|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
In the growing era of artificial intelligence (AI), organizations are facing an unprecedented amount of change. So much so that almost 90 percent of executives recognize that they have to address it and almost 50 percent of HR professionals agree, but yet 66 percent of change initiatives fail, according to a 2022 Gartner organization change management report.
Trends and changes facing organizations include the increasing use of AI, increased skills shortage, aging society and workforce along with a growing diverse workforce, and, as I write in my book The Perfect HC Storm 3.0, changing expectations and psychology of today’s workforce.
Some are concerned that AI may get too powerful or dangerous. This brings to mind movies like The Matrix, I-Robot, and Terminator. Interestingly I was recently watching The Matrix, and Morphus was explaining to Neo how they got to their present state, mainly because AI took over the world.
“In the era of AI, organizations and their leaders will need to lean into their humanity.”
Edwin Mouriño
Ironically, in the book I, Human, Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic makes the case that perhaps this has already happened. All one has to do is watch people, and you’ll notice many with their heads down focused on their mobile device instead of interacting with other humans and enjoying the world around them. He refers to this technological phenomenon as “Weapons of Mass Distraction,” and it’s costing companies over $650 billion a year.
There is the belief as AI grows, humans will be needed—especially with the changing expectations from today’s workforce. This changing psychology presents challenges and opportunities for organizations and leaders. In Dan Pink’s TED Talk The Puzzle of Motivation, he highlights that today’s workforce is looking for autonomy, purpose, and mastery. Basically, people do not want to be micromanaged, want to continue to learn irrespective of age, and want to work for something than just a paycheck.
In his TED Talk 2030 Workforce Crisis, Rainer Strack highlighted a global study that found that the number one thing people were looking for in their next employer was to be appreciated. This was followed by their relationships with their colleagues and manager and then work/life balance; pay came out eighth in their study. The top four items have all to do with organizational culture, which is a reflection of leadership.
Today’s workforce wants a leader who listens and is empathetic. Yet in The Mind of the Leader, authors Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter point to a study that found that only 8 percent of leaders were effective listeners and communicators. Neuroleadership is a growing field that is also trying to address how leaders can be more effective with their workforce with the brain mind. In the book, Neuroscience for Leadership, the authors point out our brains need a leader who communicates well and makes understanding easy. These point to the need for leadership effectiveness and the increased importance of interpersonal skills.
In the era of AI, organizations and their leaders will need to lean into their humanity. Organizations like IBM have been focused on this for some time in trying to create more human-centered organizations. They have found when that organizations focus on this, they can have up to 32 percent higher revenue and outperform the S&P 500.
It is for this reason that I believe organizations and leaders that create a Human Intelligent Workplace (HIW) will be positioned for success when it comes to the increase in organizational change and in AI.
I have defined an HI Workplace as one where leaders model effective leadership behaviors by creating an organizational culture where the workers’ experience is one of being engaged while collaborating with their diverse team members. One where the workforce feels psychologically safe when raising different perspectives, taking risks, being innovative, and/or creative. It is a workplace where the workforce feels listened to and understood by their leaders. It is a workplace where the workforce finds fulfillment in the work they do and the organization they work in.
The bolded terms above have been written and studied extensively with real world and bottom-line implications. It is why I believe that HI will be important in the era of AI, and leaders will need ensure they are developing their leadership skills.
Here are three areas for organizations to assess:
- Organizational culture: Is the organizational culture a healthy, engaging, inclusive, and psychologically safe work environment?
- Effective leadership: Are leaders educated and skilled on the skill sets needed for today’s changing workforce expectations? Are they being held accountable and rewarded for the proper behaviors?
- Workforce engagement: Is their workforce satisfied and engaged? Do they feel listened to, appreciated, and believe they work in a healthy work environment with effective leaders?
Technology will not alone solve today and tomorrow’s workplace problems. Technology will be an enabler with its workforce in partnership with effective leaders. As Johnny Taylor, CEO and president of Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), has said, “AI may provide the tools, but HI offers the necessary ingenuity and judgment to use them effectively.”
I wish you the best as you face the future of AI and consider HI in the midst of the changing workforce psychology.
As a human capital practitioner, Edwin Mouriño’s philosophy has been on helping leaders and organizations help themselves. He is an experienced professional with many years of leading and/or supporting key elements of organizational change projects. Mouriño is an Air Force veteran. He brings broad industry experience that include Fortune 100 companies. He has also served in an educator role in several higher educational institutions.
He is founder and president of Human Intelligent (HI) Workplace, an organization focused on emphasizing the area of Human Intelligence (HI) in the era artificial intelligence (AI).
He has extensive experience and thought leadership on human capital trends and supported organizational change efforts through keynotes, leadership development, executive coaching, team development, executive retreats, personality assessments, organizational change, and DEI. He has spoken at numerous professional venues and written numerous articles and books on human capital trends with implications for organizations, its leaders, workforce, and human resource.
