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  • April 2020 (Revised October 2020)
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Unilever's Response to the Future of Work

By: William R. Kerr, Emilie Billaud and Mette Fuglsang Hjortshoej
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:18
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Abstract

In February 2020, Nick Dalton, executive vice president HR business transformation at Unilever, reflected on the changing nature of work marked by rapid advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automation. Launched in 2016, Unilever’s Future of Work initiative aimed to accelerate the speed of change throughout the organization and prepare the workforce for a digitalized and highly automated era. Despite the success over the last three years, the program still faced significant challenges in its implementation: How should Unilever, one of the world's largest consumer goods companies, adapt and accelerate the speed of change throughout the organization? Was it even possible to lead a systematic, agile workforce transformation across several geographies with local context differences? How could Unilever prepare and upscale its workforce for the future?

Keywords

Change Management; Human Capital; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Mission and Purpose; Organizational Structure; Transformation; Human Resources; Consumer Products Industry; Europe

Citation

Kerr, William R., Emilie Billaud, and Mette Fuglsang Hjortshoej. "Unilever's Response to the Future of Work." Harvard Business School Case 820-104, April 2020. (Revised October 2020.)
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About The Author

William R. Kerr

Entrepreneurial Management
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Related Work

    • November 2020
    • Faculty Research

    Unilever's Response to the Future of Work

    By: William R. Kerr and Bailey McAfee
    • April 2020 (Revised October 2020)
    • Faculty Research

    Unilever's Response to the Future of Work

    By: William R. Kerr, Emilie Billaud and Mette Fuglsang Hjortshoej
Related Work
  • Unilever's Response to the Future of Work By: William R. Kerr and Bailey McAfee
  • Unilever's Response to the Future of Work By: William R. Kerr, Emilie Billaud and Mette Fuglsang Hjortshoej
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