Why robots should inspire hope, not fear
Disruptive innovation is not exclusive to our age. Farming turned
mechanized from manual; the manufacture of automobiles moved from a
craft industry to assembly line production. But it raises huge questions
for companies and workers who face the challenges – and opportunities –
of digital disruption.
Technological revolution is our prime hope for meeting issues like
ageing and shrinking societies. But we must acknowledge it can trigger
fears, explaining, perhaps, the growing calls for radical responses,
such as a state-guaranteed universal basic income to support swelling
numbers of unemployed. Either way, digitalization throws up huge
questions about people’s self-worth and sense of humanity.
So how should we react to the opportunities, and, if necessary,
prepare for the challenges? I’m an optimist. In workforce solutions, our
industry, automation is already releasing time for more added value
tasks: in other words, more time to hold face-to-face meetings, offer
training, coaching and the human touch, along with strategy development
and process optimization.
Take Ella,
the chatbot digital career agent developed by Lee Hecht Harrison,
global leader in career transition and development. Ella screens all
available jobs, publicly advertised or at the company’s clients,
matching the profiles and needs of the candidates, freeing up HR
professionals for other tasks.
I’m confident digitalization and technology will be key drivers of
inclusive growth. Just look at WoWooHR, a Chinese company that started
life offering social insurance management through an online HR platform
and serves enterprises with a highly efficient and high quality
“Internet Plus” HR Service. It plans to expand into payroll and employee
welfare management. Using mobile online technology, big data management
and cloud platforms, WoWooHR aims to provide any employee, in any
company in even the remotest corners of China with professional,
efficient and high quality HR services.
Technology’s impact is as evident in education. Whether generating
educational materials, distributing content (just think of all those
MOOCs - massive open online courses) or evaluating learning outcomes –
notably through big data – the art of learning is being transformed. The
opportunities are particularly exciting for developing countries, which
can now guarantee their young populations have more access to education
and upskilling.
Of course, the opportunities provided by digital sustainability go
much further. For workers, there is now real potential to work from
anywhere and at any time. Talented individuals no longer need to
restrict themselves to a local or even regional market, but can compete
globally.
Technology has also boosted the scope for inclusion. People who
need flexible arrangements, such as parents, have much greater
opportunity to participate. The same applies to people with disabilities
or remote workers.
To maximise the new technological order, governments, companies and
workers all must adapt. These are just some of the priorities that need
to be on the agenda of governments and companies:
- Invest in research and innovation: you can’t stop progress, but you can harness it.
- Reform schooling: STEM and digital skills are a must. But don’t forget the people skills needed for the new world of work: flexibility; the ability to ‘learn how to learn’ and adapt to continuous change; as well as communication and collaboration skills to nurture team work and results within geographically dispersed teams.
- Invest in life-long learning and upskilling to keep pace with rapid change. A must for workers, who now face the multi-career age.
- Embrace flexibility and mobility to foster international experience and networks, and intercultural skills.
Digital transformation is having an enormous impact on jobs and
society. If we act now and invest in developing and shaping the right
skills, then the ‘digital’ workforce will be the real catalyst for
sustainable and inclusive growth in the 21st Century.
