GLOBAL organizations today must navigate a “new world of work”—one that requires a dramatic change in strategies for leadership, talent, and human resources.

In this new world of work, the barriers between work and life have been all but eliminated. Employees are “always on”—hyperconnected to their jobs through pervasive mobile technology.

Networking tools like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Glassdoor enable people to easily monitor the market for new job opportunities. Details about an organization’s culture are available at the tap of a screen, providing insights about companies to employees and potential employees alike. The balance of power in the employer-employee relationship has shifted—making today’s employees more like customers or partners than subordinates.

Many of today’s employees work in global teams that operate on a 24/7 basis. An increasing number of skilled workers in this new world work on a contingent, part-time, or contract basis, so organizations must now work to integrate them into talent programs. New cognitive technologies are displacing workers and reengineering work, forcing companies to redesign jobs to incorporate new technology solutions.

Demographic changes are also in play. Millennials, who now make up more than half the workforce, are taking center stage. Their expectations are vastly different from those of previous generations. They expect accelerated responsibility and paths to leadership. They seek greater purpose in their work. And they want greater flexibility in how that work is done.

For human resources (HR) organizations, this new world requires bold and innovative thinking. It challenges our existing people practices: how we evaluate and manage people and how we engage and develop teams; how we select leaders and how they operate. HR organizations now face increasing demands to measure and monitor the larger organizational culture, simplify the work environment, and redesign work to help people adapt. For HR and talent teams, 2015 will be a critical year. As these forces gather momentum, we see 2015 as a time for creativity, bold leadership, and a fundamental reimagining of the practices HR leaders have ued for years. [Introduction, p.2]