“Rethinking Work : Seismic Changes in the Where, When, and Why” by Rishad Tobaccowala
A sea change is occurring—a change so monumental that it is making us re-invent the traditional ideas of where work is done, when work is done, why work is done, and even what work itself is.
We have a choice. We can either be reactive and struggle to adjust to transformational events on the fly, or we can be proactive and control the narrative—reinventing work to align with the evolving environment. Futurist Rishad Tobaccowala has had a highly successful career because he has anticipated and capitalized on emerging trends. In Rethinking Work, Rishad outlines the reasons why being proactive in this era of unprecedented change is the only way organizations will survive and thrive. Schools, banks, law firms, startups, medical offices—every sector will be affected by the current or soon-to-be-emerging trends and events that Rishad describes in this invaluable guide.
Learn to thrive in a world where the who, what, why, where, when and how of work will be transformed:
- Who will people work for? A growing number of people are choosing to work for themselves while others are opting for greater control over who they work for. This will lead to more options both for employees and employers on how to structure their work.
- What will organizations look like? Like nothing in the past. We will no longer have a single organizational model or design but instead have a wide range of operating styles, structures and sizes.
- Why will people work? Two-thirds of workers under 30 are combining different gigs to not only satisfy their financial needs but to their own personal satisfaction and sense of purpose
- Where will people work? In the metaverse. At home. In morphing offices that bear little resemblance to traditional workspaces. With team members in other countries and customers on other continents.
- When will people work? Whenever. The 9-5 workday is already passing as efficiency lessens in importance to innovation, disruption, and agility.
- How will leadership change? We are evolving to a new type of leadership from management focused to growth, agility and learning focused.
While there are many points to ponder over in this book, it is worth mentioning that it would be advisable to always remember that this book is written within a US context, so take from it whatever you deem fit for your context. The book has been published by HarperCollins Publishers India.
Read an extract from the book on Moneycontrol.
Rishad Tobaccowala
When I was growing up in India my parents took me to book stores every weekend and I became a voracious reader and decided I wanted to be a writer. My parents steered me to mathematics instead and said one day when you have something useful to say you can become a writer.
After a 38 year career in marketing, strategy and change management across the world for the Publicis Groupe and for its many clients I have finally written my first book. Early readers have indicated that yes I have something useful to say and so I hope you will too.
My book aims to help readers feel, think and see differently so they can grow their companies, their teams and themselves in these transformative times. It hopes to be a resource and an operating manual of sorts to thrive in a world where both technology and humanity are key.
Every chapter of my book can be read in any order. Think of it as a Spotify Playlist with a theme about how to integrate the story and the spreadsheet as the spine that runs through the book.
Chapters include 1) How to Upgrade Your Mental Operating System, 2) Why Change Sucks and 3) How to Lead With Soul.
This book is not about marketing but a combination of business insights and hopefully wisdom. To write it I spent two years doing research and combined it with my four decades of learning working across different industries and clients.
I hope you enjoy it and find it helpful and fun.
23 May 2025
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