Futures of Work: Perspectives from the Maker Movement
Contact
Ângela Guimarães Pereira
Main Organisation
Department/Sector/Unit
JRC.I2
Description
This research work aimed to explore other realms about the future(s) of work beyond the strongly driven narrative of digital transformation. It addresses one particular grassroots community, the Maker Movement, which is de facto enabling new models of education, collaborative work, and manufacture.
Participation Spectrum
When and Where
Start Year
2017
End Year
2018
Policy Context
Policy Stage
Context of activity
Science or Policy Field
Specific Topic
Future of Work
Participants
Participants
40
Who was involved
Other participants
Communities or representatives involved
Participants were selected based on their associations with the Maker Movement.
How were the Participants selected?
Through what means citizens knew about the call for participation?
Direct contact by email.
Methodologies
Events
3
Methodologies used
Methodology description
Eight narratives about the futures of work were presented to the participants of the focus groups to gather their views on political, social, economic, geographical and temporal plausibility and desirability. The narratives (in text format) were worked on in pairs, each pair examining two narratives. This was followed by a discussion of drivers of futures of work that are specific to the Maker Movement or that could inspire futures of work overall. The focus group session ended with a discussion of a possible narrative for work futures elaborated collectively by participants.
Tools Used
Spaces Used
Impact
Output
Assessment
Recommendation
Embrace material deliberation techniques. Debates about complex issues such as the 'future of work' need to mobilise the imagination, insights and expectations of wide ranges of society. Policy making should be nurturing necessary studies, experiments and conversations until some resilient ideas are found.