The future of work: implications for the frontline manager's role in HR implementation

Abstract

This chapter uses Morgan's (1997) metaphor of 'organizations as organisms' as a lens through which to understand how both new technologies and the impact of Covid-19 are changing the ways in which work is both organized and experienced. The role of frontline managers in managing the interaction between the technical, the social and the environmental consequences of both technological change and Covid-19 are considered in regard to two aspects of HR implementation: the design and organization of virtual work and the management of performance. Consideration is also given to the ways in which the very nature of frontline management itself is changing as a result of technological advances and considers whether this will be automated. The chapter concludes with a focus on what the future holds for frontline managers.