General Insights Archives - The Future of Work Exchange

Develop Your Soft Skills with AI-Powered Training

Business Leadership General Insights HR Talent Technology and Innovation by John Yuva on 02/13/2025

The Future of Work encompasses many characteristics. However, attributes like communication, collaboration, and community contribute greatly to enterprise success. There is an elicited sense of interconnectedness between leaders and their workforce and among employees themselves. At the heart of those dynamics is soft skills that help drive workforce interactions and business outcomes. In today’s world where artificial intelligence permeates nearly every area of the workplace, AI is coming into its own as a tool to enhance soft skill development.

Think soft skills are only a recent workforce concentration? Not quite. In 1918, the Carnegie Foundation published Charles Riborg Mann’s A Study of Engineering Education, which cited that 85% of a person’s job success is a product of soft skills and that only 15% of success is based on technical knowledge. Even more than 100 years ago, the criticality of workplace soft skills was being emphasized. However, the pandemic helped bring soft skills into sharper focus as other Future of Work elements (e.g., flexibility, remote work, empathetic leadership) became mainstream concepts and areas of importance.

Now with artificial intelligence leading the way in technology utilization, enterprises have an opportunity to leverage AI for greater workforce enablement — particularly around soft skills.

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Business Lessons from Super Bowl LIX

Business Leadership General Insights Talent Acquisition by Christopher J. Dwyer on 02/10/2025

Is it just me or does the NFL season go by too fast? Seems like just a few weeks ago that we were all huddled in our respective war rooms with cheat sheets preparing for fantasy football drafts. The 2024 NFL season is in the books after the Philadelphia Eagles thrashed the Kansas City Chief’s bid for a three-peat Super Bowl win (and stopping them from becoming the first team to do so in the modern era) with a 40-22 dismantling of the reigning champs in New Orleans.

The big game offers a unique, Future of Work-oriented lens for business insights, transforming the world’s biggest sport evening into a masterclass of strategic planning, leadership dynamics, and operational innovation.

So, some business lessons from Super Bowl LIX:

Homegrown talent is still critical to enterprise objectives. The Super Bowl MVP, Jalen Hurts, was drafted in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens comprise 80% of the Eagles’ stout offensive line that was drafted…

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AI Redefines Talent Upskilling

Business Leadership General Insights HR Talent Technology and Innovation by John Yuva on 02/06/2025

The Future of Work paradigm is being redefined by technologies complementing talent acquisition and workforce strategies. Undoubtedly, artificial intelligence (AI) is the driving technology most enterprises are trying to harness. While AI and its subsets, such as machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP), are utilized across industry sectors, what does this mean for the current and future workforce? Undoubtedly, the automation derived from AI has created employee apprehension, when, in fact, there lies an opportunity to leverage the technology for strengthening workforce skillsets through upskilling. Most experts agree that automation will transform some jobs, leading to a greater focus on upskilling as workers strive to remain relevant and competitive in their career fields.

Upskilling is akin to learning new skills to better perform your job — not to be confused with reskilling, which is investing in skills for a different job. This leads to a key question: How critical is upskilling? According to the World Economic Forum, the U.S. could add $800 billion to its GDP by 2030 through upskilling efforts alone. Artificial intelligence can help execute upskilling initiatives and deliver on those economic estimates.

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The Unheard Voice in the Workplace

Business Leadership Diversity and Inclusion General Insights Talent by John Yuva on 01/23/2025

“Introverts are more effective leaders of proactive employees. When you have a creative, energetic workforce, an introvert is going to draw out that energy better.” –Laurie Helgoe, American psychologist and author of Introvert Power

When it comes to workforce personalities, most workers identify as an extrovert or introvert. And while many people assume extroverts are the majority, data from The Myers-Briggs Company indicates that introverts account for 57% of the global population. This is significant for a few reasons. First, more of our work colleagues are introverts than we probably realize. Second, it brings into question how enterprise communication and collaboration occur and whether those methods benefit or hinder introversion. Third, a remote or hybrid work model could encourage a healthier, more productive workforce — as well as promote DE&I efforts.

Understand the Introvert Workplace Dynamic

The COVID-19 pandemic propelled introverts into a remote work environment that catered to their professional strengths and preferences. Overnight, introverts were working out of their own homes and communicating extensively through chat and video — no longer facing large, in-person group projects and meetings. Many introverts welcomed the independence and empowerment that also came with remote work. Like a Freaky Friday moment, suddenly extroverts lacked dominance within the new solitary, virtual environment.

