Future professional life by Hammer & Hanborg

Future professional life A vision of how we will work in the future

Future professional life A vision of how we will work in the future The conditions in which we work are changing radically. Digitalisation affects not only where, when and how we work, but also creates completely new roles while established roles disappear. We are right at the centre of this change, together with our clients. No one knows where this will end. The only thing we know is that everything will continue to change.

We at Hammer & Hanborg have made it our mission to be part of creating the professional life of the future. That is why we have chosen to present the knowledge and insights from our surveys in a new way. What you have in front of you is a book about professional life in the future. A vision where we explore five areas that will have a large effect on how we work in the future.

1: When your closest colleague is a robot 2: Everyone is a leader 3: What is work? 4: Continuous development towards undefined goals 5: Future workplaces The book about professional life in the future is obviously not finished. The rapid changes we see mean that it is not enough to do a report from time to time. Instead we need something that can live and develop with the times. That is why we will continue to explore and study these five areas and add new insights and lessons as we learn them. This will be a more sustainable way of utilising the knowledge we gain from our surveys and it will put the results in context.

We have also chosen to include other exciting voices that comment and give their views in these five areas. If you have ideas about someone we should talk to then please get in touch!

Happy reading! Christina Hammer och Ă&#x2026;sa Falkman Founding Partners Hammer & Hanborg

About Hammer & Hanborg Hammer & Hanborg has as its mission to create the future professional life. We are a consulting company with services in the business areas Recruitment & Staffing, People & Culture and Change & Development.

Each year we carry out several surveys to research how work life is changing. The largest surveys are Kommunikatรถren and Nordic Executive Survey. These include questions covering a wide range of topics including the importance of common values, success factors, new possibilities in working life, fears for the future and ways of working and organisational structures that we will see more of.

Will we continue to have the office as a workplace? Or will we even have a job? What is work and what will it become?

Welcome to the future professional life!

When your closest colleague is a robot

PHOTO BY ALEX KNIGT

When your closest colleague is a robot New work methods and ways of working Technical developments have affected how we work for a long time. Over and above improving the pace of production and increased efficiency. Better technology has removed dangerous, repetitive and boring tasks from our work. Our way of working has changed and in the future we will see more and different types of iterative, customer-centric processes and methods that increase commitment such as crowdsourcing, edutainment and gamification [1]. But also, digital development with automation, AI, AR, IoT, and robots will affect how we work in the future [1]. It is clear that we need to develop our ability to co-operate both with each other and with machines.

Examples of ways of working that will become more common in the future [1]

CROSS-

AGILE

FUNCTIONAL

AUTOMATION

VIRTUAL

[1]

1:1

GAMI-

LEAN

DESIGNTHINKING

EDUTAINMENT

FLEXIBLE

Source Kommunikatรถren 2017

CROWDSOURCING

FICATION

Focus on continuous improvement Agile methods are predicted to become more common when the pace of change means that we don’t have time to complete a product or service before we launch it – we do not have either the time or the money to work in long processes. Instead it will involve continuous refinement and improvement of earlier versions. Working in an agile way optimises resources and increases the relevance of the product or service. Today 7 out of 10 are familiar with the term agile and half of them answer that these use agile work methods[1]. Some use it in most activities in the organisation while others use it in developing products, concepts and services or when developing web or other digital services [1]. “It is not possible to work in long projects. The world is changing too fast” (Kommunikatören 2017). Work methods that put the user in focus are on the increase. The importance of working in near-customer, innovative processes is growing. An example is design thinking, which is often used in development and innovation processes to develop or improve products, services or concepts [1]. Work methods that create commitment Crowd sourcing is another method that is predicted to become more widely used in the future professional life [1]. Using many different people and perspectives to develop ideas and innovations is a way of finding new solutions. But it is also a way of creating commitment among customers, suppliers and others who are invited to be part of the innovation process.

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It is not possible to specify in advance what is to be developed. Development

â&#x20AC;?

goes so fast and one must continuously listen to the user.

