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Research

Research

 

Building the On-Demand Workforce

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Building the On-Demand Workforce

Read the ReportRead the Report   

By: Joseph B. Fuller, Manjari Raman, James Palano, Allison Bailey, Nithya Vaduganathan, Elizabeth Kaufman, Renée Laverdière, & Sibley Lovett
Companies can transform their talent model–and business strategy–by using digital talent platforms to access highly skilled freelancers.
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Employer Survey

In 2019, Harvard Business School’s Project on Managing the Future of Work and Boston Consulting Group’s Henderson Institute designed a survey to understand how companies are experiencing the changing nature of work, and how they are using digital platforms to acquire talent. A third-party survey firm administered this survey between December 2019 and January 2020 (prior to the COVID-19 pandemic) to 700 U.S. business leaders in companies with revenues greater than $100 million. The survey questionnaire can be viewed below.
  • Questionnaire

Featured Videos

  • Joseph Fuller

WHAT'S BEHIND THE RISE OF THE HIGH-SKILLS GIG ECONOMY?

WHAT'S BEHIND THE RISE OF THE HIGH-SKILLS GIG ECONOMY?
  • Joseph Fuller
  • Joseph Fuller

WHAT'S BEHIND THE RISE OF THE HIGH-SKILLS GIG ECONOMY?

WHAT'S BEHIND THE RISE OF THE HIGH-SKILLS GIG ECONOMY?
  • Joseph Fuller
  • Joseph Fuller

WHAT ROLE DO HIGH-SKILLS FREELANCERS PLAY IN THE "ON-DEMAND" WORKFORCE?

WHAT ROLE DO HIGH-SKILLS FREELANCERS PLAY IN THE "ON-DEMAND" WORKFORCE?
  • Joseph Fuller
  • Joseph Fuller

WHAT ROLE DO HIGH-SKILLS FREELANCERS PLAY IN THE "ON-DEMAND" WORKFORCE?

WHAT ROLE DO HIGH-SKILLS FREELANCERS PLAY IN THE "ON-DEMAND" WORKFORCE?
  • Joseph Fuller

Podcast

Factoring high-skills freelancers into the enterprise equation

Joseph Fuller & Allison Bailey
Joseph Fuller & Allison Bailey
  • 24 FEB 2021
  • | 
  • Managing the Future of Work
Digital platforms for highly skilled freelancers are set to broker more strategic engagements for businesses needing extra capacity and flexibility. HBS and Managing the Future of Work’s Joe Fuller and Boston Consulting Group’s Allison Bailey, co-authors of the report Building the On-Demand Workforce, join Bill Kerr. How can employers adapt their approach to talent and align management incentives to benefit from this trend? What are the implications for workers and what choices are policymakers weighing?
Digital platforms for highly skilled freelancers are set to broker more strategic engagements for businesses needing extra capacity and flexibility. HBS and Managing the Future of Work’s Joe Fuller and Boston Consulting Group’s Allison Bailey, co-authors of the report Building the On-Demand Workforce, join Bill Kerr. How can employers adapt their approach to talent and align management incentives to benefit from this trend? What are the implications for workers and what choices are policymakers weighing?

Featured Article

Rethinking the On-Demand Workforce

Joseph Fuller, Manjari Raman, Allison Bailey & Nithya Vaduganathan
Joseph Fuller, Manjari Raman, Allison Bailey & Nithya Vaduganathan
  • 20 OCT 2020
  • | 
  • Harvard Business Review
Major demographic changes and the proliferation of online digital platforms like Freelancer, Upwork, Catalant, and Toptal are accelerating the rise of the gig economy. Companies are using these platforms to bridge high-skills gaps opportunistically. Now, in the post-COVID era, business leaders will need a strategic approach to managing a blended workforce of full-time employees as well as on-demand gig workers.
Major demographic changes and the proliferation of online digital platforms like Freelancer, Upwork, Catalant, and Toptal are accelerating the rise of the gig economy. Companies are using these platforms to bridge high-skills gaps opportunistically. Now, in the post-COVID era, business leaders will need a strategic approach to managing a blended workforce of full-time employees as well as on-demand gig workers.

Media Coverage

Tips on Going Freelance During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Ray A. Smith
  • 31 Jan 2021
  • | 
  • Wall Street Journal

Here’s where skilled freelancers can find jobs

Kathy Kristof
  • 09 Jan 2021
  • | 
  • Los Angeles Times

Why Companies and Skilled Workers Are Turning to On-Demand Work

Joseph Fuller and Allison Bailey
  • 24 Nov 2020
  • | 
  • HBR IdeaCast

Why a Blended Workforce May Be Key to Lasting Competitive Advantage

Joseph B. Fuller
  • 17 Nov 2020
  • | 
  • Harvard Business School Working Knowledge

The gig is up

  • 17 Nov 2020
  • | 
  • The Harvard Gazette

Read the Report

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Campus Map
Managing the Future of Work
Manjari Raman
Program Director & Senior Researcher
Harvard Business School
Boston, MA 02163
Phone: 1.617.495.6288
Email: mraman+hbs.edu
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