The third domain for the future of work: Communities

Remember that the key deliverable for the future of work in the context of communities is: “An ecosystem in which everyone can thrive.”

Think of the ecosystem of the rainforest. There are various layers of function, such as the ground, mid-canopy, and upper canopy. There are ecosystem occupants, from small insects at the bottom of the food chain to leopards and jaguars at the top. If a significant element of an ecosystem is eliminated, such as a climate-driven infestation that destroys a particular kind of tree, unless a new element takes its place, the ecosystem can no longer function optimally.

And if a devastating event like a hurricane or a forest fire decimates the entire forest, less-resilient ecosystems — usually ones that have become dominated by a single species and become monocultures — can be dramatically impacted.

The same is true in work ecosystems. A city heavily dependent on one industry, such as Detroit during America’s unrelenting reliance on gas-powered cars, can become a work monoculture. When disruptive change sweeps through like a tornado, less-resilient ecosystems can experience mass unemployment.

In contrast, communities that include a variety of industries and opportunities that can continually develop and attract workers and work are more likely to have stronger economic and social cohesion, and therefore to be far more resilient.

What’s a community?

There are actually many different types of communities, These include:

• Communities of Geography. These are often the kinds of communities we first think about. Even if you are a digital nomad, when you walk out the door, you still function in one or more physical communities. And even if your organization is fully distributed, its workers operate in one or more communities of geography, and because those workers spend their money and their time there, your organization has a “footprint” in those communities.
• Communities of Practice. These are often based in fields or industries, with people who have similar training or experience. For example, by reading this article, you are part of the UNLEASH global community of people practitioners.
• Communities of Interest. Each of us has one or more topics that fascinate us, but perhaps not to the point of being a focus of our work. Many of those subjects of fascination are related to hobbies or learning explorations, or they can simply topics that catch our attention.
• Communities of Affinity. Outside your day job, you may think of yourself as a musician, or a weaver, or a football player. Or you may simply like people who do those things, and want to spend time around them.
• Communities of History. You may have an ethnic or cultural history that is a deep part of your identity. Or you may feel a connection to others who come from your family’s country of origin, or who like you have lived in a town or city for a long time. Or you may have gone to a college or university, with a shared identity from that experience.
• Communities of Characteristics. You might be left-handed (I am), or wear glasses (I do), or have some challenge or advantage, that you feel makes you part of a community.

Why care about your communities?

As an HR professional, why should you care about the future of work for communities? Unless you’re a hermit on an island, you’re part of multiple communities.

Because the members of communities ideally want everyone in the community to thrive, the underpinning of a functioning community is often when every member has access to meaningful, well-paid work. And the constantly-changing landscape of work is directly impacting communities around the world.

• Seeking school or work, young people may move away to other communities, and that “brain drain” can leave their home communities with fewer options for a bright future. The opposite can also be true: Your community may have significant demand for construction or healthcare workers, but without that trained local workforce, the community is no longer as functional an ecosystem.
• Your community’s learning institutions may not be investing in training for in-demand skills of the future, cutting off an important flow of educated talent.
• A dramatic shift in industries may mean that a large employer decides to relocate or shutter a factory or office, devastating local employment.
• Flexible work may allow your local community to attract nomadic workers. Or it may mean that your dense urban location, such as the downtown of my home town San Francisco, becomes — at least temporarily — an urban ghost town.
• Disruptive technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence software can significantly affect employment in industries ranging from media to hi-tech, with deep impact in geographies with lots of employers in those fields.
• Displacement by war or other global events may turn a community from a tightly-knit town to a group of refugees.
• Climate change may be directly or indirectly affecting what it means to work and live in a location, and in some cases make it impossible to continue living there.

Schools, colleges, and universities also belong in the context of communities because (unless they are 100% virtual) they have a physical campus that is part of a local community. Ideally, that local institution can serve as an economic engine that draws families and young people from other locations, and encourages them to stay and work after graduation.

Organizations that are deeply committed to understanding and being an authentic part of the communities in which they operate are far more likely to make decisions that benefit those communities.

And that community support will, in turn, help to make stronger organizations, by helping their workers to have more complete lives through contributions to their communities.

What should you do next?

• • Map your organization’s community ecosystems, in the context of work. Every HR professional should be very clear about the communities in which the organization and its workers are members.
  • Survey your workers about their ‘membership’ in ecosystems. What communities do they feel part of?
  • Conduct future-scenario workshops. What would happen to the work communities in which your organization operates if another global pandemic appeared? What skills will your organization need in the future, and how will you ensure you have those skills?
  • Leverage your organization’s resources to benefit the local community. Offering food to employees in your micro-kitchen may keep them at their desks, but it doesn’t help the community. Encourage policies that encourage your workers to support local restaurants and other businesses.
  • Determine how you can help your communities to be more resilient, helping a range of populations to thrive. Can you leverage your organization’s learning resources to train local workers to learn a new job? Can you provide apprenticeship and gig work opportunities to local workers to help those who are between employment?

At the senior leadership and board level, encourage the mindset that communities are a key constituent of your organization. Those who lead in your organization should not only commit resources to supporting communities, they should be volunteering their own time to demonstrate their personal commitment.

You can read part two of Gary’s four part analysis of the four domains of the future of work here.