KOMMUNIKATĂ&#x2013;REN 2017

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Other ways of increasing engagement are edutainment and gamification. By adding elements from the entertainment world or different game mechanisms, workflows become more fun and interactive, which can facilitate learning and increase productivity. The robots entry into working life Our work methods and ways of working will naturally be affected by the digitalisation of working life. In the future we will see more and more of AI and robots that can automate and make processes more effective and/or improve results enter into working life. With the help of AI and robots we will be able to focus on the parts of the job that we find interesting while what we find boring can be done by machines. This will mean that routine-based tasks will be largely removed from our job descriptions. The remaining tasks will consist of complex questions that demand our fantasy and creativity to reach a solution. To adapt to a working life full of digital colleagues will require a new attitude. A robot in the work group may not make such a big difference but imagine that you are the only person in the team. Then new ways of working will be necessary, different processes and ways of communicating. We need to be good at solving problems together with robots and at the same time ensure that we develop those qualities that are unique for us as people e.g. creativity, fantasy, and the ability to create relationships and emotional connections. Agile methods, design thinking, crowd sourcing, edutainment, and gamification will all come in useful when we co-operate with both human and digital colleagues.

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This development can naturally be seen as somewhat frightening and create concern that jobs will disappear. In the very long term the robotification of work could mean that we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to work at all. But we heard the same thing before e.g. in connection with the industrial revolution. This did lead to a number of jobs disappearing but at the same time many new jobs were created. The only thing that is certain is that our way of working is going to change. If we are to believe the tech-giantsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; initiatives we will all soon be comfortable with having dialogues with AI. Amazon have Alexa, Apple have Siri, Microsoft have Cortana and Google the Google Assistant. So prepare yourself for a working life where you say hello to a robot or two when you get to work.

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”That everything will become digital will change a lot of industries and work tasks. When AI grows it will create demands to find more unique work tasks that focus on creativity” KOMMUNIKATÖREN 2017

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Learn to solve problems together with robots.

Fredrik Heintz

Associate professor and university lecturer

Fredrik Heintz, Associate professor and university lecturer Linköping University: ”Learn to solve problems together with robots” What consequences will it have when we have more and more robots as colleagues? We talked to Fredrik Heintz Associate Professor and University Lecturer at the Institution for Artificial Intelligence and computer systems at Linköping University. Robots are a natural development Throughout history man has developed more and more advanced tools that have made it possible for us to do new things. The development of robots at work is a natural consequence of this according to Fredrik Heintz. “To create tools that help us to do new things is one of mans most important characteristics. So the development of robots is very natural,” says Fredrik. Historically robots have been used primarily in manufacturing – car manufacturing and similar industries – to carry out heavy lifting and repetitive tasks. Today they are used a lot in the electronics industry to carry out tasks that require great precision and tasks that need to be done exactly the same time after time. “Robot development has to date focused either on heavy lifting and repetition or on precision and repeatability,” says Fredrik. But now development is more about creating flexible robots that can relate to the world around them.

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More and more flexible robots… A disadvantage with robots to date has been that the time to recalibrate them to new tasks has been long and the cost of doing so high. It requires a lot of work to reprogram a robot to make for example a new model of a product that is being manufactured. Now the trend is moving towards more flexible robots that can also work together with people. The robots that exist in the workplace today carry out their tasks without reference to their surroundings and are usually kept separate from people to ensure that nobody gets injured. Today’s robot development is more about making more sophisticated robots that can take in information from their surroundings and make decisions based on that. They need to understand what is happening around them so that they can work near people.“A sector that is trendy today when it comes to robot development is logistics. There the challenge is for the robots to learn how to handle more and more unstructured environments. As long as there is an exact position, an RFID-tag or a QR-code there is no problem. But what happens when for example in a grocery shop when someone has changed their mind and replaced an item on the wrong shelf?” Asks Fredrik. “Even the health sector is interesting. Here the robot can be a support that allows people to put more focus on care. An area being explored is having automatic labs where analysis etc. can be carried out without human involvement,” he continues. A third industry where a lot is happening is the transport sector with automatic transports. For example the New Karolinska Hospital will invest in automatic transport within the hospital. Also within software there is a lot of development. An example is in what is called “conversational technology,” a software technology that allows verbal interaction with robots.

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This is a way of creating a more natural way of communicating that is closer to the dialogues we have with other people. Dialogue is really an ineffective way to communicate, but the advantage it brings is flexibility. “Imagine a doctor who is examining a patient and is at the same time in dialogue with a system that documents the examination. The system can also ask follow-up questions so that writing the journal becomes a decision-support system as well,” says Fredrik. … and more and more specialised people The entry of robots into working life will affect us as people in two ways. One is that robots will be developed to handle the same surroundings as us. This means that the difference between a robot and a person will be reduced and working with a robot will be more like working with anyone else. We will interact with robots in the same way as we do with our human colleagues. The second effect is about specialisation. We must specialise ourselves more. If we for example look at which jobs disappeared in USA during the last financial crisis then it was the middle-class jobs that required a general level of education. Highly qualified jobs actually increased in number. “The people who will be successful in working life when robots are common will be those who have a specialised interest, something they are extra good at. It could be anything, make-up, wooden flooring, computer games, or unusual robots…. As long as you are good enough and find a way to commercialise your interest the actual subject matter is not that important.”