Today, as some companies pivot away from remote work models, it’s critical to understand how introverts navigate the workplace dynamic. The term “introvert” is often associated with inaccurate characteristics and conditions. For example, an introvert is not someone who:

Cannot collaborate with colleagues.
Suffers from shyness or social anxiety.
Fears verbal communication.
Wants to be left alone.
Is unable to think strategically.

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How Does Your Definition of “Team” Align With Today’s Future Of Work-Led World?

Business Leadership General Insights Talent Technology and Innovation by John Yuva on 01/09/2025

What does the concept of “team” mean for today’s remote and hybrid enterprises? Many workplaces now operate with dispersed teams. With the criticality of teamwork to execute company initiatives and projects, how teams function in the evolving Future of Work environment will likely have lasting implications on work culture and business success. Thus, it is imperative that organizations consider how their teams are designed and how collaboration occurs. Coupling team systematics with technologies that facilitate and encourage collaboration helps unify remote and in-person team members. Let’s take a closer look at what that means.

A Growth in Interdependence and Unity

The pandemic helped propel a shift in how employees work together and collaborate. With most people working from home for more than two years now, there was a need to almost over-communicate. Workers found themselves frequently video conferencing with team members whom they had only exchanged emails with in the past. Yet, despite the circumstances, teams accomplished their projects successfully and executed their goals.

A byproduct of this experience was greater team interdependence and cohesion. There was a feeling of “we’re all in this together” — a necessity for today’s dispersed teams post-pandemic. However, it is one thing when nearly everyone in the company is remote, compared to being one of a few working virtually. Without that sense of team interdependence and belonging, it can feel as if you’re working on an island. Companies and business leaders must recognize that the Future of Work means maintaining team unity regardless of where members are located.

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What’s Your 2025 MSP Strategy?

Contingent Workforce Direct Sourcing General Insights by Christopher J. Dwyer on 01/06/2025

Managed Service Providers (MSP) have long been an extended workforce management powerhouse. The MSP model has long been a cornerstone of contingent workforce management, offering comprehensive solutions for businesses seeking to outsource their staffing operations. However, as the enterprise workforce landscape has undergone significant transformations in recent years, MSPs have evolved to meet these new challenges head-on. Over the past three decades, MSPs have established themselves as the premier and most established solution in the workforce technology and services market.

This begs the question: how are the major trends heading into 2025, such as direct sourcing, AI, and skills-based hiring, for example, changing how businesses leverage MSPs? What goes into an official “playbook” for optimizing utilization of an MSP model?

Ardent Partners and the Future of Work Exchange have teamed up with Atrium for an exclusive webcast focused on major 2025 headwinds within the staffing, HR, contingent workforce, and talent acquisition markets and their impact on the Managed Service Provider model.

I’m thrilled to join Atrium’s Chief Revenue Officer, Brad Martin, for an engaging event that will highlight:

The digitization of talent management. Leveraging AI-driven analytics, automated workflows, and integrated platforms to create a more responsive and intelligent workforce program.
Strategic program design. Building flexible, tailored MSP solutions that align with an organization’s culture, industry challenges, and growth objectives.
The next-generation DE&I initiative. Creating measurable pathways to expand diverse talent channels, eliminate bias in selection processes, and foster inclusive contingent workforce programs.
Reimagining the value of the MSP. Balancing cost efficiency with quality outcomes through data-driven decision making, strategic sourcing, and enhanced supplier partnerships, and;
The link between MSPs and the Future of Work. How do MSPs support Future of Work-driven strategies, such as direct sourcing and skills-based hiring?

Click here or on the image below to register. See you then!

Five Things You Must Know About the Future of Work (Revisited)

Business Leadership General Insights Talent Talent Acquisition Uncategorized by John Yuva on 12/19/2024

As we reach the end of 2024, now is a good time to look back at the Five Things You Must Know About the Future of Work. The Future of Work Exchange (FOWX) and Ardent Partners hosted this complimentary webinar, The Five Things You MUST KNOW About the Future of Work, discussing the critical capabilities that enterprises can unlock to truly optimize the way they address talent acquisition, extended workforce management, and, most importantly, work optimization. What follows revisits the five critical FOW areas.

#1 The Evolution of Talent and the Future of Work

When it comes to the Future of Work, one of the first things to know is the evolution of talent and talent acquisition. And this idea of the “evolution of talent” can be ambiguous. Talent is always evolving and has been for a long time. The way that businesses perceive their talent is also evolving. And, the way that those businesses get connected to talent, and vice versa, continues to evolve. It’s also being innovated through technology and new strategies and new programs.

