The Fast Future Blur

Chapter 4Deconstructed and Decentralized Work: At the Interconnection between the Future of Work and Blockchain

Ravin Jesuthasan and Alun Evans

The last 5 years have seen significant advancements in digitalization and automation. The rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI), cloud-based computing, 5G, low-cost sensors and processing power have transformed every aspect of human life. When coupled with the democratization of work, i.e. our growing ability to increasingly decouple work from its traditional confines of space, time and structure, the impact has been an exponential acceleration towards the future of work. While many might limit the definition of work to be largely about where it is done and when it is performed, given the focus over the past 3 years on the space and time dimensions of work as organizations grappled with working onsite versus hybrid working versus working remotely, it is important to remember that work is actually defined by six dimensions. In addition to ‘where’ and ‘when’ it is performed, there is the ‘how’ work is done (like job/work sharing, among other things), ‘what’ the work is (such as the tasks that make up a job, the underlying skills requirements and how rapidly these are changing), ‘who’ does the work (including automation, gig talent, talent in agile pools and so on) and ‘why’ work is done (asking questions like ‘Why should I engage with your mission? Does it align with my own sense of purpose?’).

The traditional ‘closed’ work operating ...