The Grand Redesign: The Antidote to the Great Resignation

People’s approach to work is changing. As leaders, we have a generational opportunity to embark on The Grand Redesign of work. The 1918 influenza pandemic was tragic and disruptive.  This disruption led to a redesign of healthcare, housing, and shift work, to name a few. The disruption caused by the COVID pandemic led to a fundamental change in how we work and, most recently, The Great Resignation. But with this disruption comes an opportunity for leaders to be at the forefront of change and embark on The Grand Redesign of work in three categories: workplace, workforce, and workflow. 

 

Workplace

According to the American Community Survey, fewer than 6% of people worked from home in 2019. Today 25% work from home (via Upwork’s Future Workforce Report).   There are six categories of workplace design. Which of these can you rethink to optimize productivity, talent access, and worker morale?

 

Workforce

For more than a century, full-time first was the mindset emphasized in talent acquisition and promoted with “employees are our #1 asset.” However, as more talent moved to contract platforms during the past decade, companies have rethought workforce design. This shift parallels how cloud computing ushered in a grand redesign of ways companies  use technology solutions. The Upwork December 2020 Future Workforce Pulse Report shows that as managers become comfortable managing remote team members, they also become inclined to leverage freelancers and contractors. Why? They are building “lead based on outcomes” talents.

Workflow

Companies have two main work streams: operations and projects. Operations maintain the status quo, while projects drive change. In each case, there is a design element involved when resourcing skills where workplace and workforce innovations will enable performance breakthroughs.

With workplace and workforce designs in place, you can design your workflow through load management and skill sourcing. This approach leaves full-time team members to manage the process. It also builds in flexibility from the outset.

Load Management Overtaxing your best talent is a primary concern for businesses. Free up your in-house teams to do their best work by managing their workload with independent talent. For more, read this article from Fast Company.

Skill Sourcing

Skill sourcing is about designing project execution so that delivery dates are met. 

• Taskify deliverables, then look to skill-source the components.     

• Depend on teammates for what’s left and project management.  

• Build a virtual talent bench for faster resourcing and accelerate your team’s ability to deliver projects and programs on time.