The Power of Play

CHAPTER 4WORK 2.5 AND GETTING STUCK

The post‐industrial revolution

The first 150 years of the work revolution augmented and replaced many forms of manual labor, allowing our time, focus, and energy to be applied elsewhere. However, the last 50 years have focused on augmenting intellectual and knowledge capabilities. This was achieved through the accumulation of knowledge in universally accessible locations and increased computing power and connectivity. The upcoming phase will involve automating low‐intelligence activities, challenging the value that many people bring to work and fundamentally reshaping work.

During the post‐industrial revolution, competition for talent intensified due to increased productivity and economic growth. More jobs were available than there were people to fill them. This led to the concept of paying for skills, which essentially meant being paid for time with an expectation that time equals output. While this link may have been clear when people worked on machines in factories, establishing the same link for service and problem‐solving jobs became more challenging.

The invention of computers and the internet in the late 1980s brought about further changes in the nature of work. Work shifted into the realm of knowledge work, with manufacturing and traditional factory work accounting for a smaller percentage compared to services, trade, and the knowledge economy. Old jobs disappeared while new ones emerged. Work was no longer limited to a physical place; ...