The World in 2030: Looking Back Ten Years from Now

Looking back from 2030 over the previous 10 years shows that many challenges have only partially been addressed. Much of the decade countries all over the world were struggling to get back on their feet following a global pandemic that wiped out many gains in jobs, earnings, and living standards painfully created previously. Public institutions have remained more important than ever but have been weakened by slow growth, faltering demographics, climate change, and other challenges. At the same time, opportunities from new technologies have only slowly benefited a larger part of the (working) population. New initiatives stemming from civil society and the private sector are only slowly emerging but have shown first signs of making a bigger impact by 2030. Building on a new policy consensus that puts sustainability and resilient societies rather than short-term profits at the center of collective action, signs of optimism are finally re-emerging gradually.

This chapter is part of the book Managing Work in the Digital Economy: Challenges, Strategies and Practices for the Next Decade

This book provides well-founded insights and guidance to (self-)manage work in a globalized and digitalized knowledge economy with a perspective of the year 2030. International researchers and practitioners draw a picture of how, when, and where we will work most probably in 10 years. Many cases and examples make this work a compendium for learning and for implementing new leadership and management practices. The book assists managers, knowledge workers, human resource professionals, consultants, trainers, coaches in business, public administration, and non-profit organizations to shape the future of work. Drawing on the authors’ more than twenty years of research, teaching, and consulting experience, this is one of the first professional guidebooks to analyze and discuss strategies for digital and disruptive changes at the workplace.