NAVIGATING THE FUTURE OF WORK

This course is designed to provide an understanding of the critical capabilities necessary for individual, team, and organizational success in the new world of work. Based upon current economic models, students will recognize the intangible factors within teams and organizations that drive decision making, knowledge, and culture as value and valuation of the work of organizations.

Our core question is, how to start, build, and sustain leadership and organization capabilities for successfully navigating the future of work? The course will answer this question by looking at successful case examples who are demonstrably leading the way. We will bring actual leaders and entrepreneurs to the class for exchange with our class. The course will require students to work individually and in teams to build their own future of work models through unlearning and learning.

Students will study modern exemplar organizations and leaders to harness their lessons for staying competitive and successful. We will explore the changing nature of work, provide the means for better understanding what is occurring, and develop strategies for successfully navigating this new world. This course will start by analyzing how platforms, robotics, AI, automation, data, digitization, and the speed of technology has changed work. The capabilities necessary for success require both technological expertise, as well as, human skill centered around leadership, knowledge, and cultures of trust, respect and intentional inclusion. Students will participate in an “intangibles” assessment survey that will measure behaviors associated with leadership, culture, and knowledge for driving performance. This approach allows for exploring how the intangible factors behind each of these change factors impact the world of work, workforces, and workplaces.

Assignments will include determining individual work interests, skills and connecting them to organizational objectives and key results (OKR). Students will work in teams to design a future of work map and negotiate practices for their current organizations and clients.