Commercial Integrator March 2023 - 37

C llab rati n
TODAY and TOMORROW
Creating the Future
One of the best things about the future is people's ability
to create it. Rather than standing by as passive recipients
of what's to come, people can create the conditions for a
positive, constructive and empowering experience. The
primary way people learn is through watching, listening to
and experiencing others. Thus, your influence and impact are
likely greater than you may believe.
In addition, human cognitive biases dictate that what
people focus on and emphasize is more likely to become
magnified. These factors mean that people's attention and
intentions are important factors in what becomes reality as
time marches on.
Evolving technology will be part of every aspect of the
future - intertwined, integrated, influenced and influencing.
Likewise, culture is context for every feature in the future. It is
the way things get done, our common belief systems and our
united ways of being. Therefore, it, too, both impacts and is
impacted by the future of work and learning.
How Things Will Change: The Role of Work
The narrative about work has become extraordinarily negative.
" Quiet quitting " and the mantra to do as little as possible
are at the forefront of the popular press. Unfortunately, the
script ignores the value of work. For people's collective mental
and emotional well-being, this will need to change.
It's true that many organizations will need to do better in
supporting people and creating the conditions for happiness
and engagement, but it's also critical to embrace the reality
that people have an instinct to matter. And work is, of course,
an important way that people contribute to communities,
express their skills and talents, and enhance a sense of mattering
in their lives. Bottom line: Work is an important part of
life; it's not separate from it.
Work matters to people's ability to contribute and connect.
Distributive justice requires people share equitably
in rewards, and contributive justice requires people have
equitable opportunities to make a difference to the group
and society. All work has dignity. Indeed, work is an avenue to
finding meaning, connection and contribution.
Likewise, learning is something to which people want to
contribute, whether through mentoring, sharing or teaching
(both formally and informally). Learning and growth are
strongly correlated with happiness, and learning is most
motivating when it's in pursuit of a positive future of work
rather than a future in which work is a dismal detraction from
the rest of life.
The Implication: Work must be valued for the role it plays
in people's lives and in society. Rather than all work being
a grind, the future requires hope for how the conditions for
work can become better than they are. Learning matters as
well. After all, the process of learning is work for staff and
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faculty. It is also the work of students, preparing the way for
meaningful employment in the next chapter of life.
We require a culture that values work, workers and workplaces
(both virtual and physical). We will need to ensure work
has meaning for people as technology continues to make
some jobs unnecessary, creates other jobs and replaces portions
of others. Work will continue to be a source of meaning,
but, as work shifts, it will be necessary to be intentional about
how we understand the value of work in our lives.
How Things Will Change:
Well-Being and Connection
Connections with others are fundamental to physical, cognitive
and emotional well-being. In fact, having one or two close
friends is more important to health outcomes (think heart
disease, diabetes, depression or dementia) than smoking,
exercise or diet. This is true for both introverts and extroverts.
In addition, simple, quick interactions contribute to
happiness and well-being.
Unfortunately, conveniences
have reduced day-to-day
exchanges. Tech has allowed
people to order coffee on the
app rather than talking with
the barista and to receive
prompt deliveries on their
doorstep, without the need
to chat with a checkout
clerk. Levels of loneliness,
depression, anxiety and
mental-health challenges are
at all-time high. Those things
are correlated with our greater
distance from each other,
both in terms of day-to-day
interactions and in terms of
remote work.
With this distance, the role
of work is becoming more
central to relationships,
connections and the well-being that comes with these. Work
is the perfect place to make friends or just to foster collegial
connections. When you're working with others, you unite
around common goals, you get to know them over time, you
relate through both tasks (rolling up sleeves to solve the customer
issue) and relationships (at the coffee machine sharing
stories about the weekend) and you see them on good days
and bad.
The context of work nurtures interactions and relationships.
So, in the future, it will be fundamental to health. Learning
environments share this level of importance. That's true
for those who work in learning fields, but it's especially true
MARCH 2023 Commercial Integrator 37
Work will
continue to
be a source
of meaning,
but, as work
shifts, it will be
necessary to
be intentional
about how we
understand the
value of work
in our lives.
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Commercial Integrator March 2023

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