Sometimes it is wonderful how an exciting and thought-provoking piece of work can simply land on your desk. Deutsche Telekom and Detecon International asked me and Obiageli Heidelberger-Nkenke at the Henley Centre for Leadership to partner with them and explore how work and leadership might look in 2028.  Our investigations have resulted in a report called Work Trends, Dilemmas and Choices.

We asked ourselves, and then business leaders:

• “What is the role of the fourth industrial revolution, artificial intelligence and cognitive computing, in transforming human needs?
• How do these technical developments affect work and leadership?
• What are the implications for society, organisations, managers and employees?
• What discussions do we need to have, and what actions do we need to take RIGHT NOW, to emerge from the next decade successfully?

50 fascinating, mind-blowing and provocative interviews with business and societal leaders from different sectors, countries and spheres of life resulted in 16 New Projections for Work and Leadership in 2028 and revealed fascinating implications for society, businesses and all of us as humans. The answers to our questions, which were more often than not, surprising, presented us not with straight-forward conclusions or nice cosy trajectories, but with dilemmas, paradoxes and junctions.  Far from being disappointing, the results are exciting and stimulating, and in turn give us all a springboard to kick start debates and action.

Here are some key themes which emerged from our 2028 Projections for Societies, Organisations, Work and Leadership:

• A cry for societal purpose
• Work is all or nothing
• Tech-driven radical transparency
• Episodic loyalty
• Gig leadership
• Leading hybrid work forces
• Leadership development unlearned

A sneak peek.  Fancy more?

The study and its insights are an eye opener. Here you can download the ‘Work 2028: trends, dilemmas & choices’ report or our recent article for Henley Leadership Insights.

You will also find initial activities for taking this into your organisations, teams, environments.

Debate fast! Act soon! AND get in touch! This is not a polite ‘Try this’ – This is a ‘Must do’!

Happy engaging – stay tuned.

By Prof Bernd Vogel