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In order to succeed personal attributes like drive and passion will be important. This will differ from earlier transitions in working life, which we have solved by using more training and education. Today it is not lack of education that is the problem. “By using Internet we have access to a global market, the best experts, education in every area, 3D-printing for the production of prototypes etc. That means that if you have an idea then you can go through with it. So what you need to add are ideas and visions and the drive to realise them,” says Fredrik. These developments are a problem for those who are passive. The attitude “I don’t want to do anything,” that we unfortunately see from time to time in working life, won’t work in future. Invest in digital competence and personal development Which competences do we need to develop in order to be successful? Fredrik thinks that we need to be good at what is called “datalogical thinking” or how we solve problems together with computers. We need to learn these skills at school. Also digital competence or how we use digital tools and how we can be active citizens in a digital society will be vital. “As I said earlier it will be about developing your own special interest, the area that you are very good at. It will be essential to develop your uniqueness,” says Fredrik. People’s role in the future The change to a digital working life will require not just new work methods but new attitudes as well. People’s task in the future will primarily be to decide which problems need to be solved and why. Computers and robots can handle the actual problem

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It is all about finding your special interest, the area that you are extra

â&#x20AC;?

good at. It will be essential to develop your uniqueness.

solving. For people it will be important to be good at the things that computers and robots are less good at. Creativity and seeing new possibilities are two examples. At present we are in the middle of a changeover from an industrial society to a digital society. This brings with it a measure of concern at work and in society in general. In its most extreme form this leads to social unrest and political extremism. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The question is how we can best facilitate this transition and how long the change it is going to take,â&#x20AC;? concludes Fredrik.

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5 tips for success 1. Use non-linear thinking Start from needs instead of from a detailed specification. The specification will instead be the result of the development project. 2. Improve at solving problems together with computers and robots Dare to use technology! The robot is not a threat â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it is an enhancement that means you can use your brainpower on the right things. 3. Focus on things that robots canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do Develop your human qualities like creativity, fantasy and feelings. Get better at working close to other people as anything digital will become automated. 4. Invest in your personal development Learn more about yourself and what makes you unique. Find your drivers and motivation so that you can realise your ideas and visions. 5. Drop your guard Your human faults are what will make you attractive in a world filled with perfect technology.

Glossary Agile: A collective term for development methods that are flexible, easily adapted and iterative. Plans and methods are evaluated and improved continuously. Instead of starting from a detailed specification, goals and visions are formulated at the start of the project. The detailed specification becomes a result rather than an input. AI: Artificial Intelligence is intelligence that is shown by machines. AR: Augmented Reality, means that we experience a physical and realistic environment that is enhanced by computer generated sensual experiences such as sound, video or GPS-data. This is usually done in real time. Advanced AR techniques e.g. Computer vision, make it possible for the user to interact with the enhanced environment. Crowd sourcing: Is a method where one uses many different partners to solve a problem. Usually an open question is asked of an undefined, large group of people who can contribute with their input and suggestions. Design Thinking: Is a method to evaluate and solve problems that has its starting point in the creative strategies used by designers. It matches the customers/user needs to what is technically feasible and profitable. Edutainment: Is entertainment that is used in an educational way. It could be for example educational computer games or TV programmes. Gamification: Includes using gaming mechanisms in areas that are not normally associated with gaming like working life or education. It is a way of increasing interaction and interest with participants. IoT: Internet of Things, means that objects such as household machines, clothes, machines, vehicles, and buildings are equipped with internet connections enabling them to be connected to wireless networks and thereby exchange data with us and each other. Lean: Is an ideology aimed at maximising customer utility and at the same time minimising the waste of resources. The aim is to make working methods more effective, reduce waste and become more efficient.

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QR-code: Quick Response code is a variation of a bar code. RFID-tag: Radio Frequency Identification is a technique for reading information at a distance from memories called tags. In its simplest form RFID consists of a unique number that can be read at a few decimetres distance. The RFID tag can be so small that it fits into a normal price tag or it could be operated into humans or animals under the skin and can be used for identification by using radio waves. Examples of uses for RFID today are bus cards, ski passes, car tolls, theft protection in shops and booking systems.

