Other Titles
The Robot Proof Myth: The Future of Work is Human
There is no killer app that will endure. A technical, single disciplinary skills list for creating a future proof workforce does not exist. Using our factory pipeline to work where we merely substitute STEM, or any other skills, to create a robot-proof workforce is faulty logic. For example, Upwork is an online platform for freelance work with 12 million registered freelancers and 5 million registered clients. In early 2019, Upwork released its list of the twenty fastest growing skills—75% of those skills were new to the index in the 4th quarter of 2018. From this, we can see that our old model of codifying and transferring existing skills and predetermined knowledge used to create a deployable workforce once worked in industrial revolutions but falls apart with this speed of change. Advancing technological capabilities will soon be able to achieve anything mentally routine or predictable—perhaps more than half of all current human work tasks. In this reality, the solution is both learning and adapting with a focus on uniquely human, nontechnical skills that enable more meaningful work through augmentation of computerized technologies. The future of work is human. Once we stop lunging at single disciplinary skill sets while and in fear of being replaced by technology, we can focus on developing our uniquely human skills and leverage rising technological capabilities to unleash the potential of humanity.
The Future Company: Culture and Capacity
The organization of work and focused goals have long been measured by the outputs—i.e. brands, products, services, and business models. These units of value created became our very own North Star. Accelerated change driven by exponential growth in technology as well as a hyper connected and interdependent global economy has dramatically reduced the lifespan of a product, service, or business model. In this reality, we can no longer focus on the outputs, or the exhaust, and but should instead focus on the inputs: culture and capacity. Culture is the external expression of the brand and the internal operating systems of how the organization creates value. Capacity is the organization's ability to respond to challenges. Waves of digital transformation and exponentially growing technological capability will demand continuous expansion of capacity. The companies that endure and thrive will be those that can clearly articulate and nurture their culture while continuously expanding their capacity.
The 4th Industrial Revolution: A New Leadership Imperative
We are shifting away from the "efficiency" cultures that defined the Second and Third Industrial Revolutions – those driven by the use of electricity and mass production, and computerization and automation of physical labor, respectively – towards a learning culture that will dominate the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The Fourth will involve the merging of biological, cyber, and physical systems with underpinning artificial intelligence. In the Second and Third Industrial Revolutions, workers were reduced to depersonalized units of productivity with managers and leaders focused on driving optimal efficiency. This resulted in profound worker disengagement. As technology tools advance to offer greater efficiencies, within the shift from the Third to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we now need managers and leaders who inspire and cultivate human potential. Almost every research study on diversity (racial, cultural, gender, age) shows that greater diversity yields greater innovation, engagement, and financial returns. In this talk we will examine the shifting needs of leadership in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, specifically through the lens of our systems of education, talent attraction, and promotion.