“Ubiquitous, mobile supercomputing. Artificially-intelligent robots. Self-driving cars. Neuro-technological brain enhancements. Genetic editing. The evidence of dramatic change is all around us and it’s happening at exponential speed. Previous industrial revolutions liberated humankind from animal power, made mass production possible and brought digital capabilities to billions of people.
This Fourth Industrial Revolution is, however, fundamentally different. It is characterised by a range of new technologies that are fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds, impacting all disciplines, economies and industries, and even challenging ideas about what it means to be human”.
(WEF July 2016 What is the Fourth Industrial Revolution?)
There has been much debate surrounding the 4th industrial revolution and its impact on the workplace, with the main question for many being to what extent robots will replace human beings. According to the World Economic Forum “the skill sets required in both old and new occupations will change in most industries and transform how and where people work.”
While experts have warned that there will be an increase in job automation and artificial intelligence (AI), specialists agree that human beings will never be made completely obsolete. There are certain skills that will grow in importance as technology becomes more entrenched in our everyday lives.
With this dramatic change all around us happening at exponential speed, we need to move from being lifelong learners to becoming exponential learners, because if we don’t learn to learn faster, we will quickly become side-lined. I will cover more on this next month as we take a look at exponential organisations.
In the meantime, the top ten skills cited include:
- Complex problem solving
- Critical thinking
- Creativity
- People management
- Co-ordinating with others
- Emotional intelligence
- Judgement and decision making
- Service orientation
- Negotiation
- Cognitive Flexibility
Emotional Intelligence is key
“Emotional intelligence will become one of the top skills needed by all.” (WEF) Most of these 10 capabilities are expressions of emotional intelligence which will be one of the defining characteristics of the 21st century employee.
As machines take over technical operations, employers will begin to place greater value on soft skills and tasks that cannot be performed by robots. I would encourage you to take a look at what we offer when it comes to one day soft skills training and Beyond Thinking.
We also have heaps of other resources on the DGT Face Book page
Get Ready!
Change won’t wait for us to be proactive in upskilling… We need to start learning faster now, so that we can benefit from the fourth industrial revolution.
Tips on How to
- Be 100% vested in your future well-being. What can you do today that your future self will thank you for?
- Be Curious about your future and prepared to ask BIG questions of yourself such as where and in what capacity do you see yourself working in the future? You may not have a crystal clear answer but by beginning the process of enquiry you open awareness to what is possible for you that you may not be currently considering.
- Start with Why? it helps you to find Meaning – what is your purpose for being at work, with the company you work for and the difference this makes to you, the team and the larger communities. When things are changing rapidly, we need to keep in touch more than ever, as to what we are doing, where we are doing it and why.
- Consider your specific role, profession, industry and figure out what skills will be required of you in your future. What changes are being predicted and what do you need to become in order to stay valid in the market place?
- Your value creation will keep you financially viable so keep upskilling!
- Keep in touch with your moral and spiritual compass as this will keep you buoyant heading in the right direction during tough times.
- You did not come here to live a life unnoticed. Is now the time you have been born for?
To end off I have two excellent videos for you:-
Ten Skills You Need to Thrive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution
World Economic Forum – ‘What is the Fourth Industrial Revolution?’
Here is a well written and researched article that covers the that will likely be replaced by new tech in the next 10 years and also which industries will be stimulated by digitisation and thus increase job creation:
There’s a lot here to go through so take your time. Next month we will focus on what organisations can do to support your exponential learning.
Take care, and as always know, it starts with you.
Warm regards
Diane