What does 'New Work' teach us about the future?

For many, this is a completely new concept, in the end, what exactly is this so-called ‘New Work’ that has become the norm for what society is seeing as a life with purpose. 

With ‘New Work’ comes new power which unlike old power it doesn’t see the fulfilment of our basic needs as the main reason to submit to a higher authority who provides designated jobs and roles, instead it focuses in providing individuals with control over their work and their network by creating a self-organised and self-guided society that relies greatly on interaction. 

Now, ‘New Work’ doesn’t seem to be so new after all, as this sh|ft in new networks such as hotels to Airbnb and transportation to Ubers. 

On a personal level, there are 4 things that we need to be aware of in order to be effective and productive in this new time. Marlin Watling explained these 4 points to be: 

Know your shape

This consists of knowing your niche… exactly… what is it that you're really good at? Find it out and work on it, improve those skills and make them useful for the workplace. 

In a network there needs to be a range of people within the team, such as those who have the ability to develop new business ideas as well as see what others don’t (starter/pioneer), the observers who can see and hear whatever is going wrong and are able to put it into words calling the organisation back to its unique purpose are known as the poets/prophets, and like in any good organisation or team, a marketeer/evangelist is likewise important to spread the ‘good news’, the brand, the product which carefully made sure it is working well together, is solid and tested by the systematisers. Last but definitely not least, carers/community builders are important to build the interactions generating mutual understandings and catching up with those who may have fallen behind.

Figure out your purpose

Marlin used Maslow’s Pyramid to illustrate the shift that has occurred in the years that have passed. Whilst many years ago, the importance of fulfilling the basic needs such as water, food and shelter led people to lead monotonous lives by working in a repetitive environment for a higher authority in order to get what they wanted, this is not the reality we see nowadays, what we see are teenagers who have their basic needs fulfilled and people who seek a purpose for being. 

Through philosophers approach, Instagram approach, God’s approach or constructing your own purpose, even now there are different ways to find what your purpose is, from searching the meaning of life, to enjoying the small, real and present moments, to relying on something higher than yourself, you can find and fulfill your purpose. 

Manage yourself 

We must not forget how important it is that once we figure out our purpose and know our shape, we must be able to manage ourselves conveniently and efficiently. Bearing in mind that it is important not to overload ourselves yet we should not procrastinate. With ‘New Work’ there’s a bigger freedom span where you can have control over your decisions, and therefore you are able to prioritise, target and carry out the different tasks. 

Manage others

Lastly, you can find yourself responsible for other people, these can simply be your colleagues. What that means is that you should be able to understand their strengths and work towards helping them achieve their goals and fulfilment, this works well by investing time in getting to know. 

‘New Work’ might just be what we need for a developed future where we can rely on others but most importantly we are able to trust ourselves, know ourselves and rely on ourselves. We have become more independent to be who we are and help others to reach that some understanding, by doing what we enjoy doing and doing so in a great community and expanded network of people. 

Watch the entire video for even more insight. It was filmed at A Ponte Talks, which is a space to share experiences, learn concepts, debate ideas, disrupt paradigms and build community through talks, panel discussions, seminars, workshops and interviews, accompanied by a good coffee or tea. Follow our YouTube Channel for more content like this.