PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

Top 5 TED Talks About the Future of Work and the Global Workforce
We live in the era of the gig economy, which is a labor market characterized by the
prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs.

Chances are, you know someone who makes money through companies like Airbnb,
Lyft, Etsy, Upwork and so on. Companies like these have reshaped the way the
mainstream views work. When, how, where, and why can now be flexible aspects of
how work gets done. People choose lifestyle and culture fits over paychecks and job
security, because it’s getting ever easier to find professional meaning and purpose
without sacrificing work life balance.

On top of this, access to talent has reached an all time high as platforms like LinkedIn
make poaching a company’s best employees easier for recruiters and competitors. So,
it’s no surprise that companies all over the world are making significant investments in
the employee experience with goals to make employees more engaged, productive, and
happier by rethinking their physical, digital, and cultural environments.

As I write this, the global business community is in the midst of reshaping what it
means to be an employee as well as what it means to work. This in due, in large part, to
technology. Entire organizations can now be built without employees being physically
present in the same office.

Below, I present 5 TED Talks that examine the future of work and the global
workforce.

You don’t have to be a manager to understand that good communication is inherently

necessary in the workplace. If you are part of a team at work (any team) then you know
that communication is vital to meeting deadlines, reaching quotas, improving products
and services, and so much more.

But how does good communication apply to the future of work and the global
workforce?

What Is the Future of Work?

As companies stake their growth strategies on global expansion and pursuit of new
markets, their ability to forge a human capital strategy and HR capability that is both
globally consistent and locally relevant will be critical to success.

Did you know that 68% of employees feel their company doesn’t create a culture in
which employees have a sense of purpose and meaningful impact? (source:
Talentculture.com)

Having a purpose over having a job is the ultimate end game in today’s business
environment. So, what does this mean for you and for your company? To put it bluntly,
if employees do not feel a connection to the company, its upper management, or its
purpose they will leave. Regardless of generation, if an employee does not feel valued
or if there is no growth potential, it’s highly probable that another opportunity will be
sought.
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In a nutshell, the future of work requires an organization to create a meaningful culture

that holds the interconnection of all people and processes to be paramount.

What is a Global Workforce?

Distributed teams (aka: a global workforce) are now the norm for most mid-sized and
large companies. Even small businesses like Prialto enjoy the benefits of having a
diverse group of employees spread across multiple continents. With this distribution
comes the need to learn about the traditions, languages, and customs of all team
members, since strong interpersonal relationships are the core of good communication
efforts.

Profile of the Global Workforce: Present and Future (Source: SHRM Foundation)

As the workforce becomes more global—a product of economic, political, social and
technological forces—the dynamics underpinning human capital have been altered
extensively. Today, the profile of the average global worker entails a myriad of
characteristics:

 An older, more gender and ethnically diverse workforce, with increased

interconnectivity, has become the standard
 Country of origin and ethnicity no longer dictate a worker’s geographical
scope, especially with developing countries producing at least as many skilled,
educated workers and managers as developed countries
 Working from remote locations no longer prevents employees from
communicating with their colleagues, allowing teams to collaborate with ease
across national borders and time zones

Top 5 TED Talks About the Future of Work and the Global Workforce

1. Heiko Fischer | “The Future of Work”

Summary: In his talk at TEDxKoeln, Fischer builds a strong case for turning Human
Resources on its head by enabling employees to become resourceful humans instead.
People want to do a good job. Given the proper environment, they will do so. This
proper environment consists of timeless management practices combined with
cutting-edge collaboration tools to optimize work environments for both people and
products.

The angle for Fischer’s talk is moving away from the idea of human resources and
towards an idea of being resourceful humans. Fischer believes the current system of
work is out of balance because it’s undemocratic and the positions of power are not
justified by the people.

 Fischer shows a TV clip from 50 years ago in which David Packard (of
Hewlett-Packard) is ridiculed for saying that companies also have a major
responsibility to employees and customers, and that money is only a byproduct.
 The currency of the future is development rather than to make money at all
costs, and that companies must look after employees along the way.
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 Fischer makes the point that Darwin’s concept of “survival of fittest” has been
misappropriated. What Darwin actually said is that the most successful species are
those most capable of collaborating, which is an important distinction for the
survival and success of both the modern human resources department and the
company it serves.

Takeaway: “A stunning number of people don’t feel like they have any control over
how things work at their place of employment.”

2. Valérie Hoeks | “Cultural Difference in Business”

Summary: Hoeks discusses the differences between Chinese and Western cultures
and how these difference impact business customs. She highlights exactly why it’s
important that every business let things happen naturally, embrace experience, and
how to look at a situation from different angles in order to positively benefit business
rather than race toward a solution that may turn out to be mediocre at best.

Hoeks further examines one of the main cultural differences between Europe and
China, which is the importance given to building relationships.

Takeaway: “You need to build relationships in order to be successful.”

3. Itay Talgum | “Lead Like the Great Conductors”

Summary: Talgam demonstrates how six of the greatest 20th-century conductors face
the ultimate leadership challenge (e.g. creating perfect harmony without saying a
word), and how today’s leaders can get the most out of any collaborative effort.

Authority is not enough to make a subordinate your partner. Leaders cannot use
employees as instruments if effective collaboration is the end game, because you want
team members to develop skills and contribute instead of being controlled. Enabling
team members to provide input and listen to each other opens a space for them to
work together and become stronger partners. True leaders not only create the process
but the space in which the process can truly evolve.

Takeaway: “[A conductor’s] happiness does not come from only his own story and
his joy of the music. The joy is about enabling other people’s stories to be heard at the
same time.”

4. Chimamanda Adichie | “The Danger of a Single Story”

Summary: Adichie eloquently explains how fewer harmful assumptions about your
co-workers will happen when you realize that every person is a complex individual
shaped by their socio-economic situation, education, family status, health, early life
experiences, genetic composition and so on.

In this way, Adichie cautions us against hearing only a single story about another
person or country in an effort to keep critical misunderstandings at bay. In the
workplace, could a single story you hold about a coworker undermine an otherwise
successful working relationship? Consider how you may have underestimated (or
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overestimated) a colleague’s ability to handle a project based solely on their education

level, ethnicity, gender, or religion.

Takeaway: “The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue but that they are
incomplete. They make one story the only story. The problem with a single story is
that it robs people of dignity. It emphasises how we are different rather than similar.”

5. Margaret Hefferman | ““Forget the Pecking Order at Work”

Summary: Organizations are often run according to “the superchicken model,” where
the value is placed on star employees who outperform others. And yet, this isn’t what
drives the most high-achieving teams. As an internationally established business
leader, Heffernan brilliantly observes that social cohesion—built on coffee breaks and
other such micro moments of connection—leads to greater results over time. She
poses a radical rethinking of what drives us to do our best work, and what it means to
be a leader.

Takeaway: “Companies don’t have ideas. Only people do.”

CONCLUSION

Widespread, accessible technologies as well as a globally open talent pool are

reshaping the future workforce, and driving many organizations worldwide to
reconsider how they design jobs, organize work, and plan for future growth.