51吃瓜

In light of the job market’s rapid evolution, universities can better equip students for the modern workplace by embracing new concepts such as deconstructed jobs. Philip Rogiers, assistant professor in the Department of People Management and Organisation at in Spain, has closely studied this new mode of employment and what it means for graduates, higher education institutions and industry.

“The job market is evolving fast,” Rogiers says. “Today, organisations are faced with a very volatile environment.” In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, urgent business priorities had to be addressed despite it being extremely difficult to hire new talent. The only resource organisations had to lean on was their internal talent, he explains. Other issues – like technological disruption, geopolitical tensions and supply chain bottlenecks – exacerbated the challenge, which meant that organisations had to leverage their internal talent more flexibly, leading to the creation of deconstructed jobs.

Deconstructed jobs differ from traditional models of employment by prioritising flexibility over stability. For a long time, organisational structures have been based on specific roles and hierarchies. However, modern challenges demand more fluidity in an organisation.

“Job deconstruction takes the concept of a job and breaks it down into different components – specifically tasks and projects,” Rogiers says. “Organisations can then match those components to the skills and motivations of employees within an internal labour market that cuts across the traditional hierarchy of the organisation,” he adds.

Despite the advantages that deconstructed jobs bring to the modern workplace, there are limitations to the model. For instance, in the absence of a clearly outlined set of responsibilities, this model can lead to a culture of unclear responsibilities and overworking, posing challenges to employee well-being.

“Employees need to be on board if the deconstructed jobs model is to work,” Rogiers says. “The model should also be inclusive.” The challenge is that sometimes deconstructed roles only appeal to a small section of the most proactive employees, with many preferring stability. “Organisations pursuing the deconstructed job model need to think of how they can support employees as they embrace more fluid ways of working. Can they offer practical advice on transitioning between projects and continue to appreciate work even as it is evaluated under different supervisors?”

Similar to industry, higher education institutions have experienced significant change in recent times. Creating job-ready graduates requires an understanding that traditional skill sets are likely to become outdated.

“We need to step away from the idea that universities need to prepare students to focus on one thing,” Rogiers says. “We should stimulate people to think of themselves as more flexible, having a portfolio of things that they do throughout their careers.” Graduates need to be more adaptable and have an active learning mindset that extends throughout their careers and lives.

This challenge will only intensify in the coming years with the development of disruptive technologies like AI, he adds. “Job deconstruction steps away from the old static model of work to a new paradigm that better aligns with the future.”

about research at Esade.