Matthew GriffinFounder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
G7 · G20governments advised
850+keynotes
102countries
17codexes
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Matthew was invited to present on the future of work to the Bahrain government's directors general, ministers and undersecretaries, at a time when the topic was more top of mind than ever as the world looked cautiously towards a post-pandemic new normal.
He set out a range of future business operating models: today's gig economy, which accounts for around 30 percent of the global workforce; what he calls Algorithmic Organisations, where artificial intelligence discovers, hires, manages, optimises and fires workers automatically and autonomously; and a new breed of fully autonomous organisations.
"The future of work and the workplace will be very different from what we see today, and while many worry about the threat of automation there are more upsides than downsides."Matthew Griffin, Bahrain, October 2021
Turning to the workforce and the workplace, he showed how augmented and virtual reality let people work virtually in any location, from any location, through telepresence and tele-operations. He then explored the future of human-machine collaboration and partnership.
Finally, because most of the world's news outlets focus on the negatives of workforce automation, he drew out the differences between dumb automation, autonomous platforms and what he calls the Centaur Principle. His message was that the future of work will look very different from today, and that while many worry about automation, there are more upsides than downsides.
311 Intelligence
What this means for your leadership team
Operating models are changing shape.
The gig economy already covers around 30 percent of the global workforce. The next steps are Algorithmic Organisations and fully autonomous organisations. 311 tracks Autonomous Organisations as an Explore trend, with wide use expected by 2035, so leaders should test the idea now rather than wait.
Place matters less for work.
Augmented and virtual reality allow telepresence and tele-operations, so people can work virtually from any location. 311 rates Augmented Reality as Prepare, with wide use by 2030, and Tele-Operations as Explore, by 2032. Hiring and site plans should reflect that.
Automation is a design choice.
The session separated dumb automation, autonomous platforms and the Centaur Principle. 311 rates the Centaur Principle as Prepare, by 2029, and Job Automation as Act now, by 2027. Leaders can shape whether people are replaced or strengthened by the tools they adopt.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
Which of our roles could work from any location?
Where would human-machine partnership beat full automation in our business?
Who owns our plan for autonomous operating models?
The trends and technologies behind this session
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
It means operating models, workplaces and automation choices need planning together. Matthew's view is that the upsides outweigh the downsides, but only for organisations that design the change on purpose.
How does the Centaur Principle relate to this session?
It is the third path Matthew set against dumb automation and autonomous platforms: humans and machines working as partners. 311 rates it as Prepare, with wide use expected by 2029.
How do Autonomous Organisations relate to this session?
They are the far end of the operating models Matthew described, after the gig economy and Algorithmic Organisations. 311 rates them as Explore, with wide use expected by 2035.
How can 311 brief our leadership team on this?
Through a private executive briefing or leadership workshop, tailored to your sector, in person first.
Bring this to your leadership teamA private executive briefing or leadership workshop, tailored to your sector. In person first, anywhere in the world.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s session and 311 data.
If Matthew gave this session today
One person now directs the work of many.
311 Institute's latest research finds a heavy AI user already directs the work of about 18 people for $180 a month, a sharp update on the human-machine partnership Matthew described to Bahrain's leaders.
