Bill Fox - The Future of the Workplace: Insights and Advice from 31 Pioneering Business and Thought Leaders

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The world of work is always changing. Before the 1800s, most people worked on farms and were craftsmen, with plenty of room to be creative. After the advent of the Industrial Revolution, we became more productive with the introduction of assembly lines and machinery. The unfortunate side effect of this was that the work became tedious and boring. People on the assembly line did the same tasks over and over again. Ford Motor Company had to double their workers wages to convince them to do this kind of dreary work. Regardless, this assembly practice made Ford the richest company in the world. Other companies followed suit and this boring work process became commonplace. Unfortunately, this system has lasted for over 100 years.

But the world of work is still changing. Instead of designing work for machines and slotting people in to work with them, a new horizon is shining, and we are finally realizing that people can be very productive as we expand their capabilities. Canon Corporation has workers that can build an entire copier with over 1000 parts in 3 hours with a 30% increase in productivity and also sustaining high quality. Honda has new assembly lines in Thailand and in Columbus, Ohio, with the worker up on the line building an entire subset of the cars, rather focus on one piece per person. In both instances work is being designed for people, not only machines. These innovative business and thought leaders have so much to teach us, if only we could keep an open mind and listen.

The Future of the Workplace is a stimulating and interesting book to read and share with others. Like Socrates, the worlds greatest teacher, Bill Fox asks some interesting questions in this book, resulting in exciting responses. As you read this valuable book, ask yourself these questions and write down and share your answers with others. Asking questions stimulates creativity!

The future is already here, and its unexpectedly and suddenly different than wed planned or imaginedeven just yesterday.

Today, were living in a state of constant whitewater, besieged by an avalanche of ever-increasing information, with interruptions coming at us from every corner.

New times and new challenges call for innovative forward thinking. Yet most organizations are still mired in the Industrial Age. In that bygone era, methods like best practices, working harder, and even working smarter may have served us well, but now they keep us stuck living in the past.

To step into a better future, we need to shift into more modern ways of being and working. These new ways allow us to sense changes early and to adapt swiftly and intuitively.

To do this, we must interact with each other differently: with an open mind, listening to every voice, ready to discover whatever is there for us to see. And we must give ourselves the freedom to act upon what we discover.

This book will help you bridge the gap between the Industrial Age and the Forward-Thinking Age, with new insights and strategies you wont find elsewhere.

This book contains Forward-Thinking Age conversations with 31 pioneering leaders of tomorrowtoday. These top business and thought leaders come from many different countries and industries. They span the business, psychological, and spiritual domains.

Yet they all have one thing in common: Their work demonstrates a deep understanding of how to navigate the shifts that are occurring today.

Together, these interviews illuminate howtogetherwe can uncover new and better solutions to our most vexing challenges.

The advice, experience, and tools shared by these experts can help us create a future in which every voice matters, everyone thrives and finds meaning, and change and innovation happen naturally.