The world of work is changing. New values, new technology and new demands on financial profitability and efficiency leads to fundamental changes in offices and workplaces.

One of the international consulting and research company Kairos Futures research areas is Future worklife, Leadership and Workplace. They ask questions like how will new work life attitudes, the thought-driven economy, globalization and automation transform work and work life over the coming years?

Since the 1990s we have been asking questions like what drives performance and job satisfaction and how do you make young talents and female stars tick? How much does workplace layout matter and will there be enough jobs for everyone when automation goes on high gear? Kairos Future has together with several clients researched areas like work life values amongst youth across the globe and studied the future workplaces. The impact of foreign ownership and the importance of CSR activities on job satisfaction and brand have been explored and they have figured out what the successful “generation shifters” do.

Today, new technology gives us the opportunity to work in new ways; we are now longer attached to one workstation and one office. Communication is everything according to Kairos Future and it is possible at all times. Meetings can easily be done through virtual meeting places. This new workplace requires leadership and organization.

Collaboration and diversity

During the Stockholm Furniture Fair the Swedish company Kinnarps presented its renowned Trend Report for 2015 “Workplaces and lifespace design for the diverse decade”. During the fair trade it was possible to literally step into the trend report. The design studie Nichetto Studio reproduced the report in Kinnarps stand. An interesting aspect is that when technology evolves at a ferocious pace, it becomes more and more important to design environments that revolve around people. “Collaboration” and “diversity” are also two keywords that permeate the report, and which could also be clearly seen in the stand’s many creative work areas.

“Progressiveness and creativity are becoming more and more important. It is important to identify new solutions, something which is absolutely necessary in a world where change is the only constant,” says Kinnarps’ Marketing Director Paulina Lundström.

 

Did you know, that according to Swedish white-collar workers, the most productive workplace is the kitchen table? And that most even feel they are more productive working from bed than from the office?

Kairos Future/Manpower Work Life