The Future of Work: Strategy, Workforce Transformation, and Organizational Renewal

Background

Organized as part of The 4th International Conference on Management Research and Economic Development (ICMRED 2026), this focused symposium addresses the critical shifts in the global employment landscape, beginning with this overview:

Across sectors and geographies, the world of work is undergoing rapid and profound transformation. Technological advancements, ranging from AI and automation to digital platforms are reshaping jobs, professions, and the very meaning of work. At the same time, demographic shifts, global crises, hybrid and remote work models, and evolving employee expectations are challenging traditional employment relationships. These changes raise critical questions about how organisations can remain competitive while also fostering inclusive, ethical, and sustainable workplace practices. Policymakers, employers, and workers alike must navigate increasing uncertainty, skills mismatches, and complex well-being concerns. Against this backdrop, research and practice must evolve to address the multifaceted implications of the future of work and to co-create pathways that ensure opportunity, productivity, and fairness in a rapidly shifting landscape.

Goal/Rationale

This symposium aims to bring together researchers, practitioners, and educators to examine one of the most pressing challenges of our time: how to shape a future of work that is productive, humane, and resilient. Despite increasing attention to trends such as automation, flexible work, and AI-driven practices, there remains a gap in understanding how these forces intersect with issues of inclusion, well-being, work design, and leadership. Many organisations struggle to implement changes in ways that enhance rather than erode employee experience. Recent advances in digital technologies, global mobility patterns, and organisational design offer opportunities for innovation, but also create new inequalities and risks if not carefully managed.

Scope

We invite contributions that address the future of work from conceptual, empirical, or practice-based perspectives. Submissions may focus on any of the following themes:

• Flexible work, AI, and technological transformation: implications for employment practices, skill development, and worker agency.
• Work design and meaningful work: creating engaging, purposeful roles in dynamic environments.
• Workplace inclusion and social inequalities: examining how organisations can promote fairness and belonging at multiple levels.
• Leadership in hybrid and digital organisations: evolving competencies, team dynamics, and managerial challenges
• Talent management and assessment innovation: recruitment, performance evaluation, and career pathways in digitalised contexts.
• Employee health, well-being, and career development: strategies to support workers amid continuous change.

The symposium welcomes diverse methodologies and encourages dialogue between academia and practice.