Getting Your Employees Ready For Work In The Age Of AI

Getting YourEmployees Readyfor Work in theAge of AIMost employees are ready to do what they need to do. Willcompanies step up?Eva Sage-GavinMadhu VaziraniFrancis HintermannReprint #60317https://mitsmr.com/2Nx1HDv

MIT SLSLOOAN MANAMANAGEMENGEMENTT REVIEWDIGITDIGITALALGetting Your Employees Ready for Work in theAge of AIEVA SAGE-GAVIN, MADHU VAZIRANI, AND FRANCIS HINTERMANNMost employees are ready to do what they need to do. Will companies step up?two-thirds acknowledge that they must develop their ownskills to work with intelligent machines.Large companies, however, are not on the same page astheir employees. For one thing, business leaders believethat only about one-quarter of their workforce is preparedfor AI adoption. Yet only 3% of business leaders areplanning significant increases in their training budgets tomeet the skills challenge posed by AI.How can companies and employees find common groundwhen it comes to skill development and investment in AIcapabilities? To start, senior executives should seek clarityaround capability gaps and determine which skills theirpeople need. From there, leaders should take an approachthat advances those skills for human-AI collaboration.The era of AI is upending work as we know it. And ascompanies start using intelligent technologies in earnest,many people who have been well-trained for theirpositions for a long time may suddenly find themselves inuncharted waters.The good news is that employees are ready to embracethe changes they see coming. According to an Accenturesurvey on the future workforce, over 60% of workers havea positive view of the impact of AI on their work. AndCopyright Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2019. All rights reserved.Understanding theMissing MiddleMuch of the press around AI has focused on automationand what it will mean for jobs. While these predictionsoften run the gamut of completely devastating to highlypositive, continued progress in technology has stokedfears in people that AI may someday make their jobsobsolete.Reprint #60317https://mitsmr.com/2Nx1HDv

MIT SLSLOOAN MANAMANAGEMENGEMENTT REVIEWDIGITDIGITALALHowever, much of the leading data around jobs suggestshumans will continue to play a major role in the AIworkforce — though, a transformed one. Using the U.S.Department of Labor’s O*Net database, we analyzed morethan 100 abilities, skills, tasks, and working styles in theUnited States over the past decade and found a sharp risein the importance of creativity, complex reasoning, andsocial and emotional intelligence — the uniquely humanskills — in many jobs.Employees will need to apply these skills when using thearray of new technologies now appearing in theworkplace. They will also need to learn how to use AI toaugment those skills — to make the “human machine”interaction add up to more than the sum of its parts. Wecall this interaction the missing middle becausecompanies often focus entirely on the ends — on whatpeople can do without AI-powered machines or on howmachines can automate work previously done by people.But the greatest value comes from the two workingtogether.This new era of AI calls for a new approach in business.First, both companies and employees must show that theyare mutually ready to adapt to a world of work builtaround people and intelligent machines; identifying newtasks and skills needed to perform them is critical.Second, educators and learners both within companiesand in other institutions must embrace science and smarttechnologies to speed up learning, stretch thinking, andtap latent intelligences. And third, employers and workersmust create and maximize the motivation to learn andadapt over their lifetimes.Copyright Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2019. All rights reserved.Establish MutualReadinessCompanies should commit to long-term investments inworkforce skills development, while employees shouldstart adapting their skills for an AI-enabled environment.However, this readiness to change is feasible within anorganization only when both company and worker haveopportunities to realize their common aspirations in thenew workplace. One key to achieving this: Identify newtasks and the skills needed to perform them. Then mapthe company’s existing internal capabilities to new roles,and identify where training and new skills will benecessary.PlainsCapital Bank, one of the largest independent banksin Texas, reimagined the nature of the work its peoplewere doing. After it introduced digital banking services,demand for human bank tellers started to decrease. Thecompany then combined the tasks of onsite teller, adviser,and customer service agent, creating the role of universalbanker. Bringing these disparate roles into one was not asimple change. The requirements for success in the newrole include excellent interpersonal skills, strongproblem-solving abilities, and creativity, in addition toknowledge of the products and the customer experience.To fill these new jobs, the bank changed the selectionprocess to behavioral-based interviewing, based on thebelief that how someone has acted in past situations canbe a predictor of future performance. Today, whenPlainsCapital finds a good match from a pool of internalcandidates and identifies where they need skillsdevelopment, the organization provides the relevanttraining, whether in technical skills, socio-emotionalskills, or both.Reprint #60317https://mitsmr.com/2Nx1HDv

MIT SLSLOOAN MANAMANAGEMENGEMENTT REVIEWDIGITDIGITALALAccelerate AbilityAdapting to AI is not just a matter of more training. It’salso about new training. How new? Consider whatneuroscience tells us.Neuroscience is providing evidence that both cognitiveand noncognitive skills can be taught to people of anyage. Brain plasticity shows that under the right learningconditions, the adult brain can restructure itself inremarkable ways. Companies need to take this evidenceto heart to stay nimble in the age of AI.Companies will increasingly need employees tocollaborate effectively with coworkers from differentdisciplines. Mental-training approaches such asmindfulness — teaching people to be aware in themoment — are not traditionally part of corporatetraining. But they have proven effects in strengtheningemployee performance. For example, employees whotook part in Accenture’s mindfulness program (designedwith Potential Project reported notable improvements intheir ability to focus, set priorities, and collaborate withinteams.Another way to accelerate ability within organizationsincludes using virtual training. Instead of having to go toa classroom, an employee can learn online from whereveris convenient for them, on their own schedule. AI-basedadaptive-learning systems guide employees throughcomputer-based courses, monitoring their progress,personalizing lessons, coaching, and providing feedback.Education companies are bringing the best of AI andneuroscience to corporate learning and development.Startups like the Silicon Valley-based Socos Labs, theLausanne, Switzerland-based Coorpacademy, and theCopyright Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2019. All rights reserved.Paris-based InsideBoard offer adaptive learningexperiences using AI algorithms and scientific principles.Accenture’s Future Talent Platform uses virtual reality andaugmented reality to simulate real-world situations intraining; employees make decisions given the informationthey see and then receive feedback in real time to developtheir socio-emotional skills.People often learn best from each other. At Google,workers learn new skills on the job. Some 80% of alltracked training at Google is now done through the g2g(Googler-to-Googler) voluntary network of 6,000 employees. Companies may also encourage skill-buildingthrough “outside in” talent exchanges with startups,universities, NGOs, and the public sector.Solidify Shared ValuesWhat values matter most in the evolving world of AI andhumans at work? At the highest level, it’s about sharingthe commitment to education amid rapid change. Peopleneed time to adapt and prepare for new forms of work,and companies must recognize individual needs.Employees need the freedom to pursue skillsdevelopment that is aligned to their passion and purposeat work; companies should subsidize training programswith external stakeholders. Success in the future of workmeans adaptability to constant change, and thereforelifelong learning is crucial for workers.Lifelong learning can open doors to new careers at anystage. Accenture has been using what it calls the FutureTalent Platform to train more than 165,000 peopleglobally in the latest digital technologies for the past twoyears. Users can explore more than 3,500 learning boardscurated by emerging technology experts within thecompany and from its partners to develop skills in criticalReprint #60317https://mitsmr.com/2Nx1HDv

MIT SLSLOOAN MANAMANAGEMENGEMENTT REVIEWDIGITDIGITALALareas such as digital, cloud, security, and artificialintelligence.private partnerships can and should be brought to bear togreat effect.Similarly, Salesforce’s learning platform, Trailhead, helpsemployees acquire the skills they need to change roles.For instance, some have learned how to code onTrailhead and then moved from job recruiting or salesinto engineering roles. By earning and displaying badgesof achievement, employees showcase their transferrableskills; Salesforce benefits by keeping its large staff up todate on the latest technical skills.Singapore is offering individual learning accounts toaddress the need for training. Any citizen over 25 can geta tax credit for taking training from any of 500 approvedproviders. In 2017, more than 285,000 Singaporeans usedthe credit. And in the United States, the Aspen InstituteFuture of Work Initiative has proposed tax-advantagedLifelong Learning and Training Accounts, which wouldbe jointly funded by employers, employees, andgovernment.A Public MatterEmbracing new technology requires a continualreimagining of work and ongoing skills development.Meeting the demand for skills training may require moreresources than a company can muster. Here, public-Copyright Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2019. All rights reserved.Our research has found that nearly half of employeesbelieve their ability to develop new skills is impeded bylack of time and sponsorship for training from theiremployers. It’s time to show them their company has theirback.Reprint #60317https://mitsmr.com/2Nx1HDv

MIT SLSLOOAN MANAMANAGEMENGEMENTT REVIEWDIGITDIGITALALAbout the AuthorsEva Sage-Gavin leads the Talent &Organization practice for Accenture.Madhu Vazirani (@madhu vazirani)is a director with AccentureResearch. Francis HintermannCopyright Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2019. All rights reserved.Reprint #60317(@francishinterma) leads AccentureResearch.https://mitsmr.com/2Nx1HDv