Visionaries identify solutions for tomorrow's workforce
From changing economies to toppled governments, many disruptive societal shifts will create changes within the workplace in the future. And if these shifts are not properly identified now by today's educators, business leaders and policymakers, then these critical issues can set today's workers on an ill-prepared path, says Dr. Tracey Wilen-Daugenti, PhD, vice president and director of Apollo Research Institute.
"We need to anticipate and prepare [tomorrow's workforce] with the right education, skills and adaptive attributes," says Wilen-Daugenti.
To help with this preparation, Apollo Research Institute sponsored a Future of Work think tank on Nov. 2, 2011. Hosted by the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto, Calif., the all-day, interactive session convened an exclusive group of 20 business visionaries from a variety of leading companies, including Twitter®, IBM® and Hewlett-Packard®.
It was far from a typical brainstorming session, notes Dr. Caroline Molina-Ray, PhD, executive director of research and publications at Apollo Research Institute. Rather, she adds, these stakeholders used a forecasting methodology focused on empirical fact-finding, pattern identification and analysis to accurately identify emerging workforce trends.
"We identified societal drivers and broad shifts that corroborate or exemplify these trends," explains Molina-Ray. "Then we painted scenarios and personas that embody the future of work." She said that the day's countless sticky notes, graphic recordings, small group sessions and overarching findings will be integrated into a research report that Apollo Research Institute will publish in spring 2012.
Wilen-Daugenti says she is excited to share the research with educators, businesses and policymakers in the position to craft solutions to help prepare today's workers for tomorrow.
