The Nine: The Tectonic Forces Reshaping the Workplace

Winner, 2024 Axiom Award, Business Technology (Gold)
Winner, 2024 Axiom Award, Business Commentary (Silver)

"A canny, insightful, and very readable take on the brave new world of work."
—Kirkus Reviews

As COVID has receded, companies such as Apple, Amazon, Google, Salesforce, and Twitter have severely restricted or even eliminated remote work. Ditto for countless, less iconic firms and small businesses. At a high level, executives and managers at these organizations are trying to turn back the clock to 2019.

There's just one problem, though: For a bevy of reasons, they won’t succeed.

In many ways, the workplace of 2023 already differs from its pre-pandemic counterpart. In some cases, it's downright unrecognizable. What’s more, this gap will only intensify in the coming years. Blame—or thank, if you like—powerful economic, societal, geopolitical, and technological forces. They include generative AI, automation, dispersed workforces, blockchain, immersive technologies, employee empowerment, and the return of systemic inflation.

Brass tacks: The workplace is undergoing a massive, irrevocable shift. The only question for business leaders is, What should you do about it?

In The Nine: The Tectonic Forces Reshaping the Workplace, award-winning author and world-renowned workplace tech expert Phil Simon answers that question in spades. He peers into the dizzying and chaotic future of work. Simon slices through the hype surrounding nascent trends and newfangled technologies.

Insightful, timely, and essential, The Nine clearly explains what’s really happening, why, and how business leaders can navigate the dramatically different workplace of the future.

Phil Simon is probably the world's leading independent expert on workplace collaboration and technology. He is a frequent keynote speaker and the award-winning author of 14 books, most recently The Nine: The Tectonic Forces Reshaping the Workplace. He helps organizations communicate, collaborate, and use technology better. Harvard Business Review, the MIT Sloan Management Review, Wired, NBC, CNBC, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, and The New York Times have featured his contributions. He also hosts the podcast Conversations About Collaboration.