With us well into the 4 IR there is no better time than for employers to review the concept of the employee experience. The impact of an increasingly technological world upon the “human experience” at work needs to be kept in the forefront of those tasked with building human capital.
Within this ‘human experience’, relationships are enduring, learning is continuous and work has meaning that is centred around human identity. In this environment, we understand employee aspirations and how these connect into work, the organisation and society as a whole.
The digital, always-on world of work is challenging for people and can result in significant dissatisfaction with the job itself. In a recent study conducted by HR Future, they found at a global level, only 49 percent of respondents believed their workers were satisfied or very satisfied with their job design. Only 42 percent thought that workers were satisfied or very satisfied with day-to-day work practices, 38 percent said that they were satisfied or very satisfied with work-related tools and technology, and 38 percent thought that they have enough autonomy to make good decisions.
Slightly more than half of South African respondents said that they are ‘satisfied’ with current work-related tools and technology available, whilst most did not believe that they have enough autonomy within their jobs to make good decisions, providing further evidence that significant reinvention is required.
These are concerning results and we clearly have more work to do in raising personal meaning through workplace connection, starting with how this relates to human identity.
On this topic, Colin has been hard at work doing what he loves most, and in between all that facilitating has designed the very relevant and current Beyond Thinking for the 4 IR.
The Current Digital and Technological transformation that supports the Fourth Industrial Revolution (also referred to as Industry 4.0 and which includes artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things, cloud technology and blockchain technology), has ushered in with it a new business environment. This Business environment is fast, open and responsive. Leaders and their teams are required to navigate this unfamiliar, challenging and fast paced environment that is increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. (VUCA).
Beyond Thinking 4.0 equips individuals with the “cognitive readiness” skills to leaders, their teams or individuals which prepare them to face the VUCA environment. The results are powerful, and outcomes include:
- Improved Metacognition Capabilities: The ability to monitor and manage mental processes
- Improved Attentional Control – The ability to manage and focus energy on outcomes
- Improved EQ skill set: Increased Self Awareness, Self-regulation, Social Awareness and Social Influence
- Improved Communication skills to increase psychological safety in the workplace that is conducive to teamwork.
The VUCA environment demands new tools to manage the unpredictable. Beyond Thinking 4.0 empowers leaders, team members and individuals to proactively manage their performance outputs whilst coping with rapid change. Productivity is often negatively impacted as people become more anxious and less motivated to deal with challenges that lie ahead. Beyond Thinking 4.0 provides the inner resilience to cope with uncertainty and the mindset for productivity and performance.
It is common knowledge that many South African organisations believe they could be more effective at developing leaders to meet the evolving challenges in our VUCA (volatile, uncertain, chaotic and ambiguous) world.
Reinvention with a human focus offers a path forward through the challenges and uncertainties facing organisations and leaders.
The future belongs to those who can look ahead and see the convergence of humanity and technology. Where human behaviour is improved by digitisation that works for the organisation, customers, people and society at large.
As always, it starts with you.
Warm regards
Diane