I am led to believe that soothsaying is one of the most recession proof businesses around, just like funeral services. Everyone wants to know what will happen in the future, and some, it would seem would even pay good money for a seer to give them a glimpse of what might, could, perhaps or may be. Well, in this series of articles I will be staring into my crystal ball, casting about my chicken's feet and plunging my hands deeply into goats entrails to see if I can determine for you some of the issues organisations and individuals will be embracing in the future. We will cast our eyes around the fringe of our seer's vision to see what we can determine. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Work is changing - from real to virtual OK, so it is a statement of the obvious.
If you are still trying to come to grips with those notions you have already missed the virtual boat. The demand for organisations to continually maximise their resources and provide ever-increasing returns to shareholders is forcing the shift of as much work as possible from the real to the virtual. Change before you have to. There is overwhelming evidence that to suggest that organisations are holding back on making significant structural and operational change that is in line with where technology and globalisation is taking us. We are all quick to agree that the old hierarchical structures left over from the industrial revolution no longer apply to the modern world of work and that it is necessary to find alternative ways of structuring companies to ensure they keep pace with escalating customer demands and ever increasing competition in every market place.