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Everyone is a leader

PHOTO BY ISABELL WINTER

Everyone is a leader Working life without bosses Professional life in the future will, as a result of continual and rapid change, become less hierarchical amongst other things. This will place new demands on how we organise our processes and how we make decisions. No one will have time to wait for a decision to be signed off three management levels up – hierarchical structures will simply be too slow. When co-operation in projects increases work will become more cross-functional and the traditional managers role will be less relevant. Many traditional organisations are already removing management layers and we see that digital tools reduce administration. At the same time new parts of working life are growing where each person is their own manager e.g. gig-artists and influencers. Leadership is no longer primarily about leading other people but rather about leading a project and your own work. The result is new network-based organisations where no-one is a manager but everyone is a leader.

Why self-leadership? – Flatter organisations with fewer levels of managers – Digital tools reduce administration – New types of work mean new types of leadership, often in projects – Increased involvement – Take control over your own (competence) development. 2:1

Self-leadership Self-leadership as a phenomenon is nothing new. During the 20th century we saw a number of reforms of the education system that allowed us to choose the direction of our working lives. This prompted people to talk of self-leadership at that time. This is something that remains highly topical in today’s professional life and that of the future. If everyone is a leader, this increases the demands on the ability to lead and develop oneself and one’s own work. Many believe that self-leadership will become increasingly important in the future professional life . In flat organisations it is possible for everyone to step forward and lead, which could lead to increased commitment. We are also becoming more result focused rather than process focused – that is to say we focus more on the results achieved than on the methods that are to be used. The great advantages with self-leadership are seen as own responsibility, freedom, increased commitment and increased speed, efficiency and flexibility. [1] ”The fast tempo of working life demands independent employees, if you can’t lead yourself then somebody else will need to do it and then you are suddenly a liability instead of an asset.” (Kommunikatören 2017) There are also disadvantages with greater responsibility being placed on the individual. There is a risk of lack of clarity and of arbitrariness. And without clear goals and values it is difficult to achieve a functioning self-leadership. [1] ”Some people work better in a group or by having clear guidelines to relate to. The risk is that one is not that productive and works in an unstructured way.” (Kommunikatören 2017)

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It is highly motivational to steer your own agenda and as far as possible, to choose what you work with and with whom you work. To work at those times

â&#x20AC;?

and with those methods that are most effective gives good results.

KOMMUNIKATĂ&#x2013;REN 2017

Successful qualities To succeed in “manager-free” working life certain qualities are more important than others.

Successful characteristics to lead yourself

CURIOUS

ADAPTABLE

[1]

COURAGE-

RESPONSIBLE

CO-OPERATIVE

OUS COMMUNICAOPEN

TIVE

EMPATHIC FLEXIBLE

PASSIONATE INDEPENDENT

Some people will probably have positions where apart from leading themselves they will also be expected to lead others. To lead in an organisation where everyone is a leader requires a new approach. Future leaders will build successful teams by seeing what inspires and motivates each individual. Based on that the leader can create conditions for team members to use their talents to develop the organisation. Successful qualities for leading others: Empathic, enthusing, able to change, communicative, responsive, courageous, passionate, trustworthy, and visionary. [1]

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Successful behaviour when everyone is a leader A working life with new types of organisation and greater demands on self-leadership affects the competences necessary to succeed. Hammer & Hanborgâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Competency Model describes the behaviours that give good a sound basis is the future professional life. We all have a mix of these behavioural competences and the mix needed depends on the specific role, organisation and a number of other factors. Visionary Long-term goals and plans have long been a given in most organisations. Today when conditions are changing continuously, the goals also need to change all the time. Colleagues with the ability to see beyond the goals and Visionary

focus on the greater vision will be an important asset. Change Maker The situation today can be seen as messy and disorganised compared to earlier. Change is not about going from A to B but continues constantly. People who get energy from change will therefore be a big asset. Both through

Change Maker

their ability to work in an unclear environment and by demonstrating that change can be positive to colleagues. Co-Creator The ability to co-operate effectively will become ever more important as the world shrinks. The on-going technical developments connect people and make possible new forms of cross-border co-operation. To be successful

Co-Creator

will demand understanding of othersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; perspectives, integrity and a nonhierarchical approach to other people.

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Performer To take responsibility for how you can best contribute overall, be able to prioritise resources and get things done to the quality required are characteristics necessary in many roles in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s working life. A colleagues with Performer

the ability of self-leadership is an asset when the way of working changes and we see less detailed direction of work and less control combined with a high work tempo. Enabler Leaders with the ability to create a welcoming culture where successful teams can grow have good prerequisites for success. Control and detailed

Enabler

direction of work are out of date. Instead we will be successful by understanding what inspires and motivates each individual.

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Johan Book

Founder of the Motivation Agency

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The manager will become a guide.

Johan Book, Founder of the Motivation Agency: “The manager will become a guide” How should one act as a manager when everyone at work is a leader? We talked to Johan Book, founder of the Motivation Agency about the new role of managers. Create the conditions for self-leaders to perform Today’s working life is complex. Many people have a high level of education and complex work tasks. When employed as specialists, we need to take responsibility for how we do our jobs. It is obvious that a leadership style founded on detailed direction and control will not work anymore. Instead, it is better to create the best possible conditions for today’s self-leaders to perform. “We must realise that it is people in the organisation that create results and we need to create the right conditions for them to perform,” says Johan. Everyone wants to feel useful, have the possibility to affect our work and feel they belong. So how do we create organisations that promote these attributes rather than limiting them? Managers need to have the courage to let go of their control and let the emplyees steer themselves. This means moving away from the carrot and stick and instead create a will to contribute. It is crucial to invite the staff to participate and contribute to the way of working. “The manager should say what results they want from the work. Then it is up to the

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team to decide themselves how it should be done and what they need to learn or develop in order to be able to reach the result,” says Johan. Show the way and encourage The manager’s role will be about being a guide. The manager’s responsibility is to provide everyone with the best possible conditions to perform and feel good and the most important tools are clear goals, follow-up and encouragement. “Everyone needs to feel useful and we do more of that which makes us feel useful. As a manager it is important to encourage the behaviour you want to see more of,” says Johan. “As a manager, you need to take on board that you are better when you get others to perform than when you perform operationally. That is why it is important that we build structures that encourage managers when they lead rather than when they are operative,” says Johan. Johan also emphasises the importance of learning the “how” in how we reach results – what we did well and what should we do differently next time. “Create a structured follow-up when you together with your colleagues go through in order, what we do well, what we can improve and what can we do about it,” says Johan. A structured follow-up makes clear and prioritises goals and responsibility, and encourages all the good things that are being done.

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Give time to relationships Johanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best tip for leaders of the future is to put and lot of time and emphasis on good relationships with your team members. Create a sustainable work environment that promotes both healthy and good performance. Show empathy, create a supportive culture and environment and remember that encouragement is your most important tool. Be sure to set clear goals and involve your team members. Let the team themselves set their own development goals and structures for how work will be done. Work with continuous and structured follow-up and feedback.

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5 tips for success 1. Learn your own qualities Explore which behavioural competences, qualities and motivators you have so that you can give yourself the best possible conditions to perform. 2. Be passionate about what you do, or do something else Enthusiasm and interest are critical for leading yourself and for inspiring others. 3. Dare to make decisions To dare to make decisions, even based on incomplete evidence, is a key to keeping up with the fast-changing environment 4. Create a plan for your own development Self-leadership is not just about leading your own work but even your own competence development. Use your curiosity to explore and develop yourself in interesting areas. 5. Look after relationships The future professional life is relational.

What is work?

PHOTO BY RUSSN_FCKR

More aware customers demand

”

that their suppliers practice what they preach

KOMMUNIKATÖREN 2017

What is work? Collaborations based on values and passion In “manager-free” work life, we will find new ways of organising ourselves. To meet the fast pace of change we need to allow – or even encourage – people and competence to move into and out of the organisation. Instead of rigid structures, we will work in competence clusters that develop to solve an assignment. This is also a natural result of the growing gig-economy. Gig-artists already work today in competence-based clusters in traditional workplaces and in temporary teams who deliver a solution to the client. From duty to passion How we view work is changing. From being about duty and performance, it will in future be more and more about lust and passion. The possibilities to make a living based on your passion have already increased, and we see how being an influencer is growing as a new industry. So how do you know when you are working and what will be the definition of a job? In short, one can say that a job is when your passion creates value for others that they are willing to pay for. That passion will gain in importance in future professional life means that our private and our professional identities will become ever closer to each other. This in turn means that it will be all the more important to share the values of your employer. Almost 90 percent think that it will be more important to share the values of your employer in future [1].

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Value-based customers, staff and organisations The changed view of work is a reason why values will become more important in the professional life of the future. But, values are also important when we as workers choose an employer, when we as customers choose a brand and when we as employers choose who we will employ [1].

As an employee or contractor, we want to work for an employer who has the same values as we do – this is important for our identity. “More and more choose employers based on values. It is difficult to be passionate about something you don’t believe in” (Quote from the employee perspective in Kommunikatören 2017)

The customer cares more about values today as business becomes more and more personal. Clear values become a means to promote customer loyalty. “Ever more aware customers demand that their suppliers practice what they preach” (Quote from the customer perspective in sKommunikatören 2017)

Employers want employees with similar values, as they are the best ambassadors for the brand. All employees are representatives for their organisations. This spills over into the private sphere and on Facebook, Twitter etc. (Quote from the employer perspective in Kommunikatören 2017)

Knowing when we are working or not will probably be more difficult to define in future. However, when your work is based on what you are passionate about and when you are co-operating with people and organisations who share your values, maybe this does not matter so much. 3:3

“Employers want employees with similar values, as they are the best ambassadors for the brand.” KOMMUNIKATÖREN 2017

PHOTO BY EMILY DAHL, ARENSIKFOTOGRAFI

Linda Hรถrnfeldt

CEO and Founder of Influencers of Sweden

â&#x20AC;?

Go in for what you find fun.

Linda Hörnfeldt, CEO and Founder of Influencers of Sweden: “Go in for what you find fun” Linda Hörnfeldt is CEO and Founder of Influencers of Sweden, a trade organisation for social-media influencers. Below she talks about the development of a new carrier opportunity, and turning a hobby into a profession. From power factor to entrepreneur Being an influencer in social media is a relatively new type of job. Linda has been a blogger for 16 years, or since “blogs were babies” as she says herself. During this time, she has seen how the role as influencer has become more and more professional. “Being a blogger in the beginning consisted basically of writing a diary on the net” says Linda. However, today we see several skillful Influencers building whole groups of companies based on their social media presence. Linda started Influencers of Sweden in order to support influencers in professionalising their role. The organisation works to create the economic conditions required by influencers as well as spreading information and promoting the profession. Influencers have long been a power factor. What is new is that it is now possible to earn money and do business based on the role as influencer. “Advertisers have realised that these are the people to work with. There has been a real boom. Now even influencers have realised that there are business opportunities,” says Linda. 3:7

The boundary between a hobby and work is only in your head!

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Having your hobby as a job Being an influencer in social media almost always starts as a hobby. You share information about something you are passionate about and interested in. When the account grows and advertisers start showing interest the hobby can turn into something else. A challenge for many influencers is to begin to see themselves as professionals. “The boundary between a hobby and work is only in your head. There is still a strong belief that if you think something is fun and you are good at it then you should not demand payment – as it seems too simple! However that is exactly what you should get paid for, as that is your special area of competence,” says Linda. At the same time as the role is becoming more accepted as a profession, more and more influencers are exploring the possibilities of working directly with their followers. They create their own brands, write books, and do business directly with their fans. “In the future I think that more people will establish their own small media businesses where influencers create several different income streams. I think we will see an increased level of entrepreneurial thinking. These people already have fans, and more and more of them will see the possibilities of creating their own products or services that their fans want, instead of selling products from others,” says Linda. At the same time she thinks that the co-operation with advertisers will continue, but with better quality. The influencer will be able to place new demands on the co-operation, which will be positive for future development.

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“Today there are several players who are too flexible with their brands. With a business model built on trust, the personal brand is everything. A more restrictive approach will lead to better quality in this type of co-operation and promote trust which will be a winwin for all parties,” says Linda. Ease of recognition and ready availability Linda thinks that more and more people will see the opportunity to make a career as an influencer as there will be more success stories that people can relate to and recognise. The big difference today is that everyone has the possibility of making a career based on what they are good at. Earlier you probably good at either singing, acting or sport in order to be an influencer. Today you can just as well convert your interest in computer games, travel or food into a career. The ready availability and ease of recognition – this is for ordinary people just like me – is critical thinks Linda. “The differences between influencers such as Beyoncé and Jay-Z and a social media influencer like Pewdiepie are noticeable. When Beyoncé and Jay-Z visited Disneyland the whole park was closed to the public. When Pewdiepie was there all his fans also wanted to be there to say hello. The ease of recognition and ready availability are crucial,” says Linda. Even for Disneyland, the differences are noticeable. In the first case, it is costly to close the park for the visit, and the value is in the news that Beyoncé and Jay-Z visited Disneyland. In the second, Disney is seen as a player that the public can interact with in the same way as their idols. When the public flocks to see their idols, the income for Disney increases too.