Digital Revolution & Employees: How Companies Actively Shape the Future of Work
Introduction: The future is not coming someday – it's already here
Learn to be smarter in time! Even Goethe knew: Those who are prepared can shape the future. Digitalization, New Work, and transformation are not trends of tomorrow, but the reality of today. The conversation between Prof. Dr. Jutta Rump and Marc Wagner provides valuable insights into how companies, HR, and employees should respond to current challenges.
Digitalization and work: Automation as a natural process
According to Prof. Rump, manual and cognitive routine tasks are increasingly being affected or replaced by digital technologies. Many companies are investing in automation to generate cost advantages. As she says:
"Digitalization is like water – it finds its way."
That’s why companies must start thinking in big pictures, develop future scenarios, and prepare employees for new roles. Not only risks arise, but also new occupational fields and business opportunities.
HR 4.0: Creating human-centered working environments
HR 4.0 stands for the opportunity to shape a new, more humane working world. The current disruption is a historic chance to make deliberate decisions and rethink structures:
Normative: value orientation and cultural alignment
Strategic: proactive action instead of reaction
Operational: agile implementation with the right tools
Anticipation and action become core competencies.
Education & learning: Why lifelong learning is essential
Digitalization challenges our traditional understanding of education. Learning does not stop after school or university. Today, the ability for continuous development is what matters:
Critical thinking & willingness to experiment
Social & cultural intelligence
Empathy, creativity & inspiration
These abilities are what make humans unique in the digital age.
Organization & further education: Companies as learning architecture
Companies must not delegate the responsibility for skills development to schools or universities. They need to see themselves as educational architecture:
Individual support instead of rigid curricula
Coaching instead of standardized further education
Early integration of agile methods
The goal: employability through targeted promotion of individual strengths.
The role of HR: From processes to people architects
HR coaches create the framework for agility and transformation. Standardized processes are increasingly being replaced by individual support:
HR as a contact point for design, not just administration
HR as a bridge between technology & humanity
Employee experience at the core, as seen with Airbnb
HR thus becomes the architect of a learning organization.
Transformation & co-determination 4.0: New rules for a new reality
Co-determination remains an important foundation for social stability. But it must be modular, individual, and flexible in design. The equality principle no longer suffices in a dynamic world:
Modular frameworks instead of rigid standards
Situational solutions at the company and team level
Clear focus on both stability AND agility
Self-organization & responsibility: Preventing self-exploitation
Agile teams need clear rules and mutual trust:
Live a culture of trust
Clear communication and cooperation rules
Goal agreements and feedback systems
Balance between freedom and responsibility
Not everyone prefers hierarchy-free environments. Companies must create dynamic stability.
Leadership & identity: Orientation in an uncertain world
European companies don’t need heroes but a clear message and vision. Identification arises not through individuals, but through shared values and organizational clarity:
Communication culture & team spirit
Embedding the strategy in daily work
Providing purpose & orientation creates security
Digitalization & processes: The underestimated treasure
We are sitting on a gold mine of process expertise. The combination of well-thought-out processes and digital software is the key to transformation. This is exactly where ambidexterity emerges:
- Efficiency + flexibility
- Software + processes
- Technology + humanity
Conclusion: Shaping the future means starting today
New Work, digitalization, and transformation are not abstract concepts. They are concrete and begin now. Companies must learn to act with both hands: One for stability and efficiency, the other for innovation and change.
Those who are willing to learn, reflect, and shape will not be overrun by the digital revolution, but will actively lead it.
