Workforce Ecosystems: Reaching Strategic Goals with People, Partners, and Technologies

by Elizabeth J. Altman, David Kiron, Jeff Schwartz, Robin Jones

Overview

A pioneering guide to understanding and leading workforce ecosystems, which include not only traditional employees, contractors, and gig workers, but also partner and complementor organizations that work with companies to accomplish enterprise and individual goals.

Who is your workforce? This was a simple question when most organizations focused on hiring full- and part-time employees, but now organizations engage with both internal and external collaborators including subcontractors, freelancers, app developers, marketplace sellers, and others. As technology enables new, more efficient forms of working, and roles become more project- and outcomes-based, workforces are evolving into workforce ecosystems requiring updated strategies, leadership, and management practices.

Workforce Ecosystems by Elizabeth J. Altman, David Kiron, Jeff Schwartz, and Robin Jones is an essential research-driven framework for leading these complex, interconnected workforces. Drawing on case studies, worldwide surveys, and extensive interviews with C-suite executives and senior leaders from Amazon, IBM, Mayo Clinic, NASA, Nike, Roche, Unilever, the US Army, Walmart, and others, the authors explore what workforce ecosystems are and how to navigate their unique challenges and opportunities.

Practical and field-tested, Workforce Ecosystems will prepare leaders to identify distinguishing characteristics of workforce ecosystems; take advantage of their increasing relevance as the world becomes more interconnected and technology-enabled; refine business strategies to incorporate them; focus leadership, management practices, and technologies to leverage them; and traverse the ethical, societal, and public policy considerations of workforce ecosystems.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780262047777
Publisher:	MIT Press
Publication date:	04/11/2023
Series:	Management on the Cutting Edge
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	1,101,597
Product dimensions:	6.38(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.85(d)

About the Author

Elizabeth J. Altman is Associate Professor of Management at the Manning School of Business, University of Massachusetts Lowell, and Guest Editor, Future of Workforce for MIT Sloan Management Review. She is coauthor of The Innovator’s Guide to Growth.

David Kiron is the Editorial Director of Research at MIT Sloan Management Review and Program Lead for its Big Ideas research initiatives. He is coeditor of The Consumer Society and Human Well-being and Economic Goals.

Jeff Schwartz is Vice President, Insights and Impact, Gloat, and Adjunct Professor, Columbia Business School. He is the author of Work Disrupted.

Robin Jones is Principal, US Workforce Transformation Leader, Deloitte Consulting LLP.

Table of Contents

Series Foreword vii
Introduction 1
Part I: Introducing Workforce Ecosystems
1 Addressing an Extended Workforce 19
2 What Is a Workforce Ecosystem? 33
3 Strategy and Workforce Ecosystems 43
Part II: Orchestrating Workforce Ecosystems
4 A Framework for Workforce Ecosystem Orchestration 59
5 Leadership Approaches in Workforce Ecosystems 67
6 Integration Architectures for Workforce Ecosystems 87
7 Technology Enablers 103
8 Accessing Workforce Ecosystem Members 121
9 Aligning Interests with Workforce Ecosystems 135
Part III: Developing Socially Responsible Workforce Ecosystems 
10 Ethics in Workforce Ecosystems 155
11 Implications for Social Responsibility 171
12 Perspectives on the Future of Workforce Ecosystems 185
Appendix A: List of Interviewees with Affiliations 197
Appendix B: Survey and Interview Data Collection Research Methodology 201
Acknowledgments 203
Notes 207
Index 221

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“An excellent and comprehensive book for leaders who must build a robust workforce ecosystem in today’s digital era. A must-read!”
—Tsedal Neeley, Harvard Business School Professor; author of Remote Work Revolution; coauthor of The Digital Mindset
 
“As companies embrace both internal and external contributors, managing these ecosystems takes centre stage. Workforce Ecosystems is a powerful tool and discussion lead. A must read for anyone caring about the future of talent.”
—Lynda Gratton, Professor of Management Practice at London Business School; author of Redesigning Work

“Workforce composition and boundaries are being disrupted and leaders need a richer, more nuanced playbook. Workforce Ecosystems delivers thoughtful strategies for management and boards including intentional approaches to ethics, social responsibility, and DEI.”
—Janet Foutty, Executive Chair of the Board, Deloitte US
 
“This book highlights how workforce ecosystems are transforming management and strategy practices, as skills are placed at the center of the business. It is a compelling read for leaders navigating our new world of work.”
—Jeff Maggioncalda, Chief Executive Officer, Coursera
 
 “In my lifetime, we moved from three primary TV stations to innumerable media choices. Likewise, work has dramatically evolved. Workforce Ecosystems insightfully describes these transitions offering relevant tools for participating in the ecosystem of work.”   
—Dave Ulrich, Rensis Likert Professor of Business, University of Michigan; Partner, the RBL Group

Editorial Reviews

The value of the book, authored by scholars Elizabeth J Altman and David Kiron, and consultants Jeff Schwartz and Robin Jones, is that it provides an instructive account of the way organizations like Salesforce are thinking about their workforce ecosystems. In turn, it invites you to consider how you will choose to engage with those ecosystems in your own career. Here are four examples from the book, taken from reports about four separate organizations...A first step, though, is to absorb the ideas in Workforce Ecosystems, either on your own, or with professional friends, or a book club. This engaging book will tell you what leading thinkers on talent management strategy are saying, and help you to stand up for your career in response.”
—Forbes


"I highly  recommend  ‘Workforce  ecosystems’  to  practitioners,  as  it  provides  valuable  insights  into  evolving  workforce  structures  of  the  modern  world.  It  also  raises  points  that  would  ben-efit from deeper scientific inquiry, to expand beyond practical  applications.  And,  at  the  end  of  the  day,  it  offers a valuable toolkit for all those who are seeking to leverage workforce ecosystems effectively."
—R&D Management

“Workforce Ecosystems is a thought-provoking resource for leaders and practitioners seeking to navigate the complexities of managing workforce ecosystems. The book's exploration of ecosystem dynamics, coupled with its analysis of technology, leadership, culture, and career management, can help practitioners embrace this paradigm shift successfully.”
—People Matters Global

From the Publisher