The key theme of the report this year is “thriving beyond boundaries: human performance in a boundaryless world”.

I give general conclusions below to the nine main points they have suggested.

Hope it is useful!

1. Thriving beyond boundaries: human performance in a boundaryless world
   Here the main finding is that work is becoming boundaryless – meaning work is no longer defined by jobs, the workplace is no longer defined by a specific place, and workers are no longer “traditional” employees, with HR no longer siloed as a function. Thus, as the boundaries continue to disappear human capabilities – such as empathy, curiosity, problem solving, creative thinking – become even more critical. This means we need a new mindset, new set of working practices, new ways of collaborating, new metrics, and to embrace technology.
2. When people thrive, business thrives: the case for human sustainability
   Aligned to value creation – companies should create value for all: not just shareholders. For employees it is about “making you employable forever” rather than “offering employment forever”. Worker burnout and insecurity over AI job displacement, coupled with reduced shelf-life of skills and more gig / contract work means there is massive instability for workers. Companies should address this and make their people thrive, because when they do – companies thrive. (Focus on skills development, Health & Wellbeing, DE&I, Career Advancement…)
3. As human performance takes centre stage, are traditional productivity metrics enough?
   Typically we measure productivity via the lens of hours worker, days in office, time on tasks, products produced, revenue per employee – but the new world calls for considering the worker as a human being. Measuring happiness for example, collaboration (via email, calendar, chat data), or, network analysis to measure connections and collaboration as perhaps more powerful as leading indicators of a companies health. Note that business and human outcomes are mutually reinforcing i.e. higher levels of happiness, wellbeing, skill development, salary satisfaction = customer satisfaction & profits. These new metrics should be incorporated into the talent lifecycle.
4. The transparency paradox: could less be more when it comes to trust?
   There is nearly unlimited data now on what happens within a company. The question becomes what information should be made transparent, why, and whose information is being revealed, to whom and how. Think twice before you release minutes of meetings, or personal information about workers. Think twice before including too many people in decision-making, performance mgmt., decisions. Think twice before surveilling workers (time tracking, AI…). Keep FAIRNESS at the core of all data driven actions.
5. What do organisations need most in a disrupted, boundaryless age? More imagination
   Empathy and curiosity are antidotes for anxiety. They are needed for imagination. Typically L&D has focussed on teaching repeatable skills, but AI is being able to do repeatable tasks. So we need people who can imagine different futures AND work WITH AI. AI has limitations, workers need to become partners with AI to help develop new solutions. Curiosity, resilience, divergent thinking, emotional intelligence – human capabilities – become much more important. The World Economic Forum in 2023 has only 1 technology related skill in its top 10 of most important skills: curiosity, creative thinking, empathy and resilience are in the top 10. Leaders identify big gaps with regards to these skills.
6. How play and experimentation in digital playgrounds can drive human performance
   Companies need to create safe spaces for their people to co-create a common future and play with new technology. People need to learn the technologies, experiment on how to partner, have technology democratised. It is a mindset needed within the company. How many people in the company “play with data” how many “use chatbots” and “think digital first”. Training on AI is vital for the future – people need to collaborate with AI.
7. One size does not fit all: how microcultures help workers and organisations thrive
   A common culture is perfect, but appreciate that there will be and should be “micro cultures” within the company. Cultures and EVPs by division / role.
8. From function to discipline: the rise of boundaryless HR
   HR becomes a responsibility for ALL of the organisation – not just HR teams. HR should jointly solve business problems, with the business. HR should work with leaders and managers to ensure there are the tools, training, and data needed in real time to make HR decisions, and HR should work with a wide range of stakeholders (including third parties and governments etc.) to build strong relationships – the customer is not only the employee. HR has to focus on talent liquidity: skills should be available to the company irrespective of location. HR should partner with all divisions i.e. IT, Security, Facilities to ensure great outcomes. HR ultimately have to be the ones “orchestrating work” rather than doing transactional things.
9. Evolving leadership to drive human performance
   Typically change is blocked by leaders. Leaders who are fighting to resist the change because they are applying old paradigms to the new reality. HR should lead the evolution by focussing on developing human capabilities (empathy etc.) and incentivising leaders to focus on the people in a company, not the profits. They also need to teach leaders how to build trust and psychological safety – without these transformation will fail.