Six Shifts for the Way We Work Today

Content

The pace of change is affecting almost all of us. According to Deloitte’s 2026 Global Human Capital Trends report, the rapidity of change—including artificial intelligence and workforce transformation—is leading to decreased employee well-being, increased workloads, and feeling less relevant. “Clearly, an intentional, more empathetic approach is needed—one that changes the narrative from ‘change exhaustion’ to ‘changefulness,’” the report states. “Change exhaustion stems from traditional top-down change and learning approaches. By contrast, changefulness goes beyond these traditional approaches and cultivates workers’ abilities to adapt, experiment, learn, and evolve as a daily muscle embedded in work, not as a disruption.”

The pace of change is affecting almost all of us. According to Deloitte’s 2026 Global Human Capital Trends report, the rapidity of change—including artificial intelligence and workforce transformation—is leading to decreased employee well-being, increased workloads, and feeling less relevant. “Clearly, an intentional, more empathetic approach is needed—one that changes the narrative from ‘change exhaustion’ to ‘changefulness,’” the report states. “Change exhaustion stems from traditional top-down change and learning approaches. By contrast, changefulness goes beyond these traditional approaches and cultivates workers’ abilities to adapt, experiment, learn, and evolve as a daily muscle embedded in work, not as a disruption.”

Content

How can talent development practitioners help their organizations, and managers specifically, break out of the traditional approaches and create a culture where the workforce feels supported, able to learn and experiment daily, and adapt to change?

How can talent development practitioners help their organizations, and managers specifically, break out of the traditional approaches and create a culture where the workforce feels supported, able to learn and experiment daily, and adapt to change?

A Shift in Perspective

Content

In “ How to Develop Managers in the Age of Industry 4.0 ,” W. Gray McDowell explains the six shifts that managers need to make to support their teams for the way that work has changed in Industry 4.0, where humans and technology co-create the final work product. The shifts are:

In “How to Develop Managers in the Age of Industry 4.0,” W. Gray McDowell explains the six shifts that managers need to make to support their teams for the way that work has changed in Industry 4.0, where humans and technology co-create the final work product. The shifts are:

• Content

  Shift 1. From command and control to connect and cultivate

  Shift 1. From command and control to connect and cultivate

• Content

  Shift 2. From supervision to coaching

  Shift 2. From supervision to coaching

• Content

  Shift 3. From process-focused to people-centered

  Shift 3. From process-focused to people-centered

• Content

  Shift 4. From reactive to adaptive

  Shift 4. From reactive to adaptive

• Content

  Shift 5. From pure instinct to data literate

  Shift 5. From pure instinct to data literate

• Content

  Shift 6. From compliance to trust and transparency

  Shift 6. From compliance to trust and transparency

Content

TD professionals can share practices that managers can use and questions they can reflect upon to lead differently. Further, TD teams can ask themselves whether their L&D initiatives are created for Industry 4.0.

TD professionals can share practices that managers can use and questions they can reflect upon to lead differently. Further, TD teams can ask themselves whether their L&D initiatives are created for Industry 4.0.

Reflections for People Managers

Content

To connect more with their direct reports and foster a safe place for employees to ask questions, stretch themselves, and make mistakes, managers can consider:

To connect more with their direct reports and foster a safe place for employees to ask questions, stretch themselves, and make mistakes, managers can consider:

• Content

  What’s one decision I could delegate to a member of my team?

  What’s one decision I could delegate to a member of my team?

• Content

  Whose voice is missing from this decision?

  Whose voice is missing from this decision?

• Content

  How can I shift from giving answers to giving attention?

  How can I shift from giving answers to giving attention?

• Content

  What’s one small experiment we can run to learn faster?

  What’s one small experiment we can run to learn faster?

• Content

  How can I explain decisions more openly with my direct reports?

  How can I explain decisions more openly with my direct reports?

Considerations for TD Teams

Content

To ensure that management development initiatives are crafted with change and the new realities of work in mind, TD practitioners can reflect upon:

To ensure that management development initiatives are crafted with change and the new realities of work in mind, TD practitioners can reflect upon:

• Content

  Are our L&D programs adaptive and relevant, ones that can shift with business needs?

  Are our L&D programs adaptive and relevant, ones that can shift with business needs?

• Content

  Do our programs promote opportunities to provide feedback and coaching questions?

  Do our programs promote opportunities to provide feedback and coaching questions?

• Content

  How can we provide case studies and real business scenarios to help managers apply learning?

  How can we provide case studies and real business scenarios to help managers apply learning?

• Content

  Do our programs go beyond tracking attendance to, more importantly, behavior change?

  Do our programs go beyond tracking attendance to, more importantly, behavior change?

• Content

  Do our programs have a social element so that managers can learn from one another?

  Do our programs have a social element so that managers can learn from one another?

Take Action

Content

TD leaders and other managers can begin with a small step: What’s one shift that either our team or we think is important to work on?

TD leaders and other managers can begin with a small step: What’s one shift that either our team or we think is important to work on?

Content

It may be as small as managers beginning their meetings with direct reports by asking them how they’re doing, not what they’re doing, to connect. Or, managers can practice admitting when they don’t have the answers, or asking their employees what they would do in the situation.

It may be as small as managers beginning their meetings with direct reports by asking them how they’re doing, not what they’re doing, to connect. Or, managers can practice admitting when they don’t have the answers, or asking their employees what they would do in the situation.

Content

The critical thing is to start. The pace of change isn’t likely to slow down, and the world of work isn’t going to go back.

The critical thing is to start. The pace of change isn’t likely to slow down, and the world of work isn’t going to go back.