The new work topology

We are living in the age of the knowledge worker - where people are employed for their ability to interpret information, identify problems and create strategic solutions.

Ask these people what their most valued activities are in any working day, and they will answer that it is interacting with people plus making the space to think. Ask them where they like to do these activities to be most productive, and it is not likely to be at a desk in a traditional office.

And we are not talking about an elite. In the developed world, knowledge workers outnumber other workers by four to one. People from all levels of organisations are moving from process driven work to an environment that requires creative thinking, community and collaboration.

And then there is the secret ingredient – the ‘missing link’ - that makes it really work.
The result is a new, emerging topology of work. One where we are making greater use of spaces outside the office; more flexible use of space within the office; and where there is less ownership of fixed workstations.

Some organisations are adapting faster than others, empowering employees to have a high level of autonomy over their work, encouraging them to collaborate.

But even for others that have been slower to change, this new work dynamic is not just an idealistic vision, light years away from their current realities of work. It is seeping into all of us –a natural evolution that we are seeing throughout the working world.