Lead the Work: Navigating a World Beyond Employment - Hardcover

Boudreau, John W.; Jesuthasan, Ravin; Creelman, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1119040043 ISBN 13: 9781119040040

Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 2015

Synopsis

A detailed look at the evolution of employment and its far-reaching implications

Lead the Work takes an incisive look at the evolving nature of work, and how it's affecting management and productivity at the organizational level. Where getting things done once meant assigning it to an employee, today's leaders are increasingly at risk if they fail to recognize that talent can float into and out of an organization. Long-term employment has given way to medium- or short-term employment, marking the first step in severing the bond that once fixed an individual inside an organization. Getting work done by means other than an employee was once considered a fringe event, but now leading organizations are accepting and taking advantage of the notion that talent has shown itself to be mutable. This book explores this phenomenon in detail and provides a new roadmap to help managers navigate this new environment.

The workplace has undergone many changes over the years, but the emerging trend away from traditional employment represents a massive shift that has profound implications for the business model of every organization, large or small. This book describes how management is changing, and how managers must adapt to survive.

• Examine the dispersed organization and the changing nature of employment
• Learn how work is becoming impermanent and individualized
• Find new strategies for managing and leading
• Get up to speed on the decision science for the new era

Workplaces evolve like biological beings; only the strong survive, and it's the competitive edge that ensures continued success. Lead the Work describes the new landscape, and shows you how to adapt and thrive.

About this title

About the Author

JOHN BOUDREAU is research director at the Center for Effective Organizations and professor of management and organization in the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.

RAVIN JESUTHASAN, CFA, is a managing director and global practice leader at Towers Watson, and has been recognized as one of the top 25 most influential consultants in the world.

DAVID CREELMAN is CEO of Creelman Research. He writes, researches, and speaks on the most critical issues in human capital management.

From the Back Cover

“So if you desire more leverage, becoming and staying a ‘best place to work’, and addressing the competitive talent landscape to harness the best talent for the right problem, then Lead the Work is a must read. It will get you thinking about possibilities and push us further into the new way of work.”
―Pat Wadors, Senior Vice President, Global Talent, LinkedIn

Lead the Work is one of the most provocative business books to be published in a long time. It challenges the thinking around what they call the “non-employment work arrangement”. Thinking outside of the box to leverage partners on a project, crowd sourcing a complex problem, or running a business primarily on a contract workforce will challenge traditional thinking on pay, benefits and rules of engagement in the “workplace”. In a simple approach, Lead the Work outlines alternatives and provides provocative solutions to these varied approaches.

As an HR leader, considering how to reconsider the work arrangement to meet business strategies will be one of the biggest work transformations in the 21st century. With the shifting economies and permeable boundaries around “work” across the globe, harnessing this new talent pipeline will be a challenge. It will also be a competitive advantage if done well. This is a must read for HR leaders and CEO’s alike. While these creative approaches not only save money and infrastructure, companies can also become a global employer of top talent – attracting and retaining this talent when they need it and for however long they need it to complete desired tasks. The ability to attract and reduce talent in a healthy open way will allow the company to retain a top talent brand while being profitable.

From the Inside Flap

Lead the Work is one of the most provocative business books to be published in a long time. It challenges the thinking around what they call the "non-employment work arrangement". Thinking outside of the box to leverage partners on a project, crowd sourcing a complex problem, or running a business primarily on a contract workforce will challenge traditional thinking on pay, benefits and rules of engagement in the "workplace". In a simple approach, Lead the Work outlines alternatives and provides provocative solutions to these varied approaches.

As an HR leader, considering how to reconsider the work arrangement to meet business strategies will be one of the biggest work transformations in the 21st century. With the shifting economies and permeable boundaries around "work" across the globe, harnessing this new talent pipeline will be a challenge. It will also be a competitive advantage if done well. This is a must read for HR leaders and CEO's alike. While these creative approaches not only save money and infrastructure, companies can also become a global employer of top talent attracting and retaining this talent when they need it and for however long they need it to complete desired tasks. The ability to attract and reduce talent in a healthy open way will allow the company to retain a top talent brand while being profitable.

"So if you desire more leverage, becoming and staying a 'best place to work', and addressing the competitive talent landscape to harness the best talent for the right problem, then Lead the Work is a must read. It will get you thinking about possibilities and push us further into the new way of work."
Pat Wadors, Senior Vice President, Global Talent, LinkedIn

Edition details

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1119040043
• ISBN 13: 9781119040040
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304