THE NINE

Economic upheavals—from the rise of artificial intelligence to the fall of 9-to-5 office jobs—will profoundly change companies and employees, according to this savvy business forecast.

Collaboration and technology consultant Simon explores nine trends facing organizations and their complex and often surprising implications. These include employees who are newly empowered by tight labor markets to demand more from employers on everything from wages to corporate political commitments; the new normal of work-from-home and hybrid jobs that take workers out from under distrustful bosses’ gazes; advances in automation and AI that will make business processes more efficient and lead to millions of layoffs—perhaps reining in some of those empowered workers—but not necessarily raise productivity much; and soaring inflation as disrupted supply chains and protectionist barriers bring production back to the United States. The author also examines blockchain technology that will make real estate transactions, accounting, and background checks more transparent; virtual and augmented reality systems that surgeons will use to repair spines and Walmart will utilize to train associates; the increased use—and abuse—of statistical analytics that give people ever more data, much of it unimportant or misleading; and the fractional ownership of artworks, office buildings, and executive positions in hyperfluid markets. From this overview, Simon distills a few pithy recommendations, advising business leaders to “Steer Into the Skid” of change by embracing new technology and accommodating workers’ preferences. (He takes a dim view of Elon Musk’s mass firing of Twitter underlings.) The author deftly mixes big-picture surveys of the drift of technology, demographics, and society with illustrative drilldowns on nuts-and-bolts examples, often taken from the tech sector, like Uber’s adoption of robotic processing automation to handle its accounts payable system. He manages to make this potentially dry material lively, writing in a witty, down-to-earth style. (“No one likes getting their teeth scraped, but the benefits of regular cleanings far exceed their costs. Does the same principle apply when you sit down with your boss to review your performance over the past year? In general, no. With rare exceptions, annual performance reviews…never really and consistently accomplished their stated goals: motivating employees and changing their behavior.”) Bosses and workers alike will find much nourishing food for thought here.

A canny, insightful, and very readable take on the brave new world of work.