Chapters – Reader profiles – Case studies – The research – Gig mindset traits – Checklists

Step 1. Review findings from 10 years of annual research on the organization in the digital age

I conducted 10 annual surveys on the internal digital work environments of organizations between 2006 and 2016. Each year I published a report. The 10th annual survey report was published in November 2016: The Organization in the Digital Age. Approximately 300 organizations around the world participated each year.

As of 2015/2016, data  began to show the rise of individual capabilities, which led me to the gig mindset research in 2018 and 2021.

Step 2. Set up Global Advisory Board

As with previous years of research, I started by creating a global Advisory Board. This ensures a diverse perspective on the topic.

Step 3. Define traits to study: traditional vs. gig

We defined eight behaviors with two extremes: traditional mindset versus gig mindset. They formed the foundation for the research.

Step 4. Encourage worldwide participation

After defining the behaviors, I designed the survey questions which the Advisory Board reviewed and critiqued for me. The first phase of the research involved 297 people from around the world. A healthy balance between countries and continents.  Next time around, I want to get more from Latin America and Africa.

Step 5. Conduct one-on-one interviews

Following the data analysis, I conducted 31 hour-long interviews with people around the world in order to get deeper, qualitative, personal stories. 

Step 6. Phase 2: Gig Mindset survey in 2021

The purpose of step 6 is to see what evolution has happened between the end of 2019 and over 2020 including the potential impact of the global pandemic crisis.