As stated numerous times here at The Future of Work Exchange and in Ardent’s Future of Work research, the vast majority of businesses cite the “shift towards an agile culture” as their top priority. Business agility as a desired state is entirely warranted; as business leaders strive to respond dynamically to real-time pressures and challenges. In regard to talent and work, this “agile culture” follows the ultimate convergence of new technology tools, innovative ideas and strategies, and, yes, a truly agile workforce that can be leveraged dynamically as unique needs arise.
The challenging events of 2020 proved that an agile culture separated those organizations who both survived and thrived last year and those that are still struggling or faltered completely. The initial, early months of the COVID-19 pandemic were a convergence of unease, uncertainty, and doubt about the future; very few businesses were well-equipped to tackle the rigors of the first global pandemic in more than a century.
As supply chains were knocked off course and the first lockdowns were initiated, the business world was at a unique crossroads: work needed to be done but the unprecedented nature of the pandemic was seemingly throwing wrinkles into organizational planning on a weekly basis given political guidance and governmental mandates. Some industries went boom while others went bust. Those in the middle were merely focused on treading water. Caught in the midst of this chaos was the foundation on which every organization sinks or swims: its workforce.
Over the next three years, nearly 70% of businesses expect their total workforce to be truly “agile” in nature, with both traditional full-time workers and non-employees contributing equally to critical projects and initiatives. This encouraging outlook takes into account the various shifts happening in world of talent. While there are still enterprises today that believe the contingent or extended workforce will always be “augmentative” in scope, the truth is that the many economic, social, political, and cultural transformations occurring in the greater business landscape are developing the necessary dynamics for independent workers to thrive in changing times. Health care reform, virtual and unified communications, distributed enterprise teams (and remote work), the laser-like focus on skills…these are all powerful omens that the agile workforce will become a dominant business legion in the decade ahead.
Ardent’s upcoming State of Contingent Workforce Management 2021 research study found that 70% of businesses believed their non-employee workforce contributed to and supported business continuity (70%) during those challenging times, essentially serving as an “anchor” during moments of uncertainty. With many internal functions in some level of disarray due to work-from-home setups and social distancing/lockdown orders, an unfortunate statement still rang true: “The show must go on.”
In essence, work still needed to get done and the organization still required to move forward regardless of what was happening around it. Contingent labor helped organizations adapt to changing times by providing a ready-to-engage channel of talent that could be sourced on-demand and without the worry of traditional recruitment processes (particularly in-person interviewing). If roles needed to be filled to ensure the business could address both tactical and strategic tasks, there were talented individuals ready to perform.
