SuperWOMAN: A look at the future woman

The in-demand careers of the future will be very different from those of the not so recent past – a shift that could help liberate women in the workplace.

Over the coming decade, three broad career paths will be of value (beyond those that are always of value): grassroots advocacy, social entrepreneurship and micro-entrepreneurs. All of these provide new opportunities for women.

Grassroots advocacy
Rather than a top–down, centralised approach – in an increasingly transparent world, high-profile local actors will influence the national stage. Change will come through the success of many individual initiatives which become linked and amplified around the world and progressively change the character of international debate. These grassroots advocates will become the early developers of experiments, innovative solutions and the adoption of proven practice.

We can expect to see advocacy rising in any area that people care about – from the education of children in developing countries, to the eradication of endemic diseases, to the support of small businesses. Expect to see a proliferation of enterprises built around developing and supporting advocacy skills and capabilities. Save the Children, for example, already has a sophisticated programme of support to people who want to volunteer to work with them, and also to those who work as advocates on their behalf.

Social entrepreneurship
For some, advocacy will be about becoming high-profile local actors who galvanise energy, and create ideas about how to move forward. For others, advocacy will entail using their leadership skills and management know-how to create organisations that serve social needs. At the heart of social entrepreneurship is the will to organise, create and manage a venture to make social change. So while a business enterprise measures performance in profit and return, a social entrepreneur focuses on measuring outcomes in broader ways.

All over the world, social entrepreneurial businesses are springing up – NIKA Water Company, for example which sells bottled water in the USA and uses 100% of its profits to bring clean water to those in the developing world. Or Newman’s Own, which donates 100% of its total profits to support various educational charities.

Micro-entrepreneurship
Small businesses have always played a key role in the economy of developed and emerging markets. For example, in 2004, 40% of the working population in the USA worked in small business, while 47% of the UK working population did the same.

But what it means to be a micro-entrepreneur in 2025 will be very different from now. Although we can still expect large companies to exist in 2025 – and in fact there is an argument that these companies will become even larger – proportionally we can expect more people to work for themselves, or with a small group of other people. Many will be employed in ecosystems that become the hinterland of companies. Like the many thousands of independent people who build the applications for the iPhone – these people will be working on small parts of the value chain.

All three of these emerging career paths favour women: they have a history of being effective grassroots activists; are motivated to create social change; and account for most of the micro-entrepreneurs in emerging economies.

Lynda Gratton, Professor of Management Practice at London Business School, and will be in Singapore for the Singapore Human Capital Summit, from 28 – 29 September 2011.