If your job can be automated, then you should definitely read on as the likelihood that it won’t exist in 5 years is high! There are plenty of examples of this and it’s not a new phenomenon. It’s been going on for eons but the pace of change has accelerated exponentially with the rapid rise of digital applications.
As jobs become redundant so too do new ones emerge. For example, who ever heard of a Director of Digital 10 years ago, yet this role type has now entered the vernacular. Moreover, it has been long held that those entering the labour market today can expect to have 5 careers and more than 20 jobs in their working life.
Of course jobs and careers are affected one way or another by a variety of factors, not just technology, such as, a change of government, economic cycles, regional and global stability, market demands, change in company leadership, direction or strategy, organisational restructuring or perhaps a performance review that holds a surprise. There are a multitude of reasons why careers should incorporate and plan for ‘navigational change’.
organisations facing changing markets either adapt or perish
Take a look at market forces, examples of markets restructuring are everywhere. Markets work perfectly, that is to say, if organisations don’t adapt, they get left behind and the market moves on without them! This is to be entirely expected since we operate in a market economy. Just reflect on the drivers of recent changes in Australia’s car and airline industry, traditional recruitment firms, the paper and book industry, bricks and mortar retailers, traditional video rental stores, to name just a few. All have or are still going through a transformation as a result of the pressures to change their value proposition and service delivery fundamentals which require a change in mindset of leaders and followers of organisations. This in turn creates a burning platform for innovation and new job and career opportunities.
For organisations, adapting to changing customer needs, knowing what the customer needs and wants sounds like common sense and the competency is often labelled as having a ‘customer focus’. And yet we have seen the demise of organisations through the absence of precisely this; instead opting for an internal focus and leading them to often look in the wrong place for the answers. In a talent management context where organisations are thinking about the retention of skills with regard to Baby Boomers, this may be assisted by providing the flexibility required to care for ageing parents.
The notion of Adaptive Careers is vital to healthy career growth.
There are some forces clearly beyond our control but that said, many are within our control and the latter is the best place to start. That is, focus on what we can do rather than on what we can’t. If it sounds simple then that’s because it is; but simple doesn’t mean easy. Just as organisations facing changing markets either adapt or perish. Not surprisingly, the same applies to careers. The notion of Adaptive Careers is vital to healthy career growth. In some cases this might mean having to reinvent oneself entirely and for others just a shift in thinking and behaviours; and yet for others acquiring new skill sets and qualifications or a new ‘individual operating model’. Some may shift from the traditional concept of working for one employer to a portfolio career model where several career streams are pursued simultaneously.
Whatever career model is selected, flexibility and early detection of, and adaption to, the changing needs of the market and employment often hold the key. The red alert here is to always have ones eye on the changing needs of the market to stay ahead of the game. That is adapt, and in so doing, adopt an Adaptive Career mindset.
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