The Job: Is it Bound for Extinction ... or Evolution?

For some time now, experts have been predicting the death of the job.

In many ways and from many viewpoints, jobs have become the symbol of all that ails us organizationally - the bureaucracy, the burdensome hierarchy, the title creep and confusion, etc. 

The job has long served as a key link between employee and employer.  The intersecting point between a person's capabilities and an organization's needs.  But has the notion of a job outlived its usefulness?  Is it bound for extinction, or must it - can it - simply evolve and change to meet the needs of today's speedier and more agile organizations?  What say you?

Click over to my post at the Compensation Cafe today and weigh in!

Image courtesy of malct32.blogspot.com

Comments

[Don Daniel Ortiz]

Yes..We are now in the Age of the Entrepreneur!

[Ann Bares]

Don:

We certainly are! So, is that then a vote for extinction?

[Katy Texas Jobs]

Job "titles" are definitely dead. They breed animosity and there are so-many crossover positions that the a title may be counterproductive in helping employees take on new responsibilities.

I'm "IT director" and you are "marketing director"... Who is in charge of the website? Who is more qualified to make the call?

[wfs]

It's really a great topic to be discussed.

[Steve Adler]

This is a heady question and the answer is not a binary one. I believe that evolution is the trend as organizations think about work in a more compartmentalized manner and hire specialists or temps to actually do the work. But note that in this scenario, the project management "job" becomes even more important as managing constantly changing and virtual teams requires skills that improve with experience, making this function even more critical to company success.

[Lansing Workers Compensation Attorney]

It's amazing how seriously companies and the employee take job titles. In a recent MBA Human Resources class I took, I was told coming up with job descriptions is a huge deal and it's very important to even the biggest corporations in the world. To me it seems more like a title and someone shouldn't be locked mentally on one job.

[E. James (Jim) Brennan]

Don't overlook the much longer and deeper discussion comments over in the Compensation Cafe. Traditional job titles are mostly short summaries of skill sets, context and level, anyway: i.e., Senior Marketing Specialist or Corporate Compensation Analyst.

[Mitutoyo Calipers]

I definitely think entrepreneurship is becoming a much greater explored option. I would like to see society open up to the idea of starting your own businesses and pursuing your dreams. When I got out of high school I didn't even question the idea that going to higher college wasn't the only option.

[Henkel Knives]

Definitely checking out the comments on the following link