A group of trends which are increasingly becoming clear are:
* People no longer have permanent jobs; they tend to change jobs every few years, whether by choice or on account of downsizing, layoffs, or some organizational change
* Organizations themselves are constantly restructuring, re-engineering and renewing. Mergers, acquisitions, splits, spinoffs and other organizational changes make today's job environment highly volatile
* People and organizations increasingly turn to the Internet to finding jobs or hire people
* Temping becomes a way of life
* People prefer to work for themselves rather than for large organizations; many small businesses, consultancies and niche services are being set up;
* More and more people choose to free-lance; it's the dawn of the 'e-lancer'
Why should large, formal organizations be created? Which processes should be kept within the organization and which should be bought from outside? This 'Make or Buy' question is a very old management debate and different theories have been put forth. But is basically boils down to the cost of transactions. If the organization finds it cheaper to buy things rather than make them itself, it would prefer to get them from outside. If its cheaper to make things, it will keep the process inside.
The same goes for human services (physical labour, organizing ability, knowledge and skills, etc.). Organizations hire people only if they find it more cost effective than buying their services. If they need someone's knowledge, skills and efforts only for some time, why employ that person? Why not just buy their services for that particular job?
Before the information age, companies found it too expensive to search for, contract and hire the services of outside people for regular jobs. So they employed people by the thousands, and we saw the rise of gargantuan corporations. But with present day information technologies, it is possible to draw on huge online databases or job-sites, standardize work order contracts, and hire people for particular jobs and the time needed. It is not necessary to give them full time employment. On the flip side, workers can also work for many different organizations at the same time. Freelancing, or rather, e-lancing, is on the rise. People can work on many projects for many companies at the same time from their own home or from small offices.
Taking this concept further, we can forsee the online posting of all large or small work orders (call them 'micro-jobs'). You want someone to mow your lawn? Repair your car? Manage your finances? Post it on the web. At the same time you post your availability for, say, teaching music, providing expertise on how to grow tomatoes, or troubleshooting large turbine engines. Intelligent search agents immediately locate and match you up exactly with suppliers and buyers, based on location, skill sets, price range and reputation ratings. You offer and accept simple, standardized contracts, and payment is exchanged electronically. So while you are redesigning huge turbines, your lawn is being mowed by the teenager, the mechanic repairs your car and a professional is looking after your money.
Soon, we will witness the rise of the "10 Billion Person Organization", where everyone will be a free-lance worker, choosing jobs, assignments and projects off the web. They could then sub-contract projects and work orders to others. The entire human race (which I project to be about 10 billion at that time) will turn into one huge virtual organization, everyone working for someone else, hiring someone else, doing the work they enjoy and do best, without waste of time, effort and resources.
Bravenet.com