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Design the Company of the Future

Winning the ’20s

To succeed in the coming decade, companies must capitalize on the synergies inherent in human–machine collaboration. That means crafting a new kind of enterprise, one that combines technology and people in ways that bring out the best in each.

To achieve this, business leaders must invest in organizational restructuring and reexamine their approach to corporate culture and innovation. Fostering new ways of working and inspiring a strong sense of purpose will be vital. All this isn’t easy, but the result will be organizations that are able to learn faster than their rivals, thrive in the face of uncertainty, and continually evolve.

Some Companies Are Already “Bionic”

These pioneers are combining artificial and human intelligence to drive growth, innovation, efficiency, resilience, and advantage.

Read About the Company of the Future

Reimagine the Relationship Between People and Technology

Machines are able to spot patterns in vasts amount of data at superhuman speed. People can connect big ideas, imagine new possibilities, set an organization’s purpose, and build relationships with customers. Combine people and technology in new ways, and you’ve got the company of the future.

Unleashing Innovation in Manufacturing

Justin Rose describes how combining automation and continuous upskilling will create competitive advantage in the workplace.

Organizing for the Future with Tech, Talent, and Purpose

As change accelerates, most companies are not keeping up. Leaders need to understand the key drivers of change and redesign their organizations with a focus on six core attributes.

Tech + Humanity

“Machines and algorithms are more capable than ever. In some cases, yes, they will replace humans. But don’t count us out yet.Technology and humans, it turns out, are better together.”

Read more on LinkedIn >>

Embracing Ethics in Corporate Culture

Don’t leave it to the CEO, Andrea Gallego says. Everyone in the company should consider—and question—how AI will impact the world.

Design New Ways of Working and Leading

As companies combine people and technology in fresh ways and invest in organizational restructuring to win the ’20s, everyone will change how they work and lead.

40% of executives expect freelance workers to account for a greater share of their company’s workforce.

Sources: Harvard Business School’s Managing the Future of Work initiative; BCG.

100% to 200% acceleration in the delivery of new products and services is a key benefit of adopting an agile approach to working.

Source: BCG analysis.

67% of millennials expect employers to have purpose and their jobs to have societal impact.

Source: BCG analysis.

73% of all teams will have remote workers by 2028.

Source: Gallup.

People will collaborate in new ways (like tapping into digital “gig” platforms) and build a corporate culture characterized by improvisation and purpose. Mastering these aspects of organizational culture and innovation pays big dividends: workforces that deliver top performance despite facing tough challenges.

The New Freelancers: Tapping Talent in the Gig Economy

The rise of digital labor-sharing platforms gives companies a new way to combine people and technology to access high-level skills unavailable through traditional labor markets.

Reenvisioning Work in the Age of AI

CEOs must focus on talent, Judith Wallenstein says, and developing the skills people will need to work alongside and in collaboration with machines.

To Understand the Company of the Future, Head to a Jazz Club

Cooperative teamwork plus freewheeling innovation are essential for winning in the 2020s. To achieve both, companies will need to become more improvisational and less rigid.

Bringing Managers Back to Work

To thrive in the next decade, companies are launching organizational restructuring efforts aimed at revolutionizing how people work. But these programs could backfire—unless companies also transform how managers manage.

Winning the ’20s

How should leaders prepare their companies to thrive in the new decade?

What will it take to win the ’20s?

Industry Spotlights

To sustain their success in the 2020s, organizations in diverse industries are redesigning key elements of how they operate—including how they deploy leading-edge technologies and manage mission-critical functions.

Advanced Robotics in the Factory of the Future

Robot functionality is improving and costs are declining, but producers need a comprehensive vision to capture the promised value.

A Blueprint for the Government of the Future

To solve 21st century problems and retain their credibility, governments must escape their silos and get up to speed with digital services.

Why Software PMIs Need to Get Agile

There’s a startling disconnect between how companies view their M&As and what they actually achieve. But by taking an agile approach, they can create greater value—faster.

When Silicon Meets Data

Data access and silicon capabilities are hot assets. Chip makers want more data to build better chips, while device makers want to create customized chips to unlock business opportunities.

How People and Technology Will Work Together

In the ’20s, notes Allison Bailey, business success will hinge on companies’ ability to use technology to unleash people’s unique strengths—like creativity and strategic thinking.

Why You Should Treat the Tech You Use at Work Like a Colleague

People and technology don’t always get along in organizations. But it doesn’t have to be that way, says Nadjia Yousif—if employees can learn how to treat workplace technologies like colleagues.

Explore other imperatives for winning the ’20s

Master the New Logic of Competition

Apply the Science of Organizational Change

Embrace the Business Imperative of Diversity

Optimize for Both Social and Business Value

Back to Winning the ’20s overview