A new working world – New Work definition
The term New Work emerged during the USA’s third industrial revolution in the 1970s. The Austrian-American philosopher of social sciences Prof. Dr. Frithjof Bergmann and his colleagues researched new possibilities for former workers of the automobile industry, who had lost their job due to automation. In their Institute for New Work, they helped factory workers to figure out what they wanted to achieve in life. The most common answer was “to make a difference“, or in other words, to make a meaningful and significant contribution to society.
Now, 50 years after its first appearance, what makes this term so relevant again? Artificial intelligence and automation are fundamentally changing the work structures of many people. Classic work patterns are increasingly disappearing, creating space for new, flexible work concepts. This change in the new world of work is also summarized under the term Work 4.0 and is characterized by global and digital connectivity. This is where the basic ideas of New Work are flourishing, such as meaningfulness, but also personal responsibility, and community.
The concept New Work and new ways of working
New Work concentrates on people themselves and focuses on potential and individual self-realization. Employees are increasingly involved in corporate decision-making while specifications by superiors are no longer part of everyday work. Flat hierarchies and a culture of trust are established in New Work.
Furthermore, New Work focuses on the development perspectives in one’s own work. How can employees bring their entire personality to work and grow with the respective content? New Work promotes diversity and intercultural cooperation. Ultimately, this can lead to more innovations.
In New Work, corporate success is defined more broadly than in “traditional” companies. Sustainability, health, and mindfulness are just as relevant as turnover and profit and are reflected in the corporate culture. Organizations are placing greater emphasis on work-life balance and designing the workplace in such a way that it meets the requirements and needs of their employees.
New Work is a multi-layered framework and cannot be broken down into just a few elements. However, several of the following aspects are often found in organizations that are shaped by the New Work concept:
- Remote Work und virtual collaboration
- Flexible working hours
- Cross-functional teams
- Coworking areas
- Sabbaticals
- Agile working methods, e.g. Scrum or Design Thinking
- Flat hierarchies
- Self-organized teams
- Participative decision-making processes
How can New Work be implemented in organizations?
The practical implementation of New Work differs from company to company. There is no one-size-fits-all solution because each organization has different needs and faces different challenges. The basic requirement however is the belief that professional development and personal development or freedom are compatible.
To make this possible, a suitable IT structure is necessary to allow working independently of location and time, and compliance with data protection. If it is a matter of restructuring working methods or the use of new tools, suitable training is recommended.
New Work needs New Leadership
Besides, classic leadership styles no longer apply to the New Work concept. The managers’ role focuses more on coaching and moderating, as well as motivating and inspiring others. New Leadership provides an approach to meet the changing requirements of the working world of the future. It is about empowering employees to take more personal responsibility and enabling them to work together as equals. Leaders foster an open culture of mistakes, in which everything can be addressed and questioned. You can find out more about the leadership principles in New Work here.
In order to successfully implement New Work in organizations, a change in mindset is therefore required. For a company to strengthen the motivation and enthusiasm of all those involved, it is crucial to ensure transparent communication, accept change, and actively involve the entire workforce.
New Work enables new opportunities
Many of the ideas behind the term New Work are not all that new. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, they are so essential today. The desire for meaningful and personally significant work spans generations and educational backgrounds.
New forms of work are becoming increasingly important, especially in times of skill shortages. It allows organizations to adapt to changing working conditions and provides employees with a better work environment that benefits both parties.
Are you curious to learn more about the concept of New Work? Troodi offers a learning program on the topic, in which our New Work expert, Julian Wonner, will walk you through each chapter. Here is what you can take away from the learning program:
- Origins and definition of New Work
- Reflection on your own purpose
- Success factors for self-organizing teams
- Alternative organizational structures
- Requirements for the implementation of New Work
Curious? Here you can watch a trailer of the learning program.
You can also create a free trial account or contact us by e-mail or phone if you have further questions.
