements and notes about where Jim and Charlie have been, are, and will be, holding forth in public conversations and other activities.

As usual, your comments and reactions to any of these articles are more than welcome. Please send your thoughts to us at any time.

This issue of Future of Work Agenda was produced by Jim Ware and Charlie Grantham of the Work Design Collaborative, LLC. We encourage your comments, suggestions, and submission of materials for possible future publication.

We also want to express our appreciation to our Production Editor and Future of Work Associate Lise LaTorre for her outstanding work on this issue, and on every issue of this newsletter for the past eight years. It couldn't happen without her.

Please contact us anytime: Charlie Grantham or Jim Ware.

To subscribe to Future of Work Agenda, click here and register on our web site. Please pass this newsletter on to other interested individuals and encourage them to subscribe as well. The newsletter is free, and will remain free as long as possible.

To end your subscription, send a message to newsletter@thefutureofwork.net and write Unsubscribe in the Subject line. For republication rights, contact Jim Ware.

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This is the June 2010 issue of our free monthly newsletter, Future of Work Agenda. We welcome comments on any of these articles. You can also access the newsletter directly on our website, at this link.

June has busted out all over, and sadly the month is almost over. But if you, like us, are based in the northern hemisphere, you are finally enjoying the beginning of summer. For most of us it's been a long, cold, wet spring. We've earned that sunshine and warm weather! If you are south of the equator, have a nice winter.

But our joy at summer is tinged with sadness—and anger—over the continuing oil spill and ecological disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and along the shores of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Our prayers are with the families of those killed in the oil rig explosion and with all of those whose livelihoods and futures are under siege. And we're not just sad, but deeply concerned, about the devastation that's being wreaked on our planet and on millions of living creatures.

We've all been reminded once again that not only the future of work, but our basic future as a species, is by no means a sure thing. We've all got to learn to live and work in ways that help to sustain (and even repair) this very fragile planet. With that in mind, we offer you two thought pieces this month that are aimed dead center at that necessity.

This month we're also launching a new series, Meet the Associates, in which we introduce you to the incredibly talented members of the new Future of Work Collaborative that we announced last month. We'll feature two or three Associates each month, in the firm belief that you'll be so impressed you'll want to meet them yourself sooner rather than later (we're also looking forward to having many of them contribute articles and blog posts to this ongoing global conversation about the future of work).

Finally, you'll also find our regular "The Future of . . ." notes, pointing you to interesting and important articles, blog posts, events, and ideas about the future of work that we want you to know about.

Enjoy.

Charlie and Jim

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1. Feature Article: Sustainability With A Big "S"

Sustainability is about much more than environmental impact analyses. True long-term sustainability for both businesses and the communities where they reside must also include attention to wealth generation and the building of social capital. Using the BP oil spill disaster as a case in point this article presents a practical view of how both public and private sectors leaders can move towards true Sustainability—with a capital "S."

2. A Practical Approach To Sustainability

Ted Ritter, President of the Greater Phoenix Chapter of IFMA (International Facilities Management Association) offers some very practical advice about Sustainability to facilities managers. He led the formation and operation of a "Facilities Managers Green Peer Group" that both educated its members and produced dramatic real-world results.

3. Meet The Associates

We've recently invited a small group of people to become Future of Work Associates, a new community of world-class experts who, like us, are committed to helping create the future of work. Each month for the foreseeable future we're going to introduce several of the Associates here, in the belief that the more you get to know them the more you'll want to engage with us and them as you create your own future.

4. The Future of Technology

Did you know reading is now a social act? And if you're looking for the right collaborative tool, we've got the perfect place for you to start searching. Finally, a new look at Silicon Valley's Big Three tech firms and their competing views of the future of the Internet.

5. The Future of Place and Space

Some useful data related to the growing strategic role of corporate real estate.

6. The Future of People and Organizations

A first-person look at how millennials view the workplace, and the organizations they work for.

7. What's Happened/Happening?

Brief announcements and notes about where Jim and Charlie have been, are, and will be, holding forth in public conversations and other activities.

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This is the May 2010 issue of our free monthly newsletter, Future of Work Agenda. We welcome comments on any of these articles. You can also access the newsletter directly on our website, at this link.

We like to slow down a bit in the summer—but it ain't gonna happen this year. If anything, we're feeling the pace of business—and life—accelerating beyond imagination.

We think it's partly due to the economy finally getting moving again (thank goodness!), though we're not naive about how long it's going to take to get things back to full speed. However, we're also convinced that technology is driving us faster and faster towards the future (which we desperately hope doesn't include a 1000-foot cliff that we can't see yet).

We (all of us) are clearly more connected to more people, and more ideas, than ever before. That's mostly a good thing, but every once in a while we find ourselves wondering how to slow down, make sense of at least a little bit of what's coming at us, and figure out how to apply all that knowledge to making the future safer and more humane (and we sure wish BP and all its partners had gone just a little bit more slowly out in the Gulf a few months ago).

Our feature article this month, by our friend and colleague Bill "Patch" Paczkowski, offers a few salient suggestions for coping with our increasing dependence on technology for basic communication, and what organizations can do to balance the innovation value of enriched interconnectivity with their equally important need for focus and control.

We also announce the formation of a new virtual community/network of experts who, like us, think hard and deeply about the future of work and what it takes to help organizations get there. We're excited about the broader capability the Future of Work Collaborative gives us to guide clients towards positive futures.

And we report on a real potpourri of developments you need to be aware of – about the future of technology, the future of place and space, the future of people and organizations, and the future of work design. Plus four books for your reading pleasure and your professional development. It's a full plate – have at it!

Enjoy.

Charlie and Jim

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1. Feature Article: Managing Electronic Communication Among Distributed Workers

Companies are in a bind with people who work away from the central office for the majority of their time. On one hand, employers want to encourage informal social interaction to promote innovation and engagement, and to reduce isolation from the larger work team. On the other hand, companies have legitimate business purposes and legal obligations to manage electronic communications. We have some ideas to strike that balance.

2. Announcement: WDC Establishes Future of Work Collaborative

We are pleased to announce that we are leading the formation of a new virtual community of expert resources. The Future of Work Collaborative brings together a world-class group of Associates and Partners who will be working both individually and collectively to lead the way to the future. It's an incredibly impressive group of experts with skills in HR, PR, organization change, technology, social media, interior design, and real estate/facilities management. We welcome inquiries.

3. The Future of Technology

How do traditional libraries adapt to the digital age? Once again, Harvard is leading the way. And Honda has created a new mobility technology that will blow your socks off.

4. The Future of Place and Space

Telecommuting at 32,000 feet; you can now be a sky warrior as well as a road warrior—always online, always accessible. Good or bad? Your call.

5. The Future of People and Organizations

Networks trump organizations. They really do. Here's a story about a construction engineer who plans to build 400,000 homes for low-income Egyptians, even though he has no bank account, no business license, and no staff. But he's got a plan, and he just might be able to pull it off.

6. The Future of Work Design

Social media are transforming business models. Today every company is a media company. But we remain concerned that all this miraculous technology may be contributing more than we realize to long-term structural unemployment.

7. Stuff We're Reading — and You Should Too

As summer approaches (at least here in North America), it's common to suggest books for “beach reading” and vacations. Our list is a bit more serious, but we do encourage you to read these four very important books.

8. What's Happened/Happening?

Brief announcements and notes about where Jim and Charlie have been, are, and will be, holding forth in public conversations and other activities.

As usual, your comments and reactions to any of these articles are more than welcome. Please send your thoughts to us at any time.

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This is the April 2010 issue of our free monthly newsletter, Future of Work Agenda. We welcome comments on any of these articles. You can also access the newsletter directly on our website, at this link.

Spring is sprung, as they say. All the economic signs are pointing to brighter days ahead, though the brightness may take longer to arrive than most of us would like.

We just read a McKinsey Quarterly report on the state of the economy that we found encouraging, if not exactly heart-throbbing (free registration required to read the entire report). A recent McKinsey survey found global executives more optimistic than they have been in some time, with "Stabilizing Company Finances" and "Geographic Expansion" being the top two priorities identified by CEOs (Hiring New Talent, alas, came in fifth).

We've been paying a lot of attention recently to the concept of Trust: how companies and leaders establish brand credibility in the marketplace, and how they build cultures based on trust. We mention that only to highlight the fact that faith in the future—trust that things will get better—is a critical precursor to economic growth. That perspective highlights the fact that economic health is really a self-fulfilling prophecy. We've got to feel optimistic about the future in order to take the steps that generate a future worth being optimistic about. And we think—somewhat optimistically—that the global economy is gradually getting back to that state of mind.

With that in mind we hope you'll find our feature article this month helpful. We focus on the next 100 million residents of the United States and where they're going to live. Understanding that aspect of the future will have a huge impact on organizational location strategies, and openness to enabling remote work when you can't afford to open an office where the talent you need is choosing to live.

And we've also pulled together some of the most interesting ideas we've run across recently about the future of place and space (mostly about telecommuting) and the future of work design.

Enjoy.

Charlie and Jim

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1. Feature Article: Guess What? The Sky Isn't Falling

The next wave of growth in the United States will generate 100 million new residents. Overwhelmingly these new citizens will locate in America's heartland and its outer suburbs. Enabled by technology for connection to the global economy and driven by immigration for cultural development, these areas will become the preferred location for talent. Businesses must understand and adapt to this demographic shift in order to compete successfully for innovators and entrepreneurs.

2. The Future of Place and Space

Norway's Prime Minister runs the government with an iPad while stranded in New York City by the Icelandic volcano ash. But working at home may not be as simple, or as family-friendly, as many of us would like to think. On the other hand, we also point you to a first-person account from someone who loves telecommuting.

3. The Future of Work Design

President Obama is moving the federal government more aggressively towards flexible work.

4. What's Happened/Happening?

Brief announcements and notes about where Jim and Charlie have been, are, and will be, holding forth in public conversations and other activities.

As usual, your comments and reactions to any of these articles are more than welcome. Please send your thoughts to us at any time.

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This is the March 2010 issue of our free monthly newsletter, Future of Work Agenda. We welcome comments on any of these articles. You can also access the newsletter directly on our website, at this link.

Here in North America the harbingers of spring (birds, flowers, earlier sunrises) are becoming more and more evident. And we even saw a picture last week of crocuses popping up in London. Winter isn’t over by any stretch, but now with Daylight Savings Time in place again here in the U.S., we can dare to hope for warm, dry weather.

So we turn our thoughts to the future, and to change—and not just in the weather. We look this month at the shift in power, status, and trust away from institutions and towards communities, at the emergence of still more miraculous technologies, and the continuing growth in flexible/remote/distributed work (whatever you want to call it), including a new way to find those third places you’re looking for.

But we also sound a cautionary note. We may be optimists are heart, but we’re not naïve; nothing about the future is guaranteed. We also report on an important book that dares to ask the question, “What if automation is so successful it puts all of us out of work?”

Enjoy.

Charlie and Jim

Click on any Headline below to access the full story.

1. Feature Article: The Pendulum Swings

The forces of history are conspiring to shift the center of control in our society away from institutions and towards local community groups. This trend is true for education, governance, commerce, and our spiritual life. What you trusted fifty years ago can no longer be depended on. We believe the power of technology to promote increased connections among like-minded people is driving this change.

2. The Future of Technology

Last month it was augmented reality and 3D movies. This month we describe how a “sixth sense” technology can bring all that data out there in the “cloud” right to your fingertips (literally) when you need it. And we link to a report that highlights which new technologies are going to expand rapidly in the public sector.

3. The Future of Place and Space

We report on a new iPhone app that helps you find coffee shops and wifi hot spots, using augmented reality. And we point to a blog post on making the business case for flexible work.

4. The Bookshelf: Stuff We're Reading (and You Should Too)

This section contains mini-reviews of things we’re reading (or trying to). We’ll include links to more information online, typically at Amazon.com, though we have no stakes in whether you buy the books and articles we mention, or not.

5. What's Happened/Happening?

Brief announcements and notes about where Jim and Charlie have been, are, and will be, holding forth in public conversations and other activities.

As usual, your comments and reactions to any of these articles are more than welcome. Please send your thoughts to us at any time.

This issue of Future of Work Agenda was produced by Jim Ware and Charlie Grantham of the Work Design Collaborative, LLC. We encourage your comments, suggestions, and submission of materials for possible future publication.

Please contact us anytime: Charlie Grantham or Jim Ware.

To subscribe to Future of Work Agenda, click here and register on our web site.

For republication rights, contact Jim Ware.


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Last night I participated on a panel discussion at the February IFMA Silicon Valley Chapter meeting - along with Glenn Dirks of Teletrips, Barbara Sprenger of Satellite Telework Centers, and our good friend Diane Coles of SCAN Health Plan.

Our topic, "Evolving Telework:  The Facilities Frontier," focused primarily on the rising significance of "Third Places" as workplaces (in addition, of course, to corporate facilities - First Places - and home offices - Second Places).

Diane, as a corporate facilities director, also addressed the key question of what can be done with corporate facilities to make better use of space, break down functional stovepipes, and enhance collaboration and productivity.

I've just loaded up our combined presentation decks in Slideshare. Here's the deck:

The Facilities Frontier: Third Places and New Corporate Workplaces
View more presentations from James Ware

I hope you find these materials interesting, provocative, and even useful. Barbara discussed the reasons why Third Places make so much business sense, while Diane described how SCAN has implemented mobile work and in particular how that program has led to dramatic redesign of the corporate facilities. Glenn was our Moderator; he opened by highlighting some  research from Work Design Collaborative [my former firm] that clearly showed two-thirds of knowledge work is being done outside of corporate facilities.

I focused primarily on the business case for moving to distributed work models. And if that's an important topic for you, you may also find this article from last July's Future of Work Agenda newsletter of interest: "What are You Waiting For?" It suggests that if your CEO isn't insisting on implementation of flexible work programs he or she may be guilty of corporate malfeasance.

Questions or comments? Leave them here and I'll respond as best as I can.

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