The fact is nearly half of our workforce today is comprised of extended workers or contingent workers. We have aspects like direct sourcing and digital staffing that are making it much easier for businesses to find the talent they need to get work done to address those mission-critical projects and fill the appropriate roles. FOWX and Ardent research has been focused historically on the extended workforce and contingent workforce, but we’re talking about all types of talent.

Thus, talent acquisition as a function and as a series of processes has also progressed. We need to consider aspects like the candidate experience, and the way that our culture and our brand attract new talent into our organization. Many business leaders think of the Future of Work as being centered around technology, revolving around the idea that technology drives the Future of Work. And we wouldn’t necessarily disagree with that; technology is a critical piece. And for some aspects and attributes of the Future of Work, technology and innovation are the nexus of those areas.

Technology is a Future of Work Centerpiece

Talent and the growth of the extended workforce represent the first leg of the stool with such things as diversity and candidate experience, but also digital staffing, direct sourcing, online talent marketplaces, and core workforce management solutions (such as MSPs and VMS platforms) These technologies are helping us to redefine the way we think about work. We’re living in a world where even though we don’t want to hear the word “pandemic” anymore, the pandemic really did shape what we think about the Future of Work.

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The Role of Blockchain in Candidates’ Digital Identities

Business Leadership General Insights HR Technology and Innovation by John Yuva on 12/12/2024

A more digital Future of Work environment also means an increase in data volume. Information about potential job candidates collected through direct sourcing efforts, as well as more process digitization puts an abundance of sensitive data at HR’s and business leaders’ fingertips. Concurrently, cybersecurity risks continue to grow as threat actors attempt to thwart individuals’ and corporate efforts to defend against them. Enter blockchain, a technology that holds the potential for capturing and securing sensitive personal and workforce data.

What Is Blockchain?

At its core, Synopsis defines blockchain as “a decentralized, distributed, and public digital ledger that is used to record transactions across many computers so that the record cannot be altered retroactively without the alteration of all subsequent blocks and the consensus of the network.” For each ordered record (i.e., transaction) a block with a timestamp and transaction data is created and linked to subsequent blocks forming a blockchain. Whether it’s financial records, supply chain transactions, or personal information, blockchain guarantees a record of integrity and trust for all parties — without requiring a third party for verification.

Blockchain is most associated with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin to secure a record of transactions. However, it is gaining more attention in industries outside of banking, including pharmaceuticals, aerospace and defense, and food and beverage, with several companies piloting blockchain technology for track-and-trace initiatives. For example, in the food supply chain, a supplier is unable to alter transaction data such as batch numbers, ensuring the ability to appropriately track and trace specific food shipments in the event of a recall.

The technology is now making its way into the HR function. This week, we’ll look at blockchain from the individual level (digital identity), followed by part two, exploring areas where HR can leverage blockchain to benefit the enterprise.

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Enterprise Agility Through Tribal Teams

Business Leadership Contingent Workforce General Insights by John Yuva on 12/05/2024

Most of us worked remotely during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We adapted quickly to new ways of working and communicating. Often, we had to collaborate differently to gain transparency and complete projects. That usually meant pulling employees from other departments into team meetings or creating more diversified, cross-functional virtual teams —with enterprise agility as the objective. The need for agility since the pandemic began is now embedded within leading enterprises. So, too, is the agile concept of workplace tribes to innovate and solve business challenges.

What Is a Tribe?

Workplace tribes are comprised of 100 or fewer employees who bring interdisciplinary backgrounds to their groups. Rather than focusing on one large business objective, tribes are assigned specific aspects of a project or initiative. For example, an enterprise may be looking for new customer markets. A tribe could have members from procurement, logistics, marketing, finance, and others who are assigned a precise country to explore its viability.

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Spin for the Win with Gamification

Business Leadership General Insights HR Technology and Innovation by John Yuva on 11/21/2024

In an article on the Future of Work Exchange last week, we discussed digital credentials and badges as a means to recruit, verify, and retain talent. This week we’re exploring those concepts further through gamification in the workplace and how the Future of Work can be transformed by its utilization.

Gamification Defined

Gamification is defined by Investopedia as, “the incentivization of people’s engagement in non-game contexts and activities by using game-style mechanics.” First coined in 2002 by game designer Nick Pelling while incorporating game elements into ATM and vending machines, gamification became mainstream by 2009 and has only grown as a strategic approach in HR and business.

With employee engagement and productivity a high priority for enterprises, gamification bridges the employee experience with enterprise needs. It can turn mundane tasks and processes, such as training and upskilling, reviewing corporate and HR policies, rolling out new products and services, and even applying for a job within the organization into engaging activities.

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