When we talk about the "Future of Work," it often feels like we're only looking at separate pieces of the puzzle. Some focus on the tech aspects, others emphasize diversity, and still others talk about the rise of remote work and how to best use office space. But aren't we missing the bigger picture?

We're likely to be working within organizations of some kind in the future, so shouldn't we be talking more about the "Future of Organizations" and how they should be designed? This is the fresh take I'm bringing to the table in my upcoming book, "Rethinking Organizations," which I aim to finish by Fall 2024 (under contract with Penguin Random House).

In the book, I'll be exploring major shifts in the way we work and organize ourselves, which I call the "four D's": Digitalization, Distributed work, Decentralization, and Diversity and Inclusion. Despite these changes, I believe two things will remain the same: the universal problems of organizing (division of labor and integration of efforts), and our innate preferences for how we want to work together, shaped by evolution. These constants provide a solid foundation for us to reimagine the organizations of the future. 

To delve deeper into these ideas, I run classes and workshops that range from a few hours to several days. 

The world of organization design has been revolutionized by recent breakthroughs in theory, analytical tools, and data. This new approach enables us to trace the impact of individual actions on the overall outcomes of an organization in ways we couldn't before. Here's what I unpack in my classes and workshops:

• Understanding Complex Organizations: We learn to view these vast structures as a collection of simple, fundamental components, or "micro-structures".
• Mapping Networks with Graph Theory: This mathematical concept helps us visually map out interactions within an organization.
• Ethical Use of Machine Learning: We explore how to responsibly use artificial intelligence to answer key questions about people in organizations, like who to hire, how to develop them, whom to retain, and where to position them in teams.
• A/B Testing or Randomized Controlled Trials: This method helps us determine which organizational designs actually work, instead of relying on guesswork.

In short, we're taking a scientific approach to organization design, using cutting-edge tools to create more effective and efficient organizations. An overview of key themes in this approach can be found in the (free) Organizational Analytics E-Book.

Syllabi & teaching materials: I am always happy to share my syllabi and teaching materials with fellow academics, please email me to ask.