Future Jobs to Be Done
In a sense, all manufacturing can be traced back to human needs. Ipsos Strategy3’s Sophie Washington explains how those demands might shift, and how brands and institutions can prepare.
Ipsos spins the traditional “Jobs to Be Done” framework forward with future Jobs to Be Done (fJTBD). This builds on the theory that people buy products and services to fulfill certain needs or accomplish specific tasks. For example, we don’t buy a computer; we hire it to help us communicate, complete tasks, and be entertained.
We don’t buy a jacket; we hire it to be fashionable, express ourselves, and keep warm.
To bring it into the future, we envision powerful and plausible scenarios through strategic foresight. While many needs are enduring and do not change over time, the context of that job will change along with the potential solutions and alternatives. These scenarios help us define the circumstances in which people may find themselves, like considering whether to pursue a full-time corporate job with traditional benefits or spearhead a personalized career path that provides more flexibility. We use fJTBD to tie these scenarios to actions that organizations can take to help people meet future needs.
While it’s typical in foresight to create fJTBD clusters, we’re sharing one scenario here as an example.
Help me own and access things at the right price so I can express myself
In a world where most people are active consumers experiencing economic difficulties and tribalism, there is a large opportunity to help them feel empowered by their choices while contributing to the good of the whole.
Potential fJTBD:
- Help me live out my values (e.g., sustainability) and create less waste without being taxed in price
- Help me become a prosumer to shorten the supply chain
- Authentically give me the confidence to know that the goods I buy have been produced ethically and responsibly
- Help me afford what I need so that I don’t accumulate debt
Imagine a world where … due to dwindling resources and demand for corporate cost reductions, the supply and manufacturing costs of using waste/recycled/used ingredients (e.g., textiles, hardware, etc.) are cheaper than extracting virgin materials, ultimately making products more affordable for the consumer.
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