The emerging work landscape scarcely resembles that of the previous generation, during which workers could expect to work for one company throughout their entire career. Increasingly, work roles are fluid, workers earn a living through multiple temporary gigs, work can happen from anywhere with WiFi, and many entry-level jobs are automated.

The future of work is marked by an increased use of technology and dissolving borders between departments and roles as workers race to keep their skills up to date.

The future of work affects marketers in three major ways. First, marketers face fewer barriers to assembling high-performing teams than in the past, both for short-term projects and long-term hires, if they adapt to the changing nature of work. Employers that rigidly stick to traditional work models, such as the nine-to-five schedule, are less attractive and will have a harder time persuading the best talent to come work for firms that don’t embrace the future of work and its inherent flexibility.

Second, successful marketers must adapt their old tactics to new ways of doing business. For example, the B2B marketer must engage with businesses that sell novel services, like cloud storage solutions, or operate on a novel business model, like direct-to-consumer online retail.

Finally, to stay relevant, marketers must understand the “why” behind the shift toward Chief Growth Officers and how this new approach to marketing can improve performance, regardless of job title.

Understanding the future of work gives businesses a competitive edge across several operations: securing talent, retaining talent, optimizing the org chart, reaching customers who increasingly interact exclusively online, and capitalizing on automation. An understanding of this evolving landscape frees companies to create meaningful solutions for today’s newest business challenges.