Work in a World after COVID-19
This was originally published 3/20/2020 on Reading Supply. Reposted here as I continue to aggregate some of my thinking about what will change with work after the world recovers from COVID-19.
Last updated on 2020.03.20
Primary Areas of Exploration
While I think that many types of work will be affected by the changes we see in the world, I'm not interested in exploring how things like grocery stores, primary care doctors, or civic infrastructure and services (police, fireman, etc) are going to change except where there is an overlap or a result of other changes. Perhaps this post should be titled "Knowledge Work in a World after COVID-19."
I am primarily interested in exploring how knowledge work will change. In that exploration, I want to define two (false) dichotomies that help categorize attributes of work:
D1: Communication AS Work vs Communication ABOUT Work
One of the most important distinctions in knowledge work is how communication flows and what communication flows around.
Communication ABOUT Work (CBW)
Communication about work is communication that happens external to the object of work itself and where the communication does not directly become a part of the final work.
An example of this would be Alice and Bob in Finance, working on an end of year report. Once Alice finishes everything that is her responsibility, she sends the Excel file to Bob and tells him “please update rows 1-2 with your information." This exchange is CBW because the communication that took place is not information that ends up in the spreadsheet itself - it has no representation as a cell of information. It is external to the document as an instruction for Bob to do his job.
Communication AS Work (CAW)
Communication as work in contrast, is where the communication that takes place directly informs, and may be a part of, the work itself. CAW is often seen when people are working on strategic projects, where people bring together different data points or evidence from multiple sources, and their communication that synthesizes this evidence itself is the work.
An example of this would be Catherine and Dave are working on a marketing plan for the following year. Through a series of emails (or messages in a Slack channel), Catherine and Dave both present evidence from recent market research and trend reports. Given their specific perspectives and experiences, the conversation that results — weighting this reports findings against another, bringing in business goals in conjuction with these findings — is communication AS work. The things that they decide in and through this conversation can be directly reflected in the marketing plan itself.
D2: Objective vs Subjective Labor
The second dichotomy to call out is objective labor versus subjective labor. This dichotomy highlights the degree to which there is a specific outcome that is correct from a type of action.
Objective Labor (OL)
I'm defining the term “objective labor” (OL) to refer to types of work where there is a correct outcome of the work that any individual who has awareness of a project would agree is correct. Regardless of who is doing the work, you would expect the SAME outcome.
Bringing back the Alice and Bob example, parts of, if not all of, Alice's and Bob's labor would be considered OL, because the outcome of the work is a completed financial report, which has known and agreed upon parts (profit, loss, unit costs, etc).
Subjective Labor (SL)
In contrast to OL, “subjective labor” (SL) is work where the process or path may be consistent, but the outcome of the work will differ based on who is doing it. In many ways, not just creative professions, but most professions where things are “made” (engineers, cooks, designers, etc) would fall into this category.
An example of SL can be seen in the example of Catherine and Dave, where the marketing plan will vary by the people involved. Even though the same base material is used, the creative decisions, channel selection, and dollar spend may vary because Catherine and Dave are involved, rather than Evelyn and Frank.
D1 X D2
The table below calls out what work looks like at the intersection of these dichotomies and helps us identify 4 types of work - Tactical, Strategic, Operational, and Veiled.
CAW x OL ("Tactical")
Def: Things in this bucket should result in the same outcome, regardless of who is involved, and the communication should be seen in the work.
Ex: Behzod's Note - Need Example here.
CAW x SL ("Strategic)
Def: Things in this bucket should result in different outcomes based on who is involved, and the communication should be seen in the work.
Ex: Design, Engineering, Marketing, PR
CBW x OL ("Operational")
Def: Things in this bucket should result in the same outcome, regardless of who is involved, and the communication will not be visible in the work itself.
Ex: Accounting, Enforcement of Law, Data Analysis
CBW x SL ("Veiled")
Def: Things in this bucket should result in different outcomes based on who is involved, and the communication will not be visible in the work itself.
Ex: Investing