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Future of Work

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Making the Shift to the Next-Generation Enterprise (a multi-part series)

Future of Work Enabler: Virtual Collaboration
Cloud-powered social and mobile tools can help break down traditional hierarchies and enable employees across disciplines to easily locate and share business-critical insights with experts inside and outside the organization’s four walls. This report is an installment in our multi-part series that explores the shifts necessary for future-proofing your company.

| FUTURE OF WORK

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Executive Summary
In today’s knowledge economy, virtual teams are the norm. With expertise distributed around the world, teams “swarm” to complete a task and depart when finished. Knowledge work is not performed in linear, production-line fashion; it involves idea-sharing, iterative discussions and real-time modifications. In traditional business, change was first agreed upon, then planned and executed. But in today’s world, change happens organically, thanks to the interconnectedness afforded by social networks and the Web, otherwise known as “wirearchy.”1 Roles and responsibilities — once carved into the org chart — are fluid and ever-changing. The most valuable contributor to a project may turn out to be someone you don’t even know. Leaders aren’t appointed or anointed by management; they’re recognized by the community based on the perceived strength of their contributions. Leadership is dynamic and changes during the lifetime of a project; the way forward is often determined by project role, skill and circumstance. However, many companies are having difficulty adapting to the newly dynamic workstyle and continue to rely on old-fashioned collaboration techniques, characterized by e-mail threads, conference calls, intranet portals and document-sharing systems. Meanwhile, in employees’ private lives, dispersed people come together naturally, sharing

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