We travelled the world to learn about the Future of Work. And we learned a lot! We want to share the highlights from our US panel sessions with you and the rest of the world. For the panels we got together thirteen world class thinkers within the field of work.

michel-bauwens-patterns-that-point-to-the-future

In the 2011 inaugural MBO Partners Independent Workforce Index, a study of independent professionals in America, it is clear that the cataclysmic workforce shifts of the past decades have fueled a new kind of productivity, wealth and personal growth opportunity for American workers and companies.

In a wide-ranging discussion moderated by Peter Jackson, Chief Scientist for Thomson Reuters, MIT's Andrew McAfee and John Seely Brown [JSB] from the Deloitte Center for the Edge explored the impact of technology on the workspace and global workforce.

The Future of Work examines the challenges to conventional notions of work and organization brought on by new digital technologies and trends. As the velocity of change increases, institutions and individuals must adapt. Yet many structures, including those in education, government, business and the economy, often remain rooted in the past. The report captures the insights of the Nineteenth Annual Aspen Institute Roundtable on Information Technology, where business leaders, technologists, international politicians, academics and innovators explored how global structures and institutions are being confronted by the 21st century realities of distributed knowledge, crowdsourcing, open platforms and networked environments. The report shares the solutions these leaders proposed for preserving individual well-being and defining a future world of work that benefits everyone involved.

The Management Innovation eXchange (MIX) is an open innovation project aimed at reinventing management for the 21st century. The premise: while "modern" management is one of humankind's most important inventions, it is now a mature technology that must be reinvented for a new age. It's time to hack management.

A dozen surprises about the future of work, Andy Hines

Business models will change dramatically Technology, globalisation, demographics and other factors will influence organisational structures and cultures. Our scenarios outline three future business models: Large corporates become mini-states and take on a more powerful role across society. Specialisation triggers the rise of collaborative networks. The environmental agenda forces fundamental changes to business strategy.

Monash (see slide deck)

Hi, this is Steven Cherry for IEEE Spectrum's "Techwise Conversations." This is show number 79. Sixty years ago, there were about 350 000 switchboard operators working for AT&T. Today, there are fewer than 20 000. Nowadays, automation is moving up the skills ladder in just about every profession.

So what do digital technologies and the Internet mean for the future of work? That was the topic of last year's Information Roundtable at the Aspen Institute's Communications and Society Program, an annual event that brings together some heavyweight businesspeople, technologies and academics to discuss a breaking issue.

Commentary on Future of Work and leadership

Earlier today, I stumbled on this bit of research on the Gartner site; while it dates back to August there's some interesting speculation about the Future of Work. "People will swarm more often and work solo less.

See also the video

A nonprofit research center that specializes in long-term forecasting recently released a report detailing the 10 key skills that will be relevant to the workforce of the future. What are they, and are our schools doing enough to instill them? What are the jobs of the future?

The Technology Horizons Program's research on the Future of Work comes at an exciting time for the intersection of work and technology. Technology has become integrated into virtually every aspect of work. And because we spend so much time working, work really is the place where we most directly feel the impact of developing technologies.

Ten years ago, Facebook didn't exist. Ten years before that, we didn't have the Web. So who knows what jobs will be born a decade from now? Though unemployment is at a 25‑year high, work will eventually return. But it won't look the same. No one is going to pay you just to show up.