Dynamic Business, Australia: Senior Director of Cognizant’s Center for the Future of Work Says Being a Better Human will be the Most Important Business Skill of the Next Decade

“Hardly a week goes by without news of automation displacing humans from the workforce,” writes Manish Bahl. “Automation is a disruptive force that is transforming every industry, raising questions about the work that people do and the future relationship between man and machine.” Excerpts:

“The recent study, ‘The Future of Businesses and Jobs in Asia Pacific’s Digital Economy’, highlights that regional executives are highly concerned about the future of jobs due to the impact of digital.

The downside to automation, of course, is that some tasks — and full jobs — will be assumed by machines. All of us will need to enhance our current skill sets but probably not in the way many expect. It may sound counter-intuitive, but in a world of more pervasive technology, activities that humans do well will be even more important in 2020 than today. Analytical, communication and learning skills, as well as the ability to relate to other people, are all vital for business success. But in the coming years, these very human traits — things we do naturally, but computers struggle with — will become even more essential in our personal and work lives and for our businesses.

On average, 80% of Asia Pacific executives feel that analytical (ability to add value to other information, conduct knowledge work, and use models and other analytical tools) and global operating skills (ability to work across countries and business cultures) will be more important in 2020.

Machines may help improve productivity, but they aren’t producing the ideas that move businesses forward. Being able to apply judgment, creativity and the human touch are all far outside the purview of current and near-future technologies, and this will remain the case for some years to come, even as the new machines become more capable.

The work ahead will require us to double down on the activities where humans have — and will continue to have — an advantage over silicon (for example, collaborative problem-solving, creativity, abstract thinking, adapting to change, balancing a work life with a personal life, and so on). The work ahead won’t so much be about “beating the bots” as about being better humans in the digital economy.

The future of your career will not be determined by your last job title, but will be based on the new skills you can develop for the work ahead.

Regional executives must execute their digital vision with bold precision to meet the greater ambitions of what it means to be truly digital because the ultimate success will require an open mind, perseverance and courage.”

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