Abstract:

Innovative ability is regarded as the key factor for overcoming the current economic crisis. Futurologists, experts and practitioners are unanimous in their consent: The world in which we live in is more turbulent than ever regarding change speed and the complexity of work processes and structures. All modern societies are going through profound change processes on all socio-economic levels. Therefore in postindustrial age one new form of economy increasingly gains importance: an economy geared to short-term profit and elasticity (Opaschowski 2006). Change processes increasingly have to be realized under the flexible framework conditions of a globalized society. Especially work systems, enterprises and employees in particular, are challenged to register trends and developments arising from the increasing complexity and dynamics (“Dynaxity”) and to harness them to extend their innovative ability.
In the scope of the project International Monitoring undertaken at the RWTH Aachen University, innovative approaches are identified that can be conducive to an increase in innovative potential in an ever changing work environment. Here, the most important trends and developments are identified through diverse methods like trend studies (Veen 2009, Bryson 2009, Piller 2009), international online questionnaires (Brall 2009) and national expert workshops and arranged into the three future clusters Working, Learning and Developing Skills taking a perspective towards 2020. In connection with the design of work processes, for example, owner-operated enterprises, whose products and services often are unique, will increasingly function as motors of innovation. The core of innovation concerning new products and processes will remain the development, communication and conservation of Unique Selling Propositions. Additionally, in order to effectively utilize the potentials of all groups of society in future, social environments have to be rearranged with respect to innovation-fostering working and learning. Multimedia technologies produce new kinds of networks and solidarity clusters, that is to say, employment environments have to be designed not only adequate for traditional family structures but also “patchwork-friendly”. Regarding the development of learning environments with a perspective on 2020 we have to assume developments towards learning in global virtual networks. Here, the digital generation will increasingly demand adequate learning and teaching concepts fostering self-directed and job-integrated learning processes. One possible solution to meet such demands are so-called “virtual microtrainings”. In the course of the future cluster Developing Skills 2020 it was stated that new skills regarding the increasing implementation of hybrid products have to be researched as well as those regarding the realization of Open Innovation strategies.
The trends and developments mentioned in the three future clusters Working 2020, Learning 2020 and Developing Skills 2020 have one thing in common: They are consequences of resp. reactions to the global tendency towards more dynamics and complexity, at work as well as in private life. In times of global financial crisis it will be an important future prospect to develop work systems in a way that maintains and extends long-term innovative ability. The article contributes to the identification of relevant trends and future clusters and identifies related potentials for future design of work systems.

Keywords:

innovation, trends, research projects.