Leadership in the Future of Work flagship lecture series successfully launched.
Zurich (Switzerland) — 1 March 2023
Click on the picture to watch a short video introduction to the lecture by Jean-Christophe Deslarzes, Chair of the Board, The Adecco Group.
The World Economic Forum lists human-centric leadership as the first enabler to improve the world of work. “But many leaders have realized during the pandemic that placing people and their emotional experiences at the center is easier said than done,” says Prof. Dr. Jochen Menges, Director of the University of Zurich Center for Leadership in the Future of Work (UZH CLFW). “Now more than ever, leaders need to be equipped with advanced knowledge on the human aspects of the future of work.”
For this purpose, the UZH CLFW, in collaboration with the UZH Europa Institute, launched the Lecture Series “Leadership in the Future of Work.” On March 1st, 2023, Jean-Christophe Deslarzes, Chair of the Board, The Adecco Group, gave the inaugural lecture on the theme “What leadership to take up the future of work?”
Jean-Christophe shared his reflections around three critical paradigm shifts in leadership with over 500 participants attending the event in person and online. He called for future leaders to “learn how to learn” focusing on not only upskilling themselves, but also on creating learning organizations. He underlined the importance of empathetic leadership as a key driver of performance in the future of work. Lastly, he emphasized the importance for leaders to embrace flexibility, and embrace an adaptive leadership style.
For a long time, human questions have remained neglected in broader conversations on the future of work as well as in scholarship. But things are changing: frustration with the use of technology, the extensive re-skilling needed to support green transition, and the enormous societal cost of mental health deterioration draw further attention to the fundamental human aspects of work transformation. Clearly, uniquely human forces – such as emotions, mindsets, skills, meaning, and social relationships – need to be better understood and harnessed in the workplace.
“At the University of Zurich, we do not simply want to await the future of work. We wish to shape it,” declared University President Prof. Dr. Michael Schaepman. The UZH Center for Leadership in the Future of Work, established in 2020 in partnership with The Adecco Group, forms the nucleus of the Global HR Valley®, a people innovation ecosystem destined to incubate solutions needed for people to remain at the heart of the future of work. The university is also accelerating its own transformation, introducing a new working model in May 2022 to enable its employees to organize their work flexibly while continuing to meet the requirements of an on-site university.
