Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash 

Another year flies by. We do some overdue analysis, look back on our mistakes, achievements, lessons learned. After some retrospectives, we finally put together our efforts and start planning what is to come.  

Being introspective is key. So is drawing a baseline to avoid starting from scratch. But one thing not to forget is to lift our heads up and look around. What’s going on outside? In the streets? In other cities? Around the world? In similar industries, yes, but also in general. 

Global and local trends give us some extra guidelines so we don’t lose touch with reality. Input from the outside makes us grow firmer. This is why in this article we analyze some of the 2022 trends foreseen by the global media company that focuses on business, investing, technology, entrepreneurship, leadership, and lifestyle, Forbes.  

Sustainable, resilient operations  

A new report by Deloitte Global revealed that companies with built-in resilience are better equipped to handle a crisis. This proved to be true after studying the effects of COVID in different companies and cross-examining the measures and processes they undertook.  

Resilience is something you cultivate. A skill and mindset. One key factor, for example, is not postponing decisions but taking early action. If we passively wait, when the tables turn we are caught completely off guard.  

Being prepared, adaptable, collaborative, responsible, is only a matter of planning. Reducing the environmental costs, setting up talented teams, and being one step ahead could only be a matter of putting attention, and intention to it. This is why managed services tend to be a good decision. When you can count on someone to keep the wheels turning, do some maintenance, and dedicate themselves solely to if everyone’s eyes are where they should be, productivity, efficiency, and resilience go up. There’s a reason why agile teams, scrum, project managers, and so on became so popular. It’s because of this. Someone is looking ahead, and a team is completely focused on what each person does best. 

Balance between human workers and intelligent robots 

Yes. AI is increasingly widespread. Luckily, intelligent systems can take on tasks previously done by us. It’s all good news because it means we can focus on more important things. But where to draw the line? What roles should be given over to machines? 

For example, automated translation exists. From google translate to many others, translations and subtitling can be done by AI. But the quality is not as good. Most times they translate word by word, destroying the original meaning. Or others, the translation is correct but not adequate. Or the mood or connotation changes if not interpreted properly. Which is why this is still an open conversation. 

The best we can do is write down the pros and cons and decide where to invest in talent, where AI will be much more effective, and where outsourcing is the best choice. 

Shifting talent pool and changing employee experience 

Value chains changed. Workforces have become more regionalized. Companies are now globally integrated, though too often that creates single points of failure, according to McKinsey. Therefore, there is a demand for greater flexibility and visibility.  

Why? Younger people enter the market, independent workers, freelancers. In their book, The Human Cloud, Matthew Mottola, and Matthew Coatney argue that traditional full-time employment will be a thing of the past. But rather than worry because “retaining” talent may become something old-fashioned, we are invited to make the most of it.  

What is the best way to work today for my company? Do I need 9 to 5 shifts of full-time employed people for every area? When is a contract basis job better?  

Flatter, more agile organizations 

Traditionally, organizations have been very hierarchical and rigid in their structures. But in a globalized world, with technology evolving exponentially and more and more complex and ambiguous scenarios, this changed. Leaders recognize the need for flatter, more agile structures that allow them to quickly reorganize teams and respond to change. 

How did it start? Work used to be sequential in strict phases. For example first content, then design, then testing. But, this became a problem if there was a change in the requirements because it meant lengthy change control processes and redoing. 

How it’s going? Agile management overruled. With the creation of MVPs, small deliverables that allow for feedback during the process, teams adapted better to changing environments. 

At STILLMAN we work as an integrated part of your team. If you need a project manager, management services, or outsourced translations, interpretations, dubbing, and anything related, contact us. Get ahead of next year’s trends and lead the way.