How changes in workplaces are shaping us as people
Blended teams are changing us for the better.
The world of work is changing at lightspeed. Being in my freelance bubble for the last 8 years (christ), I’ve been quietly observing these shifts in the workforce from my ‘independent worker’ perspective. After reading up on the research around post-pandemic workforce changes, it’s confirmed, and inescapable. The future of work is highly flexible, and the feeling is mutual between both companies and workers.
Since starting my freelance career in 2016, I’ve always been part of teams, built teams, or recommended talent that forms teams for global clients. I recently started digging into the very viable trend of building micro-teams versus hiring full-time employees or large agencies at hard-to-swallow costs.
a.team’s survey with Mass Challenge found 73% of 581 tech founders now have integrated teams of full-time and independent workers, branding them ‘blended teams’. As more companies adopt this team structure, the need for flexible workers increases, and hiring more skilled workers in senior roles becomes more feasible. It’s less, ‘just hire a junior to bash it out’, and more ‘let’s bring new expertise and perspective in to be more creative and efficient’.
A welcomed side-effect is the rise of (ridiculously cool) companies popping up like Huddle, Noerd, and Pair Up, bringing freelance talent together, either for hire or simply just connection with likeminded folks. I’m not just talking about their product either, but the culture of these types of companies are just as interesting and admirable as their solution itself. Having lived through the pandemic, the recession, the Great Resignation, and Quiet Quitting, these founders are launching companies that advocate for work wellbeing, collaboration, and company culture. They’re built for the blend. And I’m here for it. Here’s why.
Companies get stale. Teams that have worked together for years, on the same types of projects, with the same cliche (but really non-existent) culture as when they signed their employment contract, with the same office environment, with the same methods and processes… you get my point. In short, they lose their zest. They get complacent. They feel undervalued and unappreciated. Same shit, different day as they say. Not in a blended team. New brains, new ideas, new connections between dots we didn’t even see. That’s where innovation happens.
Transferable skills are sharpened. Having the opportunity to work with new people of varying expertise, with unique experiences, from different backgrounds, only add value to our lives and careers. Skills such as problem-solving, leadership, agility, communication, collaboration, are all improved when we’re exposed to new people and problems to solve.
Personal and professional growth is expedited. You freelance with a blended team for 3 months. You move onto your next contract with a new set of people. All your learnings are immediately put into practice, refining your knowledge and expertise even further, and faster, versus waiting in a company that hasn’t changed in 15 years for another opportunity to test you
New minds, new outputs. The individual perspectives we all bring and formation of new dynamics across teams we work with, make for new results and solutions. Two teams will inevitably understand, approach, and answer problems differently to eachother.
We’re happier for it. As human beings we’re finally a little more in control of our lives. We of course have a few more things to think about and manage, but we’re creating our own security in ways that work for us, our families, and our lifestyles.
Perhaps the most exciting truth of this phenomenon is that the world is adapting. As humans, we’re becoming better listeners, better problem-solvers, and better leaders. I’m of course generalising in places throughout this article. Pre-pandemic, good shit still came out of companies and teams. I can’t argue that. The difference being, we’re going about our shit differently, and creating different, better shit as a result, and are potentially happier people while we do it.