Future workflow and its essential skillsets

We are all aware of the dreadful consequences of an era when all our jobs would be taken over by robots. Humans will become obsolete with Artificial Intelligence taking over the entire workflow since we are always of the notion that machines can perform better than any humans.

But with our entry into the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it has been observed that the future is not that miserable as it initially seems to be. It is something very factual that automation will wipe out millions of jobs, but at the same time it cannot be understated that the same automation will also give rise to millions of job opportunities. As a matter of fact, an estimated mere five percent of industries are expected to turn out to be fully automated; whereas about a third of the tasks will turn out to be automated for the majority of the industries. Several existing roles will end up being restructured or relabeled into the latest trend rather than getting eliminated.

Reality of the future workflow

Gone are the days when a person used to stick to one single company and collected his pension after retirement from that company. The average life cycle of a business, which earlier used to run for decades, has also reduced. So let us have a look at the factors contributing to this change:

Cloud & mobility

A recent survey has suggested that of late more and more of a nation’s workforce is becoming freelancers, working on their own terms in some capacity. To maintain pace, organizations must adopt the approach of creating their core functions and data “Omni-accessible” for their knowledge workforce, who are no longer confined by location or fixed office hours or who may even be carrying out his job from a completely different continent or a different time zone. So as more and more employees are untying themselves from the cubicle-bound 8-to-5 job, the demand for a universal, cloud-based access to work assets keeps on increasing.

More knowledgable workforce

It has been observed that the number of people in knowledge work jobs has doubled more than earlier without showing any signs of slowing down; routine jobs on the other hand have gone nowhere. This is a strong signal that although technology is eradicating some jobs, it is creating avenue for even more jobs in different fields. In fact, the rise of knowledge worker is coming up with more jobs year after year.

Varying demographics

With the increase of millennial workforce, the shuffle of work in terms of procedural changes and priorities are also on the rise because expectations are changing with the change of time.

Big Data

With an automated system, massive amount of data that is being transformed into knowledge before getting easily converted into analytics, are now on the rise. The increase of predictive analytics has extensive uses for internal processes, as well as for external initiatives. An end-to-end automated solution will have these potential built in to its blueprint, so that all the available data can be harnessed to further the mission of a business.

Essential skillsets

Despite the fact that the requirement for human employees will not eradicate fully, the requirement for certain skills will definitely vanish. Since machine learning has the capability of dealing with a rising variety of tasks that used to depend on the human brain, organizations will try to hunt for employees who offer skills that are not suitable or capable of any automation. To stay in tune and adapt to this transient, fluid work scenario, job seekers will need to develop a new set of skills that will differentiate them from machines. So let us have a look at the work skills that are likely to become essential in the future:

Intricate problem solving

To find economically feasible solutions for future issues like terrorism, poverty, or climate change, organizations will require employees capable of resolving complex hitches. It is expected that within the next few years, more than one in three jobs across all industries will need workforce who possess solving such intricate issues as a core skill.

Critical thinking

Despite the fact that machine learning is turning out to be better at arriving at decisions based on data, it still has to travel a long way. For the predictable future, businesses will keep on relying on human workforce to make solid decisions based on the data insights produced by machines. That is why employers are always on the lookout for process skills, such as predicting, measuring, or communicating, which results in good decision making, above all critical thinking. So capability to detect problems and conclude solutions will be even more essential in the future.

Creativity

Creative work is one of the most amazing talents of an individual that is impossible to automate. Humans always outperform machines when it comes to perceiving, generating and turning new ideas into reality. Imaginative thinking is an essential element of the future of work. Creativity is that vital component that allows employees to innovate, organize, and influence technology to discover new methods of working, the reason why senior managers grade it as the most significant factor for future success of a business.

Cognitive flexibility

With the increasing automation of technical and physical tasks, knowledge work is anticipated to consist of an increasing share of future jobs. Such work requires cognitive flexibility, or the capacity to transition swiftly between different concepts or perspectives. Ability to toil cross-functionally and outshine in different areas helps employers develop and strengthen departments. Cognitive flexibility implies the ability to plan and execute in different areas of the industry which is not so with multitasking. Today, cognitive flexibility is already in great demand among employers, and it is likely to become even more essential as we are heading into an era manifested by globalization and fast-paced advancement.

Social skills

Companies will have more demand for employees capable of mediating between machines and humans. Accordingly, social skills, like emotional intelligence and the ability to teach others will become more important than technical skills. Increasing these work skills will assist today’s workforce to be prepared for the revolutionary change and stay alive with their jobs intact.