Geoff Colvin’s recent book, Humans Are Underrated, observes that robots, augmented by AI, continue to take over repetitive tasks in the workplace, many of which used to be considered beyond the capability of technology. These tasks include translating written languages, loading and unloading a dishwasher, making hamburgers, and analyzing thousands of documents during the discovery phase of a lawsuit. Additional tasks will be possible in the coming years. When the Daimler self-driving semi-trailer truck becomes operational, it could displace 2.9 million jobs in the U.S. alone. Similarly, as Siri, Google Now and other virtual digital assistants become more commonplace, 3 million administrative assistants’ jobs will also be at risk.
Colvin recommends that instead of asking what it is that technology inherently cannot do, we ask what it is that humans must do. He believes that the most valuable employees have empathy coupled with collaboration, storytelling and team problem-solving. These skills will become even more important as jobs increase in healthcare, teaching, entertainment, leisure and other industries benefiting from human interaction.
Since World War II, science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) have been emphasized in U.S. education, with high schools and colleges correspondingly placing less emphasis on writing, history, music and other liberal arts. The left-brain thinking that predominates in STEM studies has prepared blue-, pink- and white-collar workers to complete tasks efficiently. But that focus has meant that people skills and effective communication have received less attention.
That matters, because in the future, enterprises’ demand for people who have only deep, department-specific skills will decline sharply, and virtually every employee will be expected to be able to build rapport, gain trust and solve problems collaboratively. That means that IT leaders will have to change how they train and recruit staff. To staff IT effectively for the future, IT leaders will need to do the following:
In 2003, Warren Bennis stated, “No job is safe. Never will be. The half-life of any particular skill set is, at most, five years. And that’s on the long side.” He was correct. Machines are taking over task-centered activities one by one. Simultaneously, people with effective interpersonal communications and social interactions are becoming significantly more important and more highly valued. And their jobs will be safe for a lot longer.
Bart Perkins is managing partner at Louisville, Ky.-based Leverage Partners Inc., which helps organizations invest well in IT. Contact him at BartPerkins@LeveragePartners.com.