Open Talent: Leveraging the Global Workforce to Solve Your Biggest Challenges by John Winsor and Jin H. Paik
John holds an MBA from the University of Denver. He is Founder and CEO of Open Assembly and visiting Executive at Harvard. He was the former chief innovation officer of Havas.
Jin holds a master’s degree from Harvard University. In addition, he is a co-founder of Altruistic and research scientist at Harvard. He was previously the Head of Labs at the Data, Digital, and Design Institute and founding General Manager at the Laboratory for Innovation Science at Harvard.
John and Jin are certainly delivering a powerful book for organizations. In our post pandemic world, perhaps in fact no greater impact upon the workplace has fundamentally changed the global economy.
While leased office spaces have forever changed, the new normal is hybrid work with AI empowered tools. In fact, by March 2024 most organizations do not yet understand the full impact of AI Agents. These will drastically alter every organization’s idea of work. Perhaps just like the introduction of ChatGPT in November 2022 across the globe. 100 million users within 60 days. AI Agents may have a similar impact upon workflows.
Open Talent defined:
The accelerated digital transformation of talent through a globally distributed workforce, accessible to companies on demand via digital connections and platforms. Members of these platforms can be either internal to companies or external. Open talent represents the rise of micro-entrepreneurs who look at work as a thing to do, fitting it into their lives, instead of a place to go or a definition of who they are.The term open talent was inspired by open source, a driving force in software development for years. (Open-source software licenses leverage the power of crowds by allowing users to improve them.) In practical terms, with this technology-enabled approach to work, companies simply rent the skills and knowledge of working professionals as opposed to hiring them.
Milwaukee’s Harley Davidson
John and Jin in fact outline how organizations are adapting to the new world of work and include an overview entitled “Back to the Future: The Case of Harley-Davidson” regarding their engagement of open talent. So, Harley-Davidson selected a new PR firm after breaking with their long-time ad agency. Their choice was a two-person Colorado startup of open talent consultants.
They also address how any organization in the newspaper business during the 1960s, nobody could have ever thought the world would engage platforms including Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok for their news.
In conclusion, John and Jin are delivering a very timely release critical to organizations. The fundamental reset of work following the pandemic permitted talented workers to leave their office jobs without actually leaving the workforce. Today Open Talent is certainly challenging hiring managers in the transformed era of work via Freelancer.com, Fiverr, and Upwork. Simply an insightful must read.