Balancing the right mix of people and technology in the workplace is critical to future business success. A recent Mercer report predicts that in the future, work will be less about “using” technology, and more about “interacting” with technology. We’re going reach a time when humans and machines will work in harmony alongside each other. In fact, 52% of CEOs are already exploring the benefits of humans and machines working together, according to PwC.
However, before your organization gets to that point, you must first determine where your organization will benefit most from technology and where human interaction is still integral to the success of your business model.
You will need to examine the trends impacting your workforce and assess their impact across the business. Work with leadership to determine where AI and automation will help your organization achieve a competitive advantage. And use scenario-based models to forecast the size and composition of your future workforce.
In addition, you will also need to think about how technology will change the skills your organization needs for future growth and success.
Once you have an understanding of the trends impacting your business and visibility on your company’s technology roadmap, you can then begin to identify the skills that will be required two to five years down the line and beyond. You will also be able to identify talent gaps.
As technology shifts into this new role, working alongside human talent rather than a tool used by human talent, your people will move into more strategic roles focusing on higher level tasks.
The next step will be to evaluate how your organization is going to address those talent gaps. Can these skills be developed within your organization or are you going to have to go-to-market in search of these critical skills?
If you want to find, attract or develop people with skills in scarce supply you’ll need to define a workforce strategy to bridge the gap between the skills and capabilities your organization has (whether human or technological) with the future skills required, keeping the technology your organization plans to implement in mind.
You’ll also need to establish a transformation strategy to complement your workforce strategy to address the following questions:
- Is your HR strategy designed to effectively manage a blended workforce of both human talent and machines?
- Are your business processes designed in a way that promotes a seamless marriage between human talent and technology?
Viewing technology through this lens will provide a more holistic approach to modern HR strategies.
If you need help with tech analysis, feel free to contact WilsonHCG and we’ll put you in touch with one of our tech experts.
