The towering bells of robots being injected into the labour market continue to gather more meat on the bone. In the nearest future, humans will see more robots in offices, but this doesn’t mean there will be total annihilation of human labour. In fact, because robots are largely automated, humans will need to do the critical thinking and decision making in the workplace.
And so the future will rely largely on the soft skills that humans’ possess. But what specific soft skills will employees be looking for in the age of artificial intelligence? Forbes magazine contributor, Bernard Marr, in an article posted yesterday on their website looks at some of the soft skills that will be needed.
See below six (6) of the most vital ones.
1. Creativity:
Robots and machines can do many things, but they struggle to compete with humans when it comes to our ability to create, imagine, invent, and dream. With all the new technology coming our way, the workplaces of the future will require new ways of thinking – making creative thinking and human creativity an important asset.
2. Analytical (Critical) Thinking:
As well as creative thinking, the ability to think analytically will be all the more precious, particularly as we navigate the changing nature of the workplace and the changing division of labor between humans and machines. That’s because people with critical thinking skills can come up with innovative ideas, solve complex problems and weigh up the pros and cons of various solutions – all using logic and reasoning, rather than relying on gut instinct or emotion.
3. Active Learning with a Growth Mindset:
Someone with a growth mindset understands that their abilities can be developed and that building skills leads to higher achievement. They’re willing to take on new challenges, learn from their mistakes, and actively seek to expand their knowledge. Such people will be much in demand in the workplace of the future because, thanks to AI and other rapidly advancing technologies, skills will become outdated even faster than they do today.
4. Judgement and Decision Making:
We already know that computers are capable of processing information better than the human brain, but ultimately, it’s humans who are responsible for making the business-critical decisions in an organization. It’s humans who have to take into account the implications of their decisions in terms of the business and the people who work in it. Decision-making skills will, therefore, remain important. But there’s no doubt that the nature of human decision making will evolve – specifically, technology will take care of more menial and mundane decisions, leaving humans to focus on higher-level, more complex decisions.
5. Leadership Skills:
The workplaces of the future will look quite different from today’s hierarchical organizations. Project-based teams, remote teams, and fluid organizational structures will probably become more commonplace. But that won’t diminish the importance of good leadership. Even within project teams, individuals will still need to take on leadership roles to tackle issues and develop solutions – so common leadership traits like being inspiring and helping others become the best versions of themselves will remain critical.
6. Diversity and Cultural Intelligence:
Workplaces are becoming more diverse and open, so employees will need to be able to respect, understand, and adapt to others who might have different ways of perceiving the world. This will obviously improve how people interact within the company, but I think it will also make the business’s services and products more inclusive, too.