Literature of Leadership - Work Disrupted

WORK DISRUPTED: Opportunity, Resilience, and Growth in the Accelerated Future of Work. Jeff Schwartz (2021, Kindle Edition)

Work Disrupted is a short, easy-to-read book offering a timely perspective on how to discover the opportunities, resilience, and growth needed to survive and thrive during times of disruption and stress. Authored by Jeff Schwartz, founding partner of Deloitte Consulting’s U.S. Future of Work practice, the book offers guidance to individuals, business leaders, and higher education institutions on making smart choices in shaping the future of work.

In the Introduction to the book, Schwartz provides a brief account of various disruptive forces that have and continue to impact how and where we work, who we work with, and the skills and capabilities needed in navigating disruptive change. He argues that disruptive change requires the adoption of new mental models. Accordingly, he offers navigational tools—referred to as “signposts”—that can help empower the reader's own journey into the future of work.

Following the Introduction, the book is organized into three parts that address the path forward (i.e., opportunity, resilience, and growth). In Part I, the focus is on finding opportunity during a time of accelerated change. Part II explores how to build long-term resilience—as individuals plan for many careers, organizations promote teams and networks, and leaders extend their roles as coaches and designers. Finally, in Part III, the journey concludes with the presentation of new mental models for a growth mindset, along with playbooks for growth, and recommended actions to guide individuals, businesses, and societies in preparing for the changes ahead.

Considerable attention is given in Part III to strategies for fueling resilience, including the need to upgrade mental models on leadership and management, as well as to address what the author refers to as the “growing gap” between the preparation provided by higher education institutions and the rapidly changing job market as well as for workforce development.

Some 20 pages of “Notes” are provided throughout the book chapters that offer useful references and resources on related topics. Definitely a thought-provoking read.

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