IDC Publishes Future of Work Framework

To help organizations structure their work transformation strategies, IDC has published the Future of Work framework. The future of work is about rethinking the way work gets done. It is a fundamental shift in the work model to one that fosters human-machine collaboration, enables new skills and worker experiences, and supports an intelligent and dynamic environment unbounded by time or physical space.

As organizations accelerate and expand their digital transformation (DX) initiatives and move into what IDC calls the "era of multiplied innovation," traditional work models simply aren't nimble enough, adaptive, nor scalable. The status quo presents organizations with four intransigent sets of challenges: inflexible work environments, talent limitations, rigid organizations and hierarchical leadership, and conflicting security, privacy, and trust requirements.

In the new work experience, human workers will operate side by side with "digital co-workers," enabling human workers to focus on higher-value activities. By 2021, the contribution by digital co-workers will increase by 35% as more tasks are automated and augmented by technology, including AI, robotics, AR/VR, and intelligent process automation. Other factors driving the urgency for work transformation include employee expectations for more personalized experiences with easy and anytime/anywhere access to resources; a multi-generational workforce with a range of workstyles that must be accommodated; and broader macroeconomic trends such as globalization and sustainability.

"The future of work isn't really about the future, it is about initiatives that companies need to pursue now," said Holly Muscolino, research vice president, Content and Process Strategies and the Future of Work. "IDC believes that organizations that embrace these technological and organizational changes and cultivate an agile, dynamic worker experience and work environment will gain a competitive edge.