A world of innovation with few rules Agility and speed are essential What it means for workers 60% The Red World is a perfect incubator Big business has been outflanked in a digital- Specialism is highly prized in the Red World think ‘few people will for innovation. enabled world that’s teeming with small and a career, rather than being defined by an have stable, long-term entrepreneurial companies. employer or institution, is built from individual employment in the New products and business models develop at blocks of skills, experience and networks. lightning speed, far more quickly than regulators Digital platforms match worker with employer, future’. can control. Technology encourages the skills with demand, capital with innovator, Near‑zero employee organisations are the PwC survey of 10,029 members creation of powerful, like‑minded, cross‑border and consumer with supplier. This allows serial norm. Organisations of a few pivotal people use of the general population based in social ‘bubbles’. Businesses innovate to create entrepreneurs to reach far beyond their size in technology, the supply chain and intellectual China, Germany, India, the UK and personalisation and find new ways to serve terms of influence and scale. property, rather than human effort and physical the US these niches. assets, to generate value. Anxious to compete, larger employers fragment to There are high rewards on offer for those ideas create their own internal markets and networks to The commercial value of learning takes and skills that best meet what companies and cut through old‑style hierarchies and encourage precedence; a university degree is seen as consumers want. But in a world with few rules, and reward workers to come up with new ideas. less valuable than specific and relevant skills the risks are high. Today’s winning business The pace of development and testing of new or experience. could be tomorrow’s court case. products and services has accelerated, increasing the risk of brand damage and failure. Workers know that the most sought‑after skills will mean the biggest reward package. Many move frequently and stay only as long as the project or business lasts. Contract negotiations are key and ownership of intellectual property and the freedom to work are as important as financial incentives. 13