Human and Machine: The Balancing Act for Leaders

Every day it seems we’re inching closer to the future depicted in the movies. You know the future I’m talking about… flying cars, smart homes, and robots becoming more and more humanlike.

In particular, this last point is causing tremendous shifts in the business world. The C-suite and their boards have historically been concerned about how machines and technology could replace people… but the focus should shift to how people and technology can complement one another – how, together, they can be greater than the sum of their parts, in helping to fuel business growth.

According to Deloitte’s 2019 Global Human Capital Trends report, a majority of organizations say they expect to increase their use of AI, cognitive technologies, robotic process automation, and robotics over the next three years. However, just over a quarter of the respondents believe that their organizations are “ready or very ready” to address the impact of new technologies. Most of the conversations I’ve had recently with clients have focused on the fact that we still don’t know the potential of many of these new technologies… and it’s hard to be prepared if you don’t yet know what’s possible.

But despite this uncertainty, business leaders are probably nearer than they think to closing the gap between the expectations and the reality of blending human talents with machine capabilities. Here are some considerations for leaders to start thinking about now as they prepare for what’s to come:

1. Make career-long learning a priority

The need to improve learning and development is the top challenge highlighted in Deloitte’s Human Capital report. What’s more, almost 40% of respondents expect certain jobs to disappear because of automation over the next three years.

But as we’ve seen throughout history, it’s less that jobs will disappear entirely and more that jobs will evolve – just think of the shift from a horse and buggy to automobiles. The medium changed, but the need for a driver didn’t… it was simply a matter of retraining the drivers, and in the future, that may mean teaching them to do something other than drive. The point is that we have an opportunity to retrain and reskill the existing workforce – and tremendous potential for innovation, because the technology driving the need to reskill and retrain is also likely generating data and insights that weren’t available before. A culture of learning at all levels – led by the C-suite – can help companies cultivate a workplace that not only leverages technology to enable innovation but also empowers the critical human component in creating business value.  

2. Focus on enduring truths in your industry

There are enduring truths in business that transcend the latest innovations and allow organizations to expand their reach. For instance, one of the enduring characteristics of a successful supply chain is the automation of repeatable, predictable tasks. Now, with advanced technologies such as AI, human workers can take on more valuable roles that allow companies to create more efficient supply networks. Consider how a business might grow when people work with cognitive technology – going beyond picking and stocking inventory, which robots have done for years – to instead solve predictive challenges and anticipate and address any possible issues. We’re already starting to see this, and the potential is incredible. What are the comparable “enduring truths” in each industry? To enable maximum growth, leaders should identify these truths and consider how technology can complement and augment those truths.

3. Nurture the skills that make us uniquely human  

To me, this final point is most important as we consider how best to grow, because there are simply some jobs that machines cannot do. Whether in supply networks, finance, or marketing, company leaders have voiced concerns about how machines and technology are replacing people. But there are innate human skills that can’t be replicated by machines. The more an industry is disrupted by digital technologies, the more important “social competencies” like collaboration, empathy, and entrepreneurial skills become. It is necessary for corporations to recognize these social competencies to help ensure future workers are less vulnerable to being displaced by AI and automation, leading to a harmonious dynamic between humans and machines in the workplace.

Ultimately, leaders have the responsibility to manage the potential of humans and machines – finding the right balance that optimizes the benefits of both. A balancing act for sure but by creating an environment of continuous learning, understanding the enduring truths of your industry, and nurturing the human skills that machines can’t replicate, business leaders can go a long way in helping their companies continue to grow in a dynamic, continuously evolving environment.