The Context of Work
Discover how the global pandemic has forced investment professionals to adapt new ways of working in a hybrid environment.
The Culture of Organizations
See how the absence of a physical workplace provided new insights about the core elements of good culture.
The Content of Work
Learn about the changing scope and nature of investment management roles, the skills needed for success, and how to build effective investment teams.
Investing in Resiliency
Adaptability as a Competitive Edge
Throughout this series, we drill down deeper to answer some of the industry's most pressing questions about the future of work in the investment industry:
- How can you navigate your career path in a hybrid work environment?
- How will professional networks change, and who is the most at risk of being left out of the new working model?
- With fewer in-person connections, what new trust models are needed to navigate relationships with clients and colleagues?
- What are the operational and compliance risks associated with hybrid work?
- What new insights have emerged about the core elements of effective organizational cultures in the investment industry?
Career Competencies for the Future of Work
Explore the new skills, traits, and work structure needed to succeed in particular investment management roles.
Redefining What It Means to Be "In the Office"
Where Work Gets Done in a Hybrid Future
Where investment professionals spend their working day would have been a surprising conversation a few years ago because the answer was obvious: You needed to be in the office. While flexibility was a bit more common than outsiders to the industry might have guessed, most leaders explicitly or implicitly believed in “face time” as a measure of commitment and potential.
Following the COVID disruption to work, investment professionals have had to adapt to the new rules of a hybrid environment to manage their career path, personal brand, and professional network — and investment roles proved to be well-suited for flexibility. Now 81% of employees say they want to remain remote — at least part time.
What will work look like going forward given the social disruptions from the pandemic?
Is a Hybrid Model the Future of Work?
Rebecca Fender, CFA, discusses building trust and the relationship between working from home and maintaining a high-performance culture.
Re-Imagining Organizational Culture
How Work Gets Done in Changing Environments
In the war for talent, organizational culture will be a differentiator. Half of investment professionals surveyed say they would consider work in another industry, so as skills become more transferrable it’s vital for organizations to examine the core elements of their culture.
Investors will be especially interested to see how investment organizations seeking to demonstrate their alignment with ESG principles adapt their workforce policies and consider their employees as key stakeholders. The implementation of new approaches, however, may have pitfalls, especially related to inclusion and equity. Culture cannot be taught and understood through a memo, and finding ways for new hires to learn and thrive even without the proximity of coworkers will be one of the most important leadership challenges going forward.
How can leaders be innovative in a hybrid environment — while protecting the essentials of what defines their organizational culture?
Industry Leaders Weigh in on a New Paradigm for Productivity
Diverse perspectives on an industry in transition and what it means for organizations as well as for individual professionals and their careers.
Hedging Against Irrelevance
What Work Gets Done as Roles & Rules Evolve
Disruption is the only constant with today's workforce. Technology continues to drive skill development needs across the investment industry and firms are scrambling to keep up with the pace of change. The scope of job roles is just as unsettled - 39% of investment professionals believe the structure of their role will either be substantially different or not exist at all in the next 5-10 years.
To facilitate this industry-wide transition into the future of work, organizations and professionals will need fresh insights into the critical skills of tomorrow. What does the supply and demand of skills look like? What investment roles will see an increased focus? And how can organizations and individuals balance the need for both specialist and generalist skillsets?
The Future of Skills and Learning report explores these complex questions.
Investment Professionals Need to Invest in New Skills to Be Successful
Download the accompanying infographic to explore the key findings from the Future of Skills and Learning report.
About the Report
The Future of Work in Investment Management research series is based on quantitative and qualitative data collected from more than 9,000 global investment professionals and leaders at investment organizations representing more than 230,000 employees. In addition, the series incorporates qualitative input from virtual roundtables conducted with participants from more than a dozen markets.
Special thanks to Professor Renee B. Adams (University of Oxford) and Professor Almudena Sevilla (University College London) for their collaboration on this project.
Get a Sneak Peak
Interested in seeing what the Future of Work series can do to help you prepare for the next generation of the investment management profession? Take a sneak peek at some of the high-level findings we’ll explore regarding the Context, Content, and Culture of work.