How On Earth launches The Human Organisation report, reshaping our thinking of the workplace

As lockdown restrictions are eased and employees head back to the office a new report is calling for businesses to reinvent the world of work. The Human Organisation report highlights how the current workplace model is based on bureaucracy and hierarchy, which stifles employee empowerment and creativity.

The alternative is the Human Organisation, which has a clear purpose, freeing up employees to use their imaginations and skills.

The Human Organisation report produced by sustainable change consultancy How on Earth, brings together new thinking from the world of behavioural research. It outlines the nine characteristics that define human organisations and showcases the biggest change in organisational culture in over a century.

The research encourages businesses to ask themselves if they truly believe their success is down to their people. If so, then they should be ready to distribute power. To create a workplace where outsiders become insiders, where work is social, and where creative skills are core and everyone contributes to innovations.

Report author John Drummond strongly believes the current model of work is detrimental to employees. “Job descriptions, approval processes, financial rules all deliberately introduce friction to reduce employee freedom. A Human Organisation is about enabling employees to connect with each other and with customers, opening up to new ideas and collaborating to bring their purpose to life,” he explains.

The research is produced in partnership with flexible serviced office provider Landmark. Ed Cowell, CEO explains why the organisation is backing the new report. “Planning productive workplaces is not as easy as it first seems. As this report suggests, successful businesses know their people switch between modes of work many times over, from conversation, collaboration and exploration to concentration and contemplation. It’s hard to create the right workplace for all of them. Landmark is working in partnership with experts, like Corporate Culture Group, to reimagine serviced offices and deliver the most productive workspace for businesses.”

“Understanding how humans function is a holy grail for business. My conviction is that insight into humanity from neuroscience and behavioural science opens up the potential to free employees from the traditional world of ‘the office’. Many companies are now looking to reinvent the world of work, and this new report helps show them how,” concludes Drummond.