The Work We Need is the second book by social designer Hilary Cottam and a much-needed manual for any business leader committed to the idea of business for good.
Rather than evaluate the range of forces now disrupting business as usual, this book challenges the foundations of work itself. It questions whether they meet the needs of modern workers, communities and society in the 21st Century.
Too many organisations continue to uphold principles of management that date back to the first part of the 20th Century. Late-stage capitalism – the relentless pursuit of profit above all other markers of progress – has entered an endgame phase that’s locking increasing swathes of people out of opportunity. As basic living costs become more and more prohibitive, consumer debt levels are soaring and in-work poverty is rising yearly.
The burgeoning climate crisis, unregulated AI and this year’s Middle East conflict will undoubtedly compound this.
Cottam is a strong advocate of co-creation. The Work We Need describes five-years of fieldwork across the UK and USA, spending time in communities considered as economically ‘left behind’. Facilitated conversations in de-industrialised locations allowed workers themselves to define what good work could and should look like.
What was revealed eviscerates the modern political trope that people are entitled and lazy. Cottam surfaces the vital importance of meaning, care, place and time. Crucially, her fieldwork showcases tangible examples of people already turning ideas into reality.
If one thing is clear, it’s that we can’t continue as we are. Greed, consumption and inequality are out of control and earth’s ecosystems are now on the brink of collapse.
For those employers committed to ‘good work’, The Work We Need is an invaluable resource. It offers a simple, yet strategically critical, starting point for organisational transformation. Overlook it at your peril.