Nishith Jain, Senior Director of ServiceNow and 4th Asia Leadership Forum Speaker
The IR 4.0 will integrate AI into society. Coupled with other emerging technologies like robotic process automation, augmented reality, natural language processing, and cloud technology, AI will transform fields of human activity ranging from manufacturing to medicine and beyond.
Fortunately for us, many aspects of work in the future, specifically those dependent on the “5Is”—Imagination, Ideation, Initiative, Insight, and Emotional Intelligence—will still require high levels of human involvement. And developing the following three crucial future-proof skills will enable us to thrive:
Resilient Leadership is the skill of helping yourself and others recover from crises quickly, and bounce back to an even higher level than before. Resilient leaders see failures as temporary setbacks to their overarching goals. They possess great mental strength, keeping both themselves and others calm in chaotic times. Resilient leaders act as lighthouses, guiding their companies’ ships in stormy weather.
Creativity is the use of original ideas and imagination to build new concepts, inventions, and solutions. Creating does not always mean inventing something from scratch; it can often mean improving on an existing tool or method. The future will not be brand new—rather it will incorporate the past and the present.
Critical thinking involves objectively analyzing and evaluating an issue, by using our powers of observation, reasoning, and communication. It is crucial to ask the right questions and reason through logic. It is also imperative to understand our own biases, which can cloud our thought processes and distort our judgment.
Thomas Davenport argues computers can fly planes, but human will scan the skyline for threats that analytical models can’t predict. In other words, the future of work will involve humans and algorithms working together; machines will augment and complement the human workforce, enabling them to solve more challenging problems.
The shift to an AI-integrated workplace will result in job losses but also job creations through which humans will exhibit high levels of leadership, creativity, and critical thinking. All of us will need to and continue to adapt.
The future of work is transforming—are you?
This excerpt is from Nishith Jain’s chapter, “The Future of Work is Transforming—Are You?,” from The Center for Asia Leadership’s Rethinking Asia 7 – The Future of Work: How To Prepare For It. To learn more, please visit http://asia-leadership-2023.local/publication/.
