Managing an extended workforce: How intentional orchestrators find success in workforce ecosystems

Organizations that excel at managing a complex and interconnected workforce of internal and external contributors are outperforming others in eight key ways.

Managing an extended workforce: How intentional orchestrators find success in workforce ecosystems

In-office full- and part-time employees. Hybrid and remote employees. Freelancers and gig workers. Long-term contractors. Service providers, vendors, external partners, app developers and accessory providers. Technologies like AI-enabled bots that now perform work.

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The composition of today’s workforce is becoming more and more complex.

As organizations increasingly rely on external contributors (those who are not on company payroll but provide services to an organization) to achieve their business outcomes,¹ leaders are beginning to recognize the importance (and challenges) of a holistic approach to managing interconnected internal and external contributors.

What are the organizations and leaders who are successfully navigating these complexities doing differently? According to the 2022 Future of the Workforce global survey conducted by MIT Sloan Management Review and Deloitte, leaders who view their multifaceted workforce as a coordinated and integrated ecosystem are finding opportunities to manage work in new ways.

The global survey identified three levels of organizational maturity in the ability to effectively orchestrate workforce ecosystems to advance enterprise goals, based on how organizations define their workforce, the degree to which they take a holistic approach to workforce management, and how prepared they feel to manage a blended workforce with both internal and external contributors.

The resulting workforce ecosystem orchestration index reveals that the top performers—intentional orchestrators—are outperforming others in eight ways:

Aligning workforce needs with strategic goals and objectives
Allocating work among internal and external workers
Accessing workers to accomplish strategic objectives
Integrating external workers into their organization’s culture
Managing the workforce across functional areas
Measuring worker performance
Managing the workforce for maximum performance
Supporting workforce management and growth with technology

To learn more about how intentional orchestrators are successfully managing workforce ecosystems, view the full infographic by MIT Sloan Management Review and Deloitte.

Elizabeth J. Altman et al., “Workforce ecosystems: A new strategic approach to the future of work,” MIT Sloan Management Review, April 13, 2021; Elizabeth J. Altman et al., “ Orchestrating workforce ecosystems: Strategically managing work across and beyond organizational boundaries” MIT Sloan Management Review, May 17, 2022.
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Cover art by: Sonya Vasilieff

Human Capital–Future of Work

Driven by accelerating connectivity, new talent models, and cognitive technologies, work is changing. Jobs are being reinvented, creating the “unleashed workforce”—where work is redefined to create new value and meaning for organizations, employees, stakeholders, and communities.