The creative equivalent of work that we eagerly wait for
The twenty-first century that we live in has multiple perspectives and meanings to the term “work”. The basic interpretation of work as the mutual exchange of resources has evolved over time, especially due to the recent advent of disruptive technologies. History has proven that the definition of what one considers as a menial task keeps evolving, as more sophisticated and accurate solutions are devised. For example, data entry jobs that once required several dedicated workers hours to execute have now become automated and generate the same output much quicker than ever before.
The future that awaits us will find several more monotonous tasks disappearing. To mention a noteworthy example, I/O 2018, the annual conference organized by Google, showed the world the wonders of “Google Duplex” technology, which can imitate human speech pattern to book appointments for the user automatically, thus making the entire process seamless[1]. On one hand, this technology has the potential to boost the performance of an organization, while on the other hand, it makes several jobs redundant, and in time, even obsolete. To put it in simpler terms, machines are taking our seats to produce better results with less investment and more accuracy.
Though many may argue that evolving technology will fail to provide means of livelihood for the exponentially increasing population, studies by ADP Research Institute has shown that this will, on the contrary, provide people with the opportunity to find time for their passion and pursue it better[2]. It will become easier to find work that not only aligns well with our interests, but also overlaps with the needs of the society, thus causing a boost in the creativity of the human workforce as a whole. This will result in more flexibility and greater choice in the kind of work to pursue.
Since the future of work will heavily rely on human creativity, it correspondingly will require us to adapt to different roles that the task necessitates. Those who think out of the box and are versatile enough to invent solutions with the power of technology will stand above the rest, and so differentiation will happen in the society. Steve Jobs is a remarkable influencer who has made a mark on mankind in this regard[3]. These thought leaders perceive a problem as a potential to improve oneself and society as a whole. When people work, it will not be merely for the monetary benefits, but rather also for the joy and passion to discover one’s interest. Pursuing their goals to the fullest will translate into autonomy and stability, thus returning benefits to mankind in return.
This structure of workforce will put knowledge in the forefront to progress, to better equip oneself to face the emerging challenges. Due to this transcend in the reward that people prefer beyond just income, retirement will become a matter of personal choice, and it will cease to exist in official records, meaning one can work as long or as short as she can sustain.
As the well renowned motivational speaker Simon Sinek believes, millennials will be the driving force of this changing pattern in the workforce[4]. The influence of technology that people once deemed to be damaging to the youth will be rekindled yet again, to shape it as a progressive support aid to boost productivity. AI and technology will discover one’s potential and promote development in that direction while finding opportunities to further expand growth within the world system.
Technology for the first time in history will be able to find a solution to ensure the quantity of workforce will not deter the quality of performance of an organization. Regular automated internal assessments will determine the perfect configuration of personnel within the system to boost overall productivity. Creativity first ecosystem will require more brain work and effort as the level of abstraction for rhetoric work keeps ascending. Modularity and synchrony will be the building blocks for several workforces, and people will be able to easily translate their passion into final meaningful end results that benefit the world.
Yet in this era of work, the wondrous Utopian system will have hidden dystopia patterns. Job security will be deeply related to the level of output one generates. In many ways, Darwinism will dominate the system, as finding an alternative would become easier if performance goes below a threshold for too long[5]. Much of this is credited to the digital network that connects an individual with the world. Internet will become accessible to every essential part of the world, and support will be just a gesture away.
Speaking of business corporates, the challenge of creativity will surmount to such great extends, that the leaders of the industry will be those who are always alert and on their toes about variations in the ecosystem due to several factors ranging from technological changes to unexpected fluctuations in the stock value. Digital currency in the form of crypt o-currency and its variants will be the medium of exchange, in a world that wholehearted accepts the decentralized approach to systems[6].
To sum it up, creativity will be the driving force in the future of work, where those who have sound knowledge across various technologies and resources will find a solution to an impediment while at the same time pursuing their goal and being rewarded within. Technology though in the short run may be deemed as the evil destroyer of jobs, in the long run, will be the pathfinder for one to truly enjoy life. The future of work will be challenging yet heavily rewarding for those who adapt and provide the most with their creativity.
Image source: Google Images, Unsplash
Citations
[1] https://ai.googleblog.com/2018/05/duplex-ai-system-for-natural-conversation.html
[2] https://www.adp.in/evolution-of-work/overview
[3] https://sites.psu.edu/leadership/2016/03/23/steve-jobs-the-man-the-influence-and-the-power/
[4] https://ochen.com/transcript-of-simon-sineks-millennials-in-the-workplace-interview
[5] https://www.sociology.org/the-ideology-of-darwin/
[6] https://hackernoon.com/what-will-bitcoin-look-like-in-twenty-years-7e75481a798c
