New Work: How Transformation Works and Why It Needs Inner Work

The future of work is changing rapidly, and with it comes the need for a new approach to leadership and organisational structure. The concept of New Work is gaining traction as companies look to adapt to this changing landscape. In this blog post we introduce some of the key components of New Work and how shifting an organisation towards New Work can help to build thriving, resilient and future-proof teams.

What is New Work?

New Work is a concept that emphasises a more human-centred approach to the workplace, taking into account the balance of all interests. Social philosopher Frithjof Bergmann founded the New Work movement as an antidote to the antiquated system of "Old Work" rooted in capitalism, which he sees as deadening people. 

New Work centres around meaningful work that meets employees' needs for freedom and autonomy, involves leadership at eye level, an open communication culture and continuous learning opportunities. It also includes a flexible work environment that provides new ways and spaces for creativity and development. Ultimately, New Work implies "working to live instead of living to work" and describes the framework for how we can work and live in a society characterised by frequent change, digitalisation, and globalisation.

However, the transformation to New Work is not an easy process and requires more than just changing the structure of an organisation. In fact, according to Bettina Rollow and Joana Breidenbach, authors of New Work Needs Inner Work, the key to successful transformation lies in inner work.

The Importance of Inner Work

Inner work refers to the process of getting to know oneself better -understanding our own values, needs, challenges, and blockages, and being able to reflect on and act upon them. Inner work can also help prevent stress and burnout, as people who are aware of their needs and limits are generally better at handling stress and setting boundaries to protect themselves. Only when we have a good understanding of all the above can we thrive in a team and contribute to a successful transformation.

The Transformation Process

The transformation to New Work is not just about breaking down hierarchies and redistributing leadership responsibility. The success of the transformation lies in the inner work of the individual. The more external structures fall away, the more important the internal structures that provide security and orientation become.

Team members must become aware of their needs, strengths and interests and learn to communicate them in dialogue with others. In order for this to work, a culture of open communication must be established. Reflection and open communication are prerequisites for a successful transformation. This can be done, for example, in the form of a frequent check-in: At the beginning of each meeting, each participant has one minute to briefly describe what they expect from the meeting. Or check-outs can be conducted, in which each person reports on how they felt about the meeting, how satisfied they are with the results and what their most important take-aways are. This doesn’t need to take longer than a minute, but can significantly improve the quality of the meeting and helps team members sharpen their own sensors.

On the other hand teams need to find a balance between reflection and implementation, as too much reflection and communication can hinder decision-making and productivity. In self-organised companies, teams are jointly responsible for the implementation process, with responsibility assigned based on individual strengths. It is important for individuals to be able to think from multiple perspectives and to recognise how their actions fit into the overall context of the company. While inner work is crucial for a successful New Work process, ultimately it is the results of the work that matter.

The Role of Leadership

Working self-organised and agile does not mean that less leadership is needed. On the contrary, it often requires more leadership. People who rethink work do not want to be left alone with responsibility. They want to receive trust and support in an intelligent and meaningful way. What we want in return is the feeling of using our time meaningfully and receiving a framework for personal and professional development.

Organisations need competent people who steer, accompany, promote, and demand. Not people giving orders based on their hierarchy, but people with experience and empathy who provide orientation and recognize the skills of their team, giving them the opportunity to get the best out of themselves.

What this means in real life is that employees' motivation and learning curves improve when they have more decision making-power and they are able to do things that they are truly interested in, curious about, or that compliment their strengths. This makes work both more fun and more productive!

The Importance of Boundaries

Companies need to set clear boundaries and provide the necessary resources and support to promote independent thinking and action without overburdening their employees with unrealistic expectations, such as goals or deadlines that are too difficult or impossible to achieve within the given time frame or resources. This provides a sense of security and orientation that is crucial for a successful transformation towards New Work.

New Work is more than agile methods and fancy tools

The transformation to New Work is not just about changing the structure of an organisation. It requires passion, curiosity, inner work, and a new approach to leadership. New Work involves prioritising people's needs and responding to social changes. Simply “doing new work” and using agile methods and tools won’t work without having an open communication culture in place that allows feedback pathways, fosters constructive debates and offers a psychological safe space. New Work isn’t a separate unit from the organisation's operational business. It's rather a part of their philosophy, their mindset and culture.

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Do you and your team need support with organisational development so you can learn more about how New Work can help your team to thrive?

We help organisations to navigate change towards a more life-centred culture + structure. Driven by our passion for new work and ethical innovation we support the process of:

✧ Creating regenerative business models + responsive organisations.

✧ Supporting organisations to build future-proof structures by implementing agile Strategies and empowering their teams.

✧ Helping organisations + teams to strengthen their team culture and understand the strengths and potential of everyone in the workplace.

✧ Shaping a workplace culture that respects the needs of the individuals at work (+ society / the planet).

✧ Reframing/rethinking traditional leadership roles and redistributing work according to the employees strengths + potential.

✧ Building psychological safe spaces + feedback pathways.

✧ Building a more equal, diverse + inclusive workplace culture.

How organisational development works:

✧ Step One: Email us with request; introduce your organisation, purpose + needs.

✧ Step Two: We set up a call to clarify the challenge you’re facing + your goals.

✧ Step Three: We create + send a bespoke project proposal including agenda, goals, pricing quote, roadmap, topics + optional add-ons.

✧ Step Four: Upon acceptance of the proposal, we kick off the project following our agreed timeline including a series of workshops/training (digital or in person).