Alison Maitland - Future work : changing organizational culture for the new world of work

Further endorsements from leading experts and business people

Future Work sounds seductive. But very few organizations have actually changed the way they really do work. Maitland and Thomson have painted a comprehensive and compelling picture of what is possible, going way beyond the typical hype about technology and GenY. And they have dug deeply to report many very human stories about how the future of work is happening today, and what it takes to transform the workplace. If you read this book and then put it aside without changing the way you manage, you will wind up watching the future of work from the sidelines.

James P. Ware, Executive Director, The Future of Work...unlimited

Future Work provides an invaluable guide to the kind of transformational leadership that will be necessary to make the best of all that this new world of work has to offer.

Dave Coplin, Chief Envisioning Officer, Microsoft UK

Future Work lays out a compelling business case for flexibility that offers essential guidance for leaders grappling with a changing workforce, globalization and continuous advances in technology. The authors challenge conventional attitudes with a powerful rationale on how work can be accomplished with more precision and efficiency, while simultaneously reducing costs and offering employees more control over how they work.

Michel Landel, CEO, Sodexo

Future Work is empowerment in practice!

Nuria Chinchilla, Professor of Managing
People in Organizations, IESE Business School

The world of work is changing rapidly and the office is undergoing a radical redesign to accommodate twenty-first century work practices. This book captures these critical changes and identifies the leadership culture required to support them. It should be read by all managers who are striving to get the best results from their workforce.

Professor Ginny Gibson, Deputy Dean, Henley Business School

Future Work provides timely insight on the kind of culture organizations need to meet the expectations of todays workforce. It will be useful for executives who want to learn how business must adapt to the revolution in work practices now being fuelled by incredibly rapid technological and social changes.

Stewart D. Friedman, Practice Professor at The Wharton School and author ofTotal Leadership

Alison Maitland and Peter Thomsons book is where every board member and senior executive should start when thinking through the best way to future-proof their organizations.

Lucy P. Marcus, CEO, Marcus Venture Consulting, and non-executive board director

Alison and Peter have successfully navigated the future of work to explain why this is now a critical issue for all business leaders. Their book is essential reading for anyone wanting to gain a glimpse of the future and understand the new world of work.

Philip Ross, CEO, Unwork.com

Praise for the first edition ofFuture Work:

I have devoured your book and I am sharing your brilliant wisdom with many. Your book is a much needed resource if businesses want to succeed. Brilliance from cover to cover.

Lolly Daskal, Founder, Lead From Within

Thanks for writing this excellent book the best Ive read about current changes in work style & culture.

Barbara Josef, Corporate PR, Citizenship and Media Spokesperson, Microsoft Switzerland

We had considered that we were good employers, even having won an award for being family friendly, but your book has pointed out that we are not going far enough. Thank you for being the catalyst for change.

Julie Coward, CEO, Basel Trust Corporation

I just finished reading your book Future Work and felt compelled to write to thank you for getting this challenge/opportunity in print! I am a senior leader in a large multinational, I work in a very flexible way, and truly integrate my life with two small children and my work. However, I feel unusual and unconventional and sometimes question how all this works. Im not sure how seriously I am taken in terms of career these days, but I find myself very productive and motivated with this working approach. My small team work this way too and we enjoy great virtual interactions and lots of autonomy. Thank you for your book it truly validated my approach and I feel more compelled to realize my potential because I work this way and not in spite of it!

Senior leader, global manufacturing company

Changing organizational culture for the new world of work

Future Work

2nd edition

Alison Maitland

and

Peter Thomson

Alison Maitland and Peter Thomson 2014
Foreword James S. Turley 2014

All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission.

No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 610 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS.

Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First published 2014 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN

Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.

Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martins Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world.

Palgrave and Macmillan are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.

ISBN 9781137367150

This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.

Typeset by MPS Limited, Chennai, India.

For David, Eleanor and Isabel
(AM)
For Zac, Eva, Willow and Indie
(PT)

Contents

List of Illustrations, Figures, Tables and Case Studies

Illustrations

Figures

Tables

Case Studies

Foreword

For me, it was a toddlers exercise class that brought home the importance of workplace flexibility. It was 25 years ago, and the toddler was my two-year-old son. I was at a Gymboree class in our neighborhood with my son and 24 mothers and their kids because my wife had suggested our son would benefit from going, and that I would benefit from taking him. So every Wednesday morning, from 9 to 11, through the busiest time of year at the office, I was there in a track suit, playing, not working.