Future of Work
Oxford Martin School (Part of Oxford University) estimate that 47% of jobs in the US will be computerised/automated in the next decade. In Australia the researchers are estimating 40% of workers jobs are at risk of being replaced over the same timeframe.
The number is alarming and the key issue is it is not about the accuracy of the estimate. The evidence is all around us; the digital world is infiltrating most parts of our lives at a great rate. Just think 10 years ago we had to get up off the couch and change channels on the TV, I read Lonely Planet to plan my holidays, we went to a recruitment firms to complete a search process, I used a stockbroker to buy my shares. Today I can do all of these activities from my desk. Imagine what it will look like a decade from now when today’s grade 3ers are leaving school and going to Uni or work.
It is not all doom and gloom. The machines are coming, however we do not need to be alarmed providing we are prepared to evolve the same way machines are. When the researchers looked at the difference between human and machine work they identified where humans can add value over machines. They identified that a significant defining factor that sets humans apart from machines in the workplace is a human beings ability to think creatively. This may not be news to some however what is news is that this information needs to be taken more seriously than it has to date. It needs to translate from the leadership conversation and start to significantly permeate the thinking that goes into all aspect of process /work design.
These are issues of the future that are short and long term in nature. So how should we be thinking about skilling our workforce now and into the future?
The first step is to start to define what performance needs to look like in the coming years. What the research is showing is the performance cultures of today will go the way of the dinosaurs. It is time to spend considerable time and effortidentifying the business practices in your business that have their origins in scientific management philosophy and are anchoring you to now? Congratulations if you have been successful over the past 15 years. It is great to experience success and reap the spoils of your hard work. Companies such as Nokia, Blackberry, Blockbuster Video etc also experienced great success in this time. Where are they now?????
In coming blog entries we will look at what the performance culture of the future may look like and how decision making can be the new focus of performance rather than the result.