Work is the movement of matter from one place to another, or the transfer of energy from one form to another. It is a scalar quantity that has both magnitude and direction, while force and displacement are vector quantities. The SI unit of work is the joule, which has the same units as energy (force times distance). Work can also be described as a push or a pull that may cause any massed object’s velocity and acceleration to alter, but not its state (dynamic or static).
There are many ways that humans perform work. In a general sense, it refers to the intentional activity people engage in to support themselves, their families or a larger community. Examples of this are a batsman hitting a ball, a farmer pulling a plow or a cobbler polishing shoes. However, work is also a vital component of society, and carries with it a multitude of advantages that can enrich one’s life.
The physical definition of work is based on the principle that when a force acts perpendicular to an object’s displacement, that object experiences positive work. For example, when a block is pushed upwards against the force of gravity on a frictionless surface, it experiences positive work because the displacement and the force are both perpendicular to each other. If the force is not applied in this way, the object does not experience any work, because the magnitude and direction of the force are opposite to the displacement.
In the context of the economy, work is the human effort and exertion that contributes to the production of goods and services in an economic system. The monetary value of this effort can be expressed in terms of wages and salaries, but work is not limited to the exchange of money. People can also benefit from the non-monetary aspects of work, such as job satisfaction, a sense of contribution, a better quality of life, and social networks.
There is also a significant amount of “hidden” work in the economy, such as the efforts of the service industry to ensure a good quality of life for their customers. This includes restaurants and retailers that serve the community, but also individuals who provide cleaning and laundry services, carpenters, painters and landscapers.
The future of work involves moving beyond traditional, structured processes and practices in order to cultivate the capacities of curiosity, imagination, creativity, intuition and empathy. This will require a fundamental change in how companies think about where work gets done, when it happens and who does the work. It will also require new types of management systems and leadership capabilities. In addition to these cultural shifts, work environments and work spaces will need to be transformed in order to enable this reenvisioning of work. This means rethinking the use of office space, allowing employees to move around their workspaces and develop more flexible working patterns. It will also involve moving from a process-centric approach to a problem/opportunity-driven approach.
