In case you hadn’t noticed, automation and generative AI have been the talk of the town lately. Whether it’s in your place of work, at the family dinner table or in conversation with friends, concerns about the potential impact of these technologies on our lives, our jobs and our career prospects are cropping up in conversations everywhere. Yet at the same time, each day we’re seeing the launch of new programs, features and services promising benefits that both individuals and businesses will find hard to ignore.
Many commentators are, therefore, casting humans and technology as adversaries; two opposing forces that will soon be “competing” directly with one another for jobs in the workforce of tomorrow. But the reality in practice is far from it.
Put simply, technology isn’t built to “take jobs,” because there are so many aspects of what humans do day in, day out that technology simply can’t. Yes, it is brilliant at automating certain tasks. But ultimately those tools allow humans to do their job even more effectively, and for them to make greater use of those skills that set them apart from their tech counterparts.
Our recent research shows that professionals all around the world are beginning to realize just how valuable those human and interpersonal skills are. Based on our study of 4,000 professionals globally, employees are showing an increasing appetite to develop their human skills such as problem solving, teamwork and leadership, so that they’re able to work in harmony with technology and maximise its benefits in the future. So how can businesses capitalize on this sea change?
Prioritizing Human Skills in a Digital World
As mentioned, technology offers exciting opportunities and can add real value to modern businesses in many different ways, often by improving the efficacy and efficiency of processes and operations. Take contact centers, for example, where many organizations now use chatbots or automated agents to address simple front-line customer service requests. But, for more complex issues, human communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills are still essential to help resolve certain queries, and it’s harder for technology to replace these.
Disruptive technology often brings a sense of foreboding, but as we’ve seen countless times, breakthrough innovations quickly become enablers for success. So we need not be alarmed by the pace of innovation, but rather empowered and energized by the opportunities it presents. It has already been assuming responsibility for the tasks that slow us down, such as basic admin, and that trend will only continue. Plus, it gives permission to focus on meaningful work, fostering deeper connections with stakeholders—whether clients, customers, and partners—all of whom will benefit from stronger relationships.
The challenge for businesses, now, is to get the balance right—and where and how to invest in these more future-proofed capabilities can set them and their employees up for success.
A Dual Focus
As our research shows, the current workforce has the drive and ambition to develop these highly important skills, and foster diversity of thought and nurture working environments that facilitate mentorship that challenges and inspires. So employers that recognize the importance of human skills and offer employees the opportunity to learn and develop them on the job will prosper in the long run.
To retain and attract star talent, businesses should consider investing in “training with a purpose.” In practice, that means designing programs that align the company vision with workplace trends, employee goals, and the likely impact of augmentative technologies in future. Rather than treating them as the elephant in the room and sticking to “business as usual,” HR teams should look to identify development opportunities in line with tech disruptions. Businesses that adopt this approach will stay ahead of the curve as technology continues to advance at pace.
Let’s not forget, different job functions across a business also will need guidance on how to apply solutions such as generative AI to the remit of their roles, too. In many cases, those applications will need to be tailored to that specific department’s needs, and that’s where human skills are so essential. Training teams to address these challenges and nurture transferable skills, such as teamwork, can breed cross-departmental collaboration and foster productive communication that breaks down siloes and weeds out inefficient processes.
A Symbiotic Relationship
Despite the increased focus on human centric skills, interest in jobs in tech and business-related fields such as e-commerce, software sciences, data science, and financial services continues to grow. Traditionally these are more tech-dominated industries, so it’s encouraging to see that workers aren’t shying away from a career in the sector.
In fact, it shows they already appreciate that we live in a world where technology has the ability to be a human’s trusted sidekick, and that its transformative potential can be used to further the capabilities of the human workforce, not replace it.
Meanwhile, for those organizations that respond to digital disruption by investing in the changing demands and requirements of the workforce, the possibilities are endless. Right now, that means offering new and existing staff the environment, tools, and training they need to develop their human-centric skills and further their careers.
