The Future Of Work is exciting and scary, but hardly new

The Future Of Work is both exciting and scary, but hardly new

The excitement, fear and other deep emotions Technology and Automation change bring to the Workforce are real, but hardly new.

Technology advances are the hallmark of modern civilization. Over the years they’ve brought hope, opportunity, excitement fear and several other deeply-rooted emotions. The impact of technology on the way work is delivered and organized has been a key question for centuries. Given the overwhelming impact of Information Technology, over the last decade or so the “Future Of Work” term has gotten increased attention. The term has been associated with a forward-thinking innovative body of knowledge describing this change, even if deemed somewhat theoretical, as any prediction might be.

Technology has shaped Work for a long time

Understanding how work will change and thus how our livelihoods will be impacted, is a question that has lingered for centuries as society deals with progress and change associated with technology and its adoption. Information Technology disruption is the type of disruption most relevant today but in the past we had mechanization and other types of applied disruptive technology driving change in the workplace. There are many examples that illustrate this disruption over several centuries:

1455

Printing

1876

Telephone

1885

Automobile

1903

Airplane

1937

Computer

1983

Internet

1826

Photography

1879

Electric Light

1901

Radio

1927

Television

1972

Personal Computer

Centuries-old Future Of Work Predictions

Accordingly, predictions about the Future of Work have been made for centuries, stoking both hopes and fears.

In fact, several quotes have been documented over the years about america’s long and complicated track record dreading robots would take our jobs, as depicted in “The Future of Work, a History”.

In general terms, we tend to get caught in the period of time we live in and forget others may have faced similar challenges. Over the last several years the threat of robots -whether physical or virtual in services (i.e. RPA)- as well as Artificial Intelligence have irrupted in our personal and professional lives, threatening to disrupt jobs and livelihoods.

The past can help us navigate the future

The fact is most of these technologies aren’t that new, even if the decreasing cost of technology and their exponentially increasing power makes them much more commonplace and viable than at any other point in history. The impact of technology and automation in the execution of work as well as the fears, excitement and anxiety associated with them, is even less of a novelty and thus we can learn from the past to chart our own future. To chart this path it is important to answer some basic questions about the Future Of Work.

Every technology wave follows the same pattern: it reshapes WHO does the work, HOW it’s executed, and WHERE it happens. The discipline that designs for these shifts — from ERP to AI has existed through every wave. To understand the full landscape, start with the architecture behind business transformation.