OUR FUTURE
WORKFORCE AND
WORKPLACE
By Tom Soderstrom, IT Chief Technology And Innovation Officer, Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute Of Technology
IT'S HARD to forecast what the U.S. economy will look
like in 10 years, much less what the workday or workplace
will resemble. However, the challenges we face today
are likely to get even more difficult. Here are a few: Over time we build a workforce passionate about our mission
and accustomed to innovation and collaboration, one that
employs emerging technologies and fits the NASA JPL culture.
Their work tools? A smartphone, a laptop, and a cloud account.
• Competing effectively in the marketplace • Innovating and infusing new capabilities
quickly and inexpensively We next addressed the workplace—building a work
environment that encourages innovation. We began by
creating an innovation lab and start-up environment at
JPL. We identified available space and gutted it.
• Recruiting new stars, retaining our skilled
people, and retraining our existing workforce • Responding rapidly to changes, aka “Innovating Faster”
One thing we do know: As younger generations enter the
workforce, they bring new habits, technologies, conventions,
and expectations that will transform business and government.
Enterprises who embrace these transformations will
benefit and likely be more successful in their pursuits.
Let’s examine this through a case study we are
executing at NASA JPL and through the trusted
lens of People, Processes, and Technologies.
1. HIRE AND RETAIN MOTIVATED PEOPLE
Newer team members value a highly collaborative start-up
environment using the latest technologies in the cloud. They
also want to use—and contribute to—Open Source and to be
part of something much bigger than themselves. While we
continue hiring experienced team members and contractors,
we also employ interns focused on emerging technologies.
We integrate them into our open “start-up” environment and
later employ the best performers who most align with our
missions. We know that they fit our culture, and they often
enter at a lower cost. Our “interns turned employees” then
select next year’s intern class and the process repeats.
50 • CESGovernment.com
We then allowed the workers to design and help equip the
workspace. Partnering with our accommodating Facilities
department has enabled the successful deployment of
several similar workplace experiments across JPL.
Workers receive hands-on experience and advise and
implement their innovations to other locations.
Some examples include:
• sit/stand desks;
• an open environment with unassigned
workspaces but many large displays;
• a “phone booth” (without a phone, but for privacy);
• blinds that follow the sun for energy
efficiency and comfort;
• walls that switch between transparent and opaque
glass for privacy by the click of a button or a spoken
word (done by simply applying an add-on film at
a fraction of the cost of specialized glass);
• telepresence robots that allow remote team
members to participate in conversations;
• large touchscreens for better collaboration
inside and outside our enterprise;