Taming An Uncertain Future
We’ve spent much of the last year looking at the future of work. For me that study raises a further question: What’s the future of the meaning of work? Turns out that the TED Radio Hour recently did a series of presentations on The Meaning of Work. Barry Schwartz, Professor of Psychology at Swarthmore College, pointed out that before the industrial revolution people didn’t think much about finding fulfillment in work—their work was an integral part of their life. But then for 200 years or more the factory system eliminated engagement, challenge, and the opportunity to learn, taking fulfillment out of work.
That got me thinking. If, as some people predict, ongoing automation finally eliminates the monotony from both physical and knowledge work, allowing workers to focus on the non-routine and relational parts of their jobs, does that mean that automation will bring fulfillment back to work?
Maybe, but there’s also a contrary point of view. Matt McFarland, writing for the Washington Post, summarizes observations in David A. Mindell’s recent book, Our Robots, Ourselves. “Despite the opportunity for more productivity [offered by automation], something really interesting happens. Those in fields affected by automation aren’t always quick to embrace robotics. The automation often triggers an identity crisis.” Automation can take “the excitement and prestige” from jobs. Consider, for example, the shift from fighter pilot to drone pilot or from undersea explorer to submarine drone operator. McFarland asks, “Can tasks where machines play a large role ever provide the happiness, fulfillment and prestige of how we used to define jobs?”
So it seems that as automation runs its course there are at least two possible futures for the meaning of work.
And what about the meaning of work in the long-term future, when some predict that many jobs will disappear altogether? Forecasts for the “abundance economy” argue that rising, automation-driven productivity will enable the economy to produce plenty of goods and services for everyone. There may be fewer jobs, but society can provide a secure livelihood for everyone by finding ways to equitably redistribute this abundance. However, as one of my colleagues astutely observed, “While wealth may be redistributed, there is no parallel system for redistributing the emotional benefits that work can provide.”
In that same TED radio hour, Duke psychologist and behavioral economist Dan Ariely postulated that “We work for identity and fulfillment and a sense of connection with other people.” How will society provide those things in a post-jobs world? Is their pursuit inextricably intertwined with earning a livelihood? Or will those who don’t need a job to make a living nevertheless pursue work for the meaning it offers, rather than financial benefit?
To be placed on the mailing list for a free copy of our forthcoming Futures of Work report, email us at FuturesOfWork@foresightalliance.com.
Image: Kiko Alario Salom (Flickr)
About the author
Related posts
