The technologies come with names such as machine learning, neural networks, robotic process automation – and many others. And there is lots of uncertainty about how these new capabilities – often referred to as “artificial intelligence” (AI) – will actually impact your business and the workforce you need.
But, in an increasingly technology and data-centered work environment, leaders need four competencies to build tomorrow’s workforce. Where do you stand on these?
1. Awareness of AI-related Changes Effecting Your Business & Workforce
Are you so distracted by current skill shortages that you can’t think about future skill needs? Executives in many industries face a double whammy. They’re so worried about recruiting, developing and retaining critical talent today that they‘re oblivious to the coming technology changes that will radically alter the skill sets their workforce needs. Of course, these looming changes vary by industry and specific jobs.
Are you educating yourself about how workforce competencies will need to change? This doesn’t have to be a huge investment of time. Consider subscribing the Sloan Management Review’s newsletter on the “Future of Work.” They do a great job researching and explaining how new technologies are changing business. The impacts of AI are going to vary a lot, but you’ll profit from continually challenging your assumptions, and those of your leadership team, about what technology changes will mean for your workforce.
2. Thinking Innovatively About New Skills Needed
Given changing workforce demographics and the competition for talent, you almost certainly won’t be able to hire enough new employees with the skills needed to grow your business. So, it’s essential to pinpoint what specific skills you need both in traditional business roles that are being transformed, as well as in more technical AI-related jobs, e.g. data scientists, machine learning engineers, robotics process analysts. Then look for innovative ways to acquire these capabilities.
This may involve partnerships with community colleges or universities, programs to upskill existing employees, such as what AT&T is doing, or creatively reskilling current workers so they can transition into new roles. I recently spoke with a utility company that’s trying to take its veteran coal plant operators and retrain them as business analysts. There are going to be such dramatic skill shortages in the future business environment that leaders will have to be incredibly innovative in how they think about integrating new technology and workforce capabilities.
3. Promote a Learning Culture to Continually “Upskill” Your Workforce
Since developing the skills of existing employees is essential, a core aspect of a leader’s role is creating a culture that accelerates learning as much as possible. CEOs from giants like Microsoft, Infosys and Airbnb recognize this. Ravi Kumar, CEO of Infosys, says, “I see the role of a CEO as Chief Creative Officer combined with Chief Learning Officer.”
Leaders in organizations leveraging AI technologies have to learn how to model and promote a learning culture. One simple technique that reinforces this is asking questions that focus on the importance of learning day to day. McGregor and Doshi have a simple set of questions that research shows can strengthen three motives to drive performance – play, purpose and potential. In weekly team meetings, ask employees to answer:
- What did I learn this week? This question recognizes the motivational effects of “fun” in the workplace.
- What impact did I have this week? This reinforces the importance of purpose or meaning in work.
- What do I want to learn next week? This question emphasizes the importance of developing the individual employee’s potential.
4. Creating a clear vision for an uncertain future
No one knows how AI and related technologies are going to impact the future of work. We just know the impacts are going to be BIG! For example, recent estimates on the number of jobs that will be eliminated range for 14% to over 40%. The inherent uncertainty about the effects of AI on workforce skills means leaders need to be comfortable managing a highly unpredictable future.
Creating a clear enough vision in this extremely volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment (commonly known as VUCA) demands a new set of leadership skills. Berger & Johnston provide a terrific action-oriented framework to create a clearer vision for an unclear future in their book “Simple Habits for Complex Times.” A key element in their process for bringing a vision to life is creating “safe-to-fail” experiments to help your vision evolve.
Given the uncertainties of the emerging AI environment, Berger & Johnston suggest leaders should concentrate on “enabling experimentation and learning like mad from what happens next.” And doing this means creating an environment for employees “to learn while staying agile enough to handle the shocks that might come next.”
Leading in an era of major technological transformation has never been easy, but the next few decades will be even more challenging. Capabilities that promise to increase your effectiveness as a leader include:
- Minimizing surprises by being aware and informed about the specific technologies most likely to impact your organization’s performance.
- Defining the specific new skills needed and thinking innovatively about where they will come from.
- Creating an environment where employees learn faster and faster.
- Giving employees a motivating picture – or vision – of an uncertain future.
Need a keynote speaker, executive briefing, or consulting help to address solutions for critical skill shortages and strategies for the future of work, contact me to explore ways I might help you.