HBS Managing the Future of Work

AI allows “digital native” companies to grow at the stroke of a key and cross traditional market boundaries unimpeded. In their new book, Competing in the Age of AI: Strategy and Leadership When Algorithms and Networks Run the World, HBS professors Marco Iansiti and Karim Lakhani show the inner workings of the “AI factory.” Traditional businesses can’t bolt on AI and analytics and expect to compete. Marco explains how firms can adapt and discusses the implications for workers and public policy.

Fred Goff wants to tap the Web’s scale and connectivity to rebalance capitalism for the benefit of workers. In 2015 the former hedge fund manager launched Jobcase, a job search site, a clearinghouse for qualifications, and a support network for its 100 million members, most of whom lack a four-year degree. The AI-augmented community wields significant consumer- and investor influence. Fred shares his views on degree inflation, the skills gap, and the need for greater diversity in the workforce.

In 2002, Richard Florida famously identified the “creative class,” an amalgamation of knowledge workers and those in the arts, culture, and design fields, and established creativity as a basic economic force. Amid increasing inequality, diminished techno-optimism, and the rise of global innovation hubs, he is still bullish on America’s capacity for invention. Florida argues for place-based economic development and skills-building up and down the socioeconomic ladder.

The #MeToo movement focused attention on workplace sexual harassment, but left companies to figure out how to address it. Harvard Law grad Ally Coll and tech entrepreneur Neta Meidav are working to change the culture. Coll cofounded the Purple Campaign, a nonprofit focused on business practice and public policy that is piloting a corporate certification program with the likes of Uber, Airbnb, Expedia, and Amazon. Meidav cofounded Vault Platform, whose app makes it easier to report and track harassment.

HBS alum Stephen Moret led Virginia’s winning proposal for Amazon’s 2019 HQ2 expansion. With a billion-dollar commitment to produce more computer science and engineering grads, the strategy validated the view that targeted investments in workforce development can spur economic development. Moret explains how public and private sectors can boost growth and improve worker prospects. He also sheds light on the role post-secondary studies play in determining the arc of graduates’ career opportunities.

Dan O’Connor, retail expert and executive-in-residence with the HBS Managing the Future of Work project, traces the evolution of retail from the corner store through big-box, e-commerce, and the emergence of omni-faceted digital platforms. What are the implications for employers and employees as the industry automates and adopts leaner and more responsive operating models?

Amazon in the summer of 2019 announced a sweeping five-year plan to bolster the skills of a third of its US workforce—close to 100,000 worker-learners. The plan includes apprenticeships, partnerships with local community colleges, and internal programs. As Amazon’s Vice President of Workforce Development, Ardine Williams, notes, the initiative isn’t philanthropy. She argues that Amazon’s investment in training workers—even if some ultimately leave for higher-paying jobs—makes good business sense

Art Bilger sees trouble at work—the mismatch of labor force skills and job requirements; automation; underemployment and structural unemployment. The Wall Street veteran, whose CV includes successes in media and high-tech, founded nonprofit media production company WorkingNation in 2016 to bring attention to these sweeping and rapid changes, which he warns could lead to economic and societal crises. WorkingNation produces new, short documentaries, a podcast, and town hall-style events.

Aera Technology CEO, Fred Laluyaux, explains how advances in computing power coupled with vast stores of data are ushering in a new mode of enterprise business operations, with computers handling more routine analysis and decision-making. This, in turn, is accelerating the automation of previously “safe” knowledge work. Laluyaux discusses the benefits and the organizational changes and challenges.

Financial services giant Prudential is working to develop a healthy internal market for skills, complete with training and apprenticeships. The company is identifying both supply (workers) and demand (jobs) in terms of competencies, expertise, and attributes, rather than experience and general categorizations. Falzon explains how this symbiotic approach leads the company to pursue efficiencies as it also looks to foster the careers of its home-grown talent.

The Washington Technology Industry Association’s Apprenti apprenticeship program has become a national player in workforce development. A partner in the federal government’s push to extend apprenticeships beyond construction and the trades, Apprenti is addressing the skills gap while diversifying the tech workforce. Executive Director Jennifer Carlson discusses how Apprenti connects employers and candidates, many of whom lack 4-year degrees, and helps them navigate the federal and state systems.  

Autodesk is integrating design and production in everything from architecture to movies, with far-reaching implications for the nature of work. Jobs, supply chains, and industries are set to become more transparent, automated, and interconnected. Construction is on the verge of becoming more like manufacturing. Manufacturing is becoming more automated and customized. CEO Andrew Anagnost joins us to discuss these disruptive changes, the skills gap, and ways of mitigating disruption.

Werk uses surveys and data analytics to help organize work through predefined, flexible arrangements, rather than the traditional 9-to-5 in the office. This HR version of mass customization can recalibrate the relationship between employers and employees to better match the needs of both. As cofounder Anna Auerbach notes, Werk can point to hard numbers – in employee retention, net promoter scores, and productivity -- to make the business case.

In his latest book, The Globotics Upheaval: Globalization, Robotics, and the Future of Work, Richard Baldwin argues that the speed and sweep of economic and social changes resulting from global connectivity and AI could provoke widespread dissatisfaction. He explains how these factors already influence white-collar work. Jobs that can be automated or done remotely offer employers huge potential savings. Those that require onsite collaboration and interpersonal skills look less vulnerable.

The Aspen Institute has spent the past decade deconstructing how top US post-secondary schools bolster their diverse students’ work and life prospects. The nonprofit recently released its Workforce Playbook, which distills the best practices of leading community colleges and lays out the challenges they face. This work-based learning curriculum writ large informs college administrators, business leaders, and policy makers as they look for innovative ways to cultivate community talent pipelines.