Everywhere you look, there’s another article, book, or expert. All talking about how much things are changing out there. A whole new language of words and phrases has developed which to the uninitiated is almost meaningless, or at a minimum, confusing....

Contingent workforce. Create your own job. The new rules of work. The dejobbing of the workplace. Flat organizations. Employability security. A new deal. The new reality. The information age. Knowledge work. A new definition of career. Situational leadership. The individualized corporation. Prospering in a workplace without jobs. My career is my responsibility. Loyalty and security are gone. The contract has been broken. The portable executive. The social contract between companies and employees has expired. Building your own job security. Labor shortage. Create your own job. And on and on and on.

And Fortune magazine even has had a section called You, Inc. What does all this mean? Why is it important to you now? A new language has developed that mirrors the new world of work. Are you fluent?

What’s Changed?
Only just about everything, when it comes to work. Technology, communications, and the pace of change. Market turbulence and uncertainty. Global cost competition. The need for quick decisions. Reengineering. Outsourcing. Delocalizing of work sites. Home offices.
To this, add changing demographics, changing global politics and democratization, the end of the cold war, and the cumulative effect of the Internet and television (and on and on).

Simply put, the "game" we were comfortable with — our world of work — has changed and continues to change. It’s not that the rules of the game have changed. No, in many ways, the whole game changed. And it changed without most us knowing or fully realizing it.

You don’t accept this? All of this seems like overstating a few market trends? But the evidence is truly overwhelming. For example, in 1905, 83% of our workers were in agriculture. Today, it’s less than 3%. In 1950, 73% of our workers were in production or manufacturing. Today, it’s less than 15%.

What is your plan to stay current during accelerating change?

Summary of the Key Changes in the World of Work

What do these changes mean to you?

Leaders and Workers Must Continually Produce Value
The demands on companies to be cost competitive, respond to and stay ahead of customers, and the need to produce immediate results means that you must continuously and clearly show your value to your organization in each situation, project, or assignment.

Performance Expectations Change, and are Accelerating
Much more of your organization’s efforts are undertaken by project teams made up of individuals from different functional areas. Leaders therefore need to be able to switch your focus rapidly from one task to another, work with people with very different training and mindset, work in situations where the group is the responsible party and the leader is only the coordinator, work without clear job descriptions in a climate of ambiguity, and work on several projects at the same time.

We Are All "Contingent" Workers
With the turbulence in business and the requirement to respond quickly to market conditions, everyone is a contingent worker — contingent based on skills match between the company’s needs and the employees skills. And you need to be ready to move from project to project, as needs change. Leading companies (such as Motorola) will do their best to retain and reassign talent.

Rewards are Changing
Smart companies will work with you to make this new relationship as mutually beneficial as possible. But rewards will be different, with a shorter term focus, more often based on performance. Time is expiring on the days of high base pay, no variable pay, guaranteed pensions, sick days, and other benefits that were originally designed to develop a long-tenured, stable workforce.

Organizations are Becoming "Free Markets" of Jobs
Many organizations are providing less "centrally" controlled career support such as career paths and preplanned moves, and are asking individuals to be more self sufficient in managing their careers within the internal job market.

You Share Responsibility in Your Career Management
Some organizations recognize that these changes, moving from the old rules to the new, are hard. And they will provide some support. But ultimately, you must manage this transition in your career and life. The world of work has dramatically changed and continues to change. For anyone to be successful in today’s world, it is important to first understand these changes, and then adapt your personal approach to work.