The Agile Workforce: Automation, Decentralization, and Their Role in the Future Workforce

We live in an agile world. Incremental growth and continuous improvement have brought about change in just about every field imaginable. The workforce and work as we know it has been changing for a while, and it’s about to undergo a major shift.

With continued globalization, an increase in the use of artificial intelligence to perform both routine and complex tasks, and the rise of outsourcing and contracting in new industries, the Agile Workforce is here.

The book discusses the future of work, and how humans and AI-driven machines will work together to create our future. It also describes the rise of the freelance economy, and how remote work, gig workers, and a global mindset will transform the traditional workplace into a hybrid model where the best of all worlds can be combined for the benefit of individuals and companies alike.

The Agile Workforce is the fourth book in Kihlström’s Agile series, which started with 2016’s The Agile Web, exploring how the agile methodology applied properly website design, can create dramatic improvements in their efforts. 2018’s The Agile Brand explored how brands that embrace consumer feedback and create a living brand that evolves over time while staying true to its values. In 2019, Kihlström released The Agile Consumer, which gives practical examples of how agile thinking and approaches, as well as a shift in consumer behavior are changing the brand-consumer relationship with the opportunity for better outcomes for both.

Greg Kihlström is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, and international keynote speaker. He is currently CEO and Co-Founder at CareerGig, a technology startup based in Arlington, VA and Palo Alto, CA. He led the Experience Team at Yes&, after Carousel30, a digital agency he started in 2003, was acquired by the agency to become the largest independent marketing agency in the Washington, DC region. Following that, he worked with Fortune 100 companies on employee experience, HR digital transformation, and customer experience initiatives. He is an award-winning creative director and marketing strategist who has worked with top brands, including AOL, Choice Hotels, Coca-Cola, FedEx, GEICO, Marriott Hotels, MTV, Starbucks, Toyota, United Nations, and VMware. He was the founding Chair of the American Advertising Federation’s National Innovation Committee, and served on the Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business Marketing Industry Mentorship Board. Greg currently serves on the Advisory Board for the University of Richmond’s Customer Experience Program.

Greg’s latest book, The Center of Experience (2020), discusses the intersection of customer experience (CX) and employee experience (EX), and defines what is referred to as brand experience, or where CX and EX overlap. Greg’s previous book in his Agile series, The Agile Consumer (2019), explores the most recent shifts in the brand-consumer relationship and how companies must become more agile across their entire operation to remain successful. His second book, The Agile Brand (2018), follows the evolution of branding from its beginnings to the authentic relationship with brands that modern consumers want, and gives practical examples of what you can do to create a more modern, agile brand while staying true to your core values. His first book, The Agile Web (2016), discusses the changing landscape of digital marketing and customer experience. His weekly podcast, The Agile World, launched in early 2019 and discusses brand strategy, marketing, and customer experience.

Greg was named 50 on Fire winner from DC Inno twice (2015 and 2018) as one of DC’s trendsetters in Marketing and Communications. He is a regular contributing writer to Forbes, and has been featured in publications such as Advertising Age, SmartCEO, Tech Republic, Website Magazine, and The Washington Post. He’s participated as a keynote speaker, panelist and moderator at industry events around the world, including Internet Week New York, Internet Summit, EventTech, SMX Social Media, Social Media Week, Mid-Atlantic Marketing Summit, ABA Bank Marketing Summit, and VMworld. He has guest lectured at several schools, including VCU Brandcenter, Georgetown University, Duke University, American University, University of Maryland, Howard University, and Virginia Tech.