Leading a Team in the Future Workplace

 

 

When writing my brand new book Humanity Works: Merging People and Technology for the Workforce of the Future, I found a business world in the process of rapid transformation. I learned that one way to have a sustainable competitive advantage in a constantly evolving, virtual, global and automated environment is to master how to lead a team. Leaders who do this may well find that running their organizations at this time in history will be rewarding and full of opportunity.

But what exactly will the future look like? In order to be in a good position to take advantage of pending developments, owners may want to understand what's coming and master how to lead a team.

I asked Jeff Epstein, owner of referral software company Ambassador Software and Nathan Klarer, founder and chief operating officer at IT talent provider Datyra to weigh in on a few of the more pervasive trends and how leaders can go beyond them to cope successfully with the coming changes.

Flexible and Distributed Workplaces

The average employee in the 2030s probably won't be work in a single physical environment, but where and when it's most convenient and impactful.

 

“The idea of offices is already changing, with a switch to more 'WeWork-style' workplaces," says Epstein. “Shorter-term teams will be assembled to solve specific business problems, and will operate virtually."

Epstein is referring to what is known as a distributed workforce, which reaches beyond the restrictions of a traditional office environment and is often dispersed geographically over a wide area.“Teams are becoming more multi-disciplinary as distributed workplaces allow for talent to specialize," says Klarer.

In considering how to lead a team in the future, owners may have to account for changes in workplace dynamics.

“The most fundamental change is that real-time communication is commonplace," says Epstein. "Today, with a litany of communication tools, teams have access to information—and people—immediately, and people expect to chat with team members at any time."

This means that leaders will need to open their literal and metaphorical doors and devise ways to be more accessible to team members, providing guidance and direction outside the confines of traditional business hours without losing their own sense of balance and privacy.

For the rest of the piece, check out the AMEX OpenForum.

Comments

[Ryan]

A team leader really needs to communicate with his/her team members effectively. The leader should be open-minded and take suggestions from a team member. The leader should be resourceful and think of the future of the team.