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What's Happened/Happening?

Future of Work Private Client Network

We previously announced the formation of a new Future of Work Private Client Network (see the December newsletter at this link for the full announcement)

We believe there are four particularly critical management challenges facing all large organizations in 2010. It's clear that now, more than ever, you need to expand your organization's 'peripheral vision' to stay alert to how these issues will affect you and your workforce.

One of the key promises we make to our clients is to act as a "weak signal" detector and amplifier. Our focus is identifying nascent trends, wildcard events, and anomalies in the larger global environment that can significantly impact your business. We are your "early warning system." Consider some of the "weak signal" indicators we have identified in the past:

February 2005—Open source is the business model of the future.

December 2006—There is a fundamental flaw in the financial markets. "We can hear the ice cracking."

June 2008—Changes in public policy (i.e., health care, energy use, environmental impact) will force major changes in business operations.

Looking back, these views may not seem so profound today, but at the time they were well over the horizon. If your business had begun to focus strategically on these issues back then, how different a place would you be in today?

We want to help you monitor the future in a highly-leveraged, cost-effective way. That's where we come in; we will complement your own strategic planning resources with our continually expanding knowledge base and by calling on our global relationships with the smartest people we know.

To summarize, we are launching a new, private network of clients and expert resources whose mission is to make practical sense of the future. We'd like to you be part of it. If you are interested, please contact us directly for a detailed prospectus and research agenda.

Hartford Area Business Economists: January 20

Jim will be leading a conversation about the future of work—and the community response—at a luncheon meeting of the Hartford Area Business Economists on Wednesday, January 20, at the Hartford Club in downtown Hartford, Connecticut. There is a small attendance fee; contact Sonya Richmond at +1 860.244.1934 or sonya.richmond@cbia.com for details.

Managing People You Can't See: February 2

We'll be leading another webinar sponsored by Citrix Online on February 2 (11 AM to Noon, Pacific time). This one draws on research we've conducted over the past two years on the challenges of managing a distributed workforce. The webinar includes principles for managing individuals who work remotely and teams that are distributed in time and space.

For more information, and to register (it's free), click this link.

Rex Miller to Speak at WDC's First Leadership Forum of 2010

Rex is the lead author of The Commercial Real Estate Revolution, the product of a two-plus year research project that identified just how broken the business model for designing, building, and operating commercial buildings is.

This Leadership Forum is open only to members of WDC's new Future of Work Network. For information about the network and how to become a member, see the note just above, our special announcement in the December issue of this newsletter, or contact us directly.

Getting Out and About

We're currently spending time with clients in southern California once or twice a month.

If we're in your area and have a few minutes, we'd love to see you for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or "refreshments" any time after 5 PM local time (and you know what that means).

We're doing our best to publish our travel schedule, including both public appearances and private client work, on our new online calendar that's embedded in our website at:

http://www.thefutureofwork.net/news_events.html

And please follow us on Twitter for more current updates on the future of work and our travel plans: http://www.twitter.com/thefutureofwork

Give us a shout or send us a note, and if we can squeeze out some time, we'd love to say hello and share some good ideas the old-fashioned way: face-to-face, glass in hand.



		January 2010 From Jim and Charlie Setting the theme for this month: Designing for the future. HTML Feature Article: Experience the Design We propose six principles: community, learning, work/life integration, diversity of work styles, resource accessibility and egalitarianism. HTML \| PDF Compass: Igniting The Burning Platform Effective leaders generate a strong and widespread sense of urgency about the need for change. HTML \| PDF Field Notes: Our Very Own Top Ten List The ten most-read articles from our 2009 newsletters. HTML \| PDF What's Happened/Happening? Where we are and will be in January and beyond. HTML What Do You Think? Share your thoughts with us. Email \| Blog