- Harvard Business School faculty offer predictions for business trends in 2022
- Professors anticipate significant changes in human resources practice, greater pressure for employees to be involved in decision-making processes
- Predictions also anticipate accelerating innovations in the health care field and greater calls for sustainability initiatives
Summary by Dirk Langeveld
Employers will experience significant shifts in human resources practices as well as increased pressure from their workers to have an active role in decision-making processes, according to predictions collected by the Harvard Business School publication Working Knowledge.
The publication collected insights from seven faculty members at the Harvard Business School. The professors were asked what trends they were keeping an eye on this year.
Joseph Fuller, a professor of management practice, said he anticipates that companies will need to adjust their policies to meet changed workforce demographics and strategies brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, as these have gained more permanence. He said these efforts may include relaxed recruitment and hiring standards to remain competitive and meet workforce needs, shifting away from models relying on low-wage jobs with high turnover, and increased attention to retaining existing workers.
- Julie Battilana, a professor of business administration, anticipates that employers will be under more pressure to offer power sharing as employees seek more of a voice in decision-making processes
- Rosabeth Moss Kanter, a professor of business administration, expects there to be increased pressure on business leaders to commit to climate and sustainability goals
- Several faculty members anticipate changes in health care, including that this year will see large-scale test of what digital health technologies are most effective, efforts to broaden health care access and make it more flexible, and more health care innovations
