Future Proof
Lynda Gratton
Professor of
Management Practice,
London Business
School
Lynda is an Organisational
Theorist, Consultant and
Author and Founder of the
Hot Spots Movement.
lyndagratton.com
F
or organisational theorist
Lynda Gratton, ‘work’
is now being defined
by ‘context’, which is
created by the emergence
of megatrends and their impact on
society: “Work is being shaped by
technology, globalisation, democracy
and the ageing workforce, and the
opportunity you have to make work
as you want it,” she says.
In her latest book, The 100 Year Life,
co-authored with Andrew Scott , Gratton
also points out that in the same way
that technology and globalisation have
transformed the way people live and
work, so too will increasing longevity.
Over the past 200 years, life expectancy
in the developed world has increased at a
near constant rate of more than two years
every decade. If this trend is to continue, a
child born in the UK today has more than
a 50% chance of living to 105. A century
ago, this chance was less than 1%.
Increased longevity means that
cradle-to-grave employment is
obsolete and jobs for life are gone.
From an organisational perspective,
when careers become 50 or 60 years
alexandermannsolutions.com
54
▲ Professor Lynda Gratton
believes organisations must
build a context to innovate
and excite their people
“Because people
lie at the heart of
corporate
purpose,
organisations
must build a
context to
innovate and
excite them”
in length, they will need to move away
from the traditional linear path and
businesses will need to offer training
and development opportunities that
emphasise lifelong learning and
support employees through various
personal and professional transitions.
“We are faced with a “hollowing out”
of work – medium-skilled jobs have
disappeared and are being replaced by
technology, so there’s either low-paid
work or specialised high-paid work,
with a huge emphasis on education
and lifelong learning,” says Gratton.
Transparency
in business
Because people lie at the heart of
corporate purpose, Gratton believes
organisations must build a context to
innovate and excite them.
In her book The Key, Gratton makes
the case for businesses to step up and
connect their interests with those of
the wider world. She urges companies
to play a more positive role in the
world by building inner resilience,
actively anchoring themselves in