Human Resources - Autumn 2020 (Vol 25: No 1) - Sustainability for HR Leaders

Page 24

FUTURE OF WORK JO CRIBB

Workplaces of the future:

human or robot?

Dr Jo Cribb, former Chief Executive of the Ministry for Women and now consultant, coach, governance expert and keynote speaker, shares her predictions about what the workplace of the future will look like. She asks if our uniquely human qualities will ever be up for grabs.

W

hen we think about the past decade, we have seen much change. This should cause us to pause, think about who and what in the future will be affected by technology and what our workplaces of the future will look like. In so doing, we can start to map out how we, as HR professionals, can influence this ever-changing landscape and how we can support our people through the transition. After all, ‘Future of Work’ has turned into a hashtag. It is a thing. But how are the trends in technology going to affect our workplaces? What can we reliably predict (as opposed to the dystopian Blade Runner or Jetson’s ‘no-more work’ scenarios that are bantered about)? Here’s what I predict, based on the research for my co-authored 22

HUMAN RESOURCES

AUTUMN 2020

book Don’t Worry About the Robots: How to survive and thrive in the new world of work and what I shared with participants at a recent HRNZ Summit.

The pace of change will accelerate, exponentially

Many of our predecessors have faced periods of widespread change and social upheaval. Water and steam drove the first industrial revolution in the 19th century and, hence, harnessed mechanised production methods. The invention of electricity drove the second industrial revolution in the 20th century, which led to mass production, assembly lines, specialisation and urbanisation. The mid-1970s are characterised by what is called the third industrial revolution when advances in computing power brought us the personal computer.

Computing power is doubling every two years, and computer power underpins most aspects of our life. Experts say we are now living in the fourth industrial revolution, but this one is different from the past three. In previous revolutions, only one technological change was

arguably driving things. This fourth revolution is driven by advances in the computing power that drives most facets of our life and economy. These advances are exponential. As Moore’s Law predicted, computing power is doubling every two years, and computer power underpins most aspects of our life. Just imagine the power and functionality our smartphones will have in five years time’.

Roughly half of all jobs in New Zealand today are at risk of technological displacement over the next few decades (New Zealand Institute of Economic Research). We can expect change across many areas, with advances in nanotechnology, 3D printing, biotech, robotics and genetics. What we don’t know is how these technologies will converge with a breakthrough in one area unlocking change in another. The exponential change also means this will hit fast. We may not even realise change is going to happen until after it has arrived.


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Articles inside

Member profile: Sophie John

4min
page 15

Am I managing: Let's connect

3min
page 50

Research Update: New Zealanders want brands to 'talk' sustainability

5min
pages 48-49

Student perspective: Felicity Blakeley

2min
page 47

Regional Roundup: Waikato Branch

2min
page 46

The fundamentals of flexible working

8min
pages 42-45

PD Spotlight: Human Centred Design

4min
pages 40-41

Diversity & Inclusion: Is your workplace inclusive? Ask a disabled employee

2min
page 38

Immigration Law: Compliance: what is it, and why is it important?

6min
pages 36-37

Sustainability is an HR issue

4min
pages 34-35

Changes in the Profession - Then and now

4min
pages 32-33

Charity Profile: Nurturing young scientists for international impact

3min
page 30

Sustainability for Learning and Development

7min
pages 28-29

Workplaces of the future: human or robot?

10min
pages 24-27

Employment Law: Sustaining hauora in our workplaces

4min
pages 22-23

NZ HR Awards 2020

9min
pages 18-21

Sustainability leadership: the way of the future

4min
pages 16-17

HRNZ Member Profiles: Kavita Khanna

4min
pages 14-15

Putting people at the heart of sustainability and good business

8min
pages 8-11

News Roundup

4min
pages 6-7

From the Editor

1min
page 5

Top of mind...

2min
page